Download OCR GCSE MWH Student Book Ch 2

How had the USSR gained control of Eastern Europe by 1948?
learning objectives
KEY WORDS
In this lesson you will:
Expansionist – seeking to expand your country’s
power or territory.
Iron curtain – a metaphor used by Churchill to
describe the post-war division of Europe.
Satellite states – smaller countries that look to a
bigger one for protection and trade.
• learn about the continuities in Soviet policy
towards its satellite states.
getting started
Cover up the cartoon in Source B and read the
Churchill speech in Source A. What images does he
conjure up? Could you draw a cartoon to sum up this
short extract?
SOURCE
A
From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic,
an iron curtain has descended across the
continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of
the ancient states of central and eastern Europe –
Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest,
Bucharest and Sofia. All these famous cities and
the populations around them lie in the Soviet
sphere and all are subject to a very high and
increasing measure of control from Moscow.
An extract from Churchill’s speech at Fulton, Missouri, on 5
March 1946.
SOURCE
B
Cartoon showing
Churchill peeping
under the Iron
Curtain, 1946.
60
SOURCE
C
Mr Churchill now takes the stand of the
warmongers and he is not alone. He has friends
not only in Britain, but in the United States . . . As a
result of the German invasion, the Soviet Union’s
loss of life has been several times greater than
that of Britain and the USA put together. And so
what can be surprising about the fact that the
Soviet Union, anxious for its future safety, is trying
to see to it that governments loyal to the Soviet
Union should exist in the countries through which
the Germans made their invasion? How can
anyone who has not taken leave of his senses
describe these peaceful hopes of the Soviet Union
as expansionist?
Stalin’s response to Churchill’s speech, 1946.
The fall of the ‘iron curtain’ across Europe
After the UK General Election of 1945, Churchill
was no longer the British prime minister. Free from
the chains of office, he went on a tour of
America where he was treated as a hero. In
Fulton, Missouri, on 5 March 1946, he coined
a phrase that would be used for the next 40
years when the East/West divide was
mentioned (see Source A). The speech
declared that Europe was being divided into
two separate halves by Soviet policy. In the
West were free, democratic states, but in the
East, behind an ‘iron curtain’ were countries
under the domination of communist parties
subject to the Soviet Union. However, Stalin
did not agree with Churchill’s reading of the
way events had unfolded (Source C).
OCR GCSE History B: Modern World History
02 326 GCSE MWH.ch02.indd 60
1/4/09 15:20:19
Why did the uSSR seek to dominate
Eastern Europe?
Between 1945 and 1948 the Soviet Union made sure
that every country in Eastern Europe had a
government that was both communist and
sympathetic to the Soviet Union. As far as Stalin was
concerned, this was a defensive measure aimed at
creating a buffer zone between the Soviet Union and
the West. The Soviet Union had been invaded from
the west twice in the past 30 years; the establishment
of communist governments in Eastern Europe would
make such an invasion more difficult.
Of course, as far as the West was concerned, and the
USA in particular, the Soviet Union was not acting
defensively. It was taking the first steps towards
world domination. Here was clear proof that the
Western way of life was under threat. The spread of
communism had to be stopped.
We are concerned that the USSR is not taking defensive
action. We think that she is taking the first steps towards
world domination and our western way of life is under
threat. We must stop the spread of communism.
We are taking defensive measures to create a ‘buffer
zone’ between the Soviet Union and the West. We have
been invaded twice in the last 30 years, by creating
sympathetic governments in Eastern Europe another
invasion would be much more difficult.
GradeStudio
What is the message of the cartoon in Source B? Use details of the cartoon and your own
knowledge to explain your answer
[7 marks]
Mark scheme
Level 1: 1–2 marks Using surface features only.
‘The cartoonist is showing a big iron curtain separating Europe.’
Level 2: 2–3 marks Interpretation only.
‘The Soviets have built an iron curtain.’
Level 3: 4 marks
Main message.
‘There is a division between East and West Europe.’
‘Churchill, a major European statesman, has noticed there is a barrier between East and
West Europe.’
Level 4: 5–6 marks Main message supported by details of the cartoon OR by contextual knowledge.
‘Churchill has called this an iron curtain because he sees the barrier between East and West
Europe as a very real one, it has been drawn as one draws a curtain.’
OR
‘The Second World War is over and the final meetings between the American president,
British prime minister and Soviet leader had not gone well. No agreement could be found
on several issues and once out of power in the UK Churchill felt that he could talk freely
about what he saw happening in Europe.’
Level 5: 7 marks
Main message supported by details of the cartoon AND by contextual knowledge. Both
sides of level 4.
Examiner’s tip
Cartoons are a fun way of summarising big historical events. Remember, in order to do well in exams you must go
beyond ‘saying what you see’. Use your historical knowledge to add some detail.
The Cold War, 1945–75
02 326 GCSE MWH.ch02.indd 61
61
1/4/09 15:20:20
ESTONIA
T
A
T
E
S
Land taken by USSR at the
end of Second World War
S
Soviet-controlled
communist countries
T
IC
LATVIA
B
A
L
Non-Soviet-controlled
communist countries
LITHUANIA
Berlin
EAST
GERMANY
POLAND
SOVIET UNION
N
CZECH.
400 km
AUSTRIA
HUNGARY
ROMANIA
YUGOSLAVIA
BULGARIA
ALBANIA
GREECE
TURKEY
Soviet expansion, 1945–48.
62
OCR GCSE History B: Modern World History
02 326 GCSE MWH.ch02.indd 62
1/4/09 15:20:21
The Baltic States
Hungary
At the end of the war, the Soviet Union extended its
border some 500 kilometres west. It did this by
formally annexing Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia,
which it had occupied during the war with Finland in
1939–40. It also kept control of the eastern half of
Poland, which it had occupied under the terms of the
Nazi–Soviet Pact in 1939 (although the Germans had
occupied this area from 1941 to 1945).
In November 1945 free elections were held, and the
non-communist Smallholders’ Party won the most
seats. In August 1947 fresh (rigged) elections were
held and the Communists won total control. All other
political parties were then banned.
Yugoslavia
Czechoslovakia
Following the war, a coalition government ruled
Czechoslovakia. From 1946 the Communists were the
largest party in the coalition. In 1948 the Communists
used the army to seize control. Many non-communists
were arrested and the non-communist foreign
secretary, Jan Masaryk, was murdered. Rigged
elections were held in which the Communists won a
landslide victory. Other political parties were then
banned.
In Yugoslavia the communist resistance had fought
bravely against the Germans, and in 1945 its leader,
Marshal Tito, was elected president. At first, Tito and
Stalin got on well, but relations deteriorated as it
became clear that Tito did not intend to follow orders
from Moscow. Yugoslavia was expelled from the
Communist Information Bureau (Cominform), and
economic sanctions were applied against it by other
communist countries. Tito countered this by taking
aid from the West – much to the annoyance of Stalin.
Poland
Greece
At the request of Britain and the USA at the end of
June 1945, Stalin included a few London Poles in the
new Polish government. In January 1947, however,
fresh (rigged) elections saw the return of a totally
communist government. The leader of the London
Poles, Mikolaczyk, fled from Poland, fearing for his
life.
Here the communists were not successful. They
fought a civil war against the government supported
by Britain and the USA. Stalin stuck by his promise to
the Western allies not to provide support for the
Greek communists, who were finally defeated in 1949.
East Germany
The Soviet Union controlled the eastern section of
Germany after the war. In 1949 it became a separate
communist state, the German Democratic Republic
(East Germany).
Romania
After the expulsion of the Nazis, a coalition
government dominated by communists was set up in
Romania. In February 1945 the Soviet Union forced
the king to appoint a communist prime minister. By
the middle of the year, communists were in control,
and in 1947 the monarchy was abolished.
Bulgaria
In late 1944 a communist-dominated coalition
government was set up. In November 1945 the
communists won rigged elections, and in 1946 they
abolished the monarchy.
KEY WORDS
Annex – add to a country’s territory.
Coalition – a temporary alliance of political parties
made in order to form a government .
Sanctions – impositions placed on a state in order
to coerce it.
The Cold War, 1945–75
02 326 GCSE MWH.ch02.indd 63
63
1/4/09 15:20:22
How did the USA react to Soviet expansionism?
LEARnIng ObjECTIVES
In this lesson you will:
• learn about the consequences of Soviet action in
Eastern Europe
• explain what the American reaction to Soviet
action was.
gETTIng STARTED
Imagine you are President Truman in 1947. How
would you react to the Soviet Union annexing
neighbouring countries or installing puppet
governments in them? What would you do?
SOURCE
A
The free peoples of the world look to us for
support in maintaining their freedoms . . . I believe
that it must be the policy of the United States to
support people who are resisting attempted
subjugation by armed minorities or by any outside
pressures. I believe that we must help free peoples
to work out their own destiny in their own way.
Extracts from President Truman’s speech on 12 March 1947.
The Truman Doctrine
As the USSR established dominance over Eastern
Europe following the Second World War, President
Truman felt there was little he could do because the
Soviet Union had liberated the countries in question
from Nazi occupation. Then, in February 1947,
Truman was informed by the British that they could
no longer afford to station troops in Greece and
Turkey. Truman knew that the withdrawal of British
troops would almost certainly lead to the Soviet
Union taking control of these two countries. He
therefore paid for British troops to stay in the area
and gave financial support to the two governments.
This was the beginning of the American policy of
‘containment’ – preventing the further spread of
communism. The policy was officially announced in
a speech made by Truman on 12 March 1947.
64
The views put forward in the speech have since
become known as the ‘Truman Doctrine’.
In this speech, Truman let it be known that the USA
was prepared to give help to any country under
threat from communism. What form of help would
there be for countries under threat from
communism? Would Truman send troops into
trouble-spots? This would be an act of hostility and
would certainly lead to a war with the Soviet Union.
Instead Truman would use America’s wealth to shore
up the crumbling economies of Europe; he believed
that communism flourished wherever there was
misery and want – if you take away the misery and
want, you take away the need for communism.
Europe already owed the USA $12 billion and
between 1948 and 1952, through this new plan, the
Marshall Plan, Europe would get another $13 billion.
Austria
$550 million
Netherlands
$1000 million
Italy
$1300 million
West Germany
$1300 million
Belgium
$550 million
Britain
$2700 million
France
$2400 million
The principal
recipients of
Marshall Aid.
Fact file
The Marshall Plan was named after General George
Marshall, the US Secretary of State. He made a
speech in June 1947 claiming that the aid was aimed
at ending hunger and poverty. Any country could
apply for the money (Poland and Czechoslovakia
were keen to apply but were not allowed to do so).
ACTIVITIES
As you have seen, the European countries were keen
to have the money, but did everyone view the plan in
a positive way? Look at Sources B and C on page 65.
Do the two cartoons agree in their appraisal of the
Marshall Plan?
OCR GCSE History B: Modern World History
02 326 GCSE MWH.ch02.indd 64
1/4/09 15:20:23
SOURCE
b
SOURCE D
The Marshall Plan was seen in the Soviet Union as
the Americans wanting to impose their influence
over the countries to which they gave Marshall
Aid. It was seen as an aggressive act on behalf of
the Americans. This is why it was never accepted
by our country.
Dimitri Sukhanov, a senior Soviet politician in 1947,
commenting in 1988 on the Marshall Plan.
Soviet reactions to the marshall Plan
Truman wanted to end hunger and want in Europe
so there would be no collapse into communism,
and also so American companies would have
greater trading opportunities. Stalin did not see
things in quite the same way!
A cartoonist’s view of the Marshall Plan, drawn in 1947.
SOURCE
C
In September 1947 the Soviet Union formed the
Communist Information Bureau (Cominform) to
strengthen ties between communist countries. The
Communist parties in Western Europe (those in
Italy and France were particularly strong) were
ordered to try to wreck their countries’ use of
American aid by strikes, but they were
unsuccessful. In January 1949, Stalin announced
the formation of the Council for Mutual Economic
Aid (Comecon) to rival
the Marshall Plan. The
communist countries,
however, did not have
surplus funds to
provide financial
assistance to each
other.
David Low’s ‘Gnashing teeth’ cartoon, first published in the Evening Standard, April 1949.
The Cold War, 1945–75
02 326 GCSE MWH.ch02.indd 65
65
1/4/09 15:20:27
What were the consequences of the Berlin
Blockade?
Background
• It had been agreed at Yalta that Germany would
be split into four parts. This led to a split between
East and West. This caused a special problem for
the capital, Berlin, because it was in East
Germany and the Allies did not want to give it
up. Therefore, Berlin was also split in half.
• The post-war economy of the whole of Germany
was in ruins.
• The Americans introduced the Marshall Plan and
West Germany (and West Berlin) benefited;
unsurprisingly East Germany (and East Berlin)
did not.
ACTIVITIES
Historians seldom agree on anything – they write
different histories because of their background and
opinions. Working in pairs, one of you should write a
brief history of this period from an American point of
view, the other from a Soviet one. Compare your
paragraphs.
You need to have an opinion – it doesn’t matter
whether you feel sympathy towards America or the
Soviet Union, as long as you can back it up.
SOURCE
E
Developing problem
• Britain and America combined their parts of West
Germany into ‘Bizonia’.
• They introduced a new currency: the
Deutschmark.
• Stalin was worried that a prosperous West
Germany would pose a threat to Soviet security
(Germany had invaded Russia twice in the past
30 years) and he did not want to see a wealthy
West Germany next to a poor East Germany.
Soviet reaction
• Stalin decided to test the strength of the Allies
and slow down the economic growth of the
country by placing a blockade on West Berlin.
• Two million people lived in the Soviet zone but
not under Soviet rule.
• All road and rail links were blockaded on 24 June
1948.
Crisis
• The Americans and British could not smash
through the blockades, as this would be seen as
an act of war.
• Stalin hoped the Allies would abandon their zone
and leave the whole of Berlin in his hands.
• The Allies could not back down as this might
encourage Stalin to make other demands
elsewhere in Europe.
Decision
• The Americans and British took the decision to
send supplies to West Berlin by air from their
bases in West Germany.
• This was a massive task as West Berlin would
need over 5000 tons of food and other necessities
a day to survive.
• Non-stop flights were needed.
• B-29 bombers were stationed in Britain: this
meant that the Soviet Union was in range of
atomic weapons.
• Now the ball was back in Stalin’s court. If he shot
the planes down, he would be seen as the
aggressor.
ACTIVITIES
A cartoon published in July 1948. The birds are carrying
supplies into Berlin.
66
In Source E, Stalin is shown leaning out of a chimney,
about to take pot-shots at storks.
• What is the impression of Stalin given by the
cartoon?
• Does this seem a likely action for a world leader?
OCR GCSE History B: Modern World History
02 326 GCSE MWH.ch02.indd 66
1/4/09 15:20:29
Detail
• For the best part of a year planes flew in and out
of West Berlin: over two million tons of supplies
were delivered and approximately 275,000 trips
were made.
• Stalin called the blockade off on 12 May 1949; his
gamble had failed.
Consequences
• The blockade strengthened Allied resolve to
stand up to Stalin whatever the cost.
• West Germany was formally united and free
elections were held in August 1949. Konrad
Adenauer’s Christian Democrats won; he was a
committed opponent of communism.
• The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
was formed in April 1949 This was a military
alliance that promised to help if any of the
members were attacked. This was significant
because it was the first time America had signed
up to a peacetime military alliance; it showed the
determination of its members to stand up to
communism.
• Stalin’s response was to form the Warsaw Pact, a
similar military alliance comprising of Eastern
European countries under Soviet influence.
Fact file
The two alliances
nATO: USA, Britain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark,
France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands,
Norway and Portugal. Greece and Turkey joined in
1952 and West Germany in 1955.
The Warsaw Pact: Soviet Union, Albania (expelled
1968), Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany,
Hungary, Poland and Romania.
Fact file
In 1949 the Soviet Union’s scientists successfully
developed an atomic bomb.
ACTIVITIES
Use the sub-title headings on pages 66–67 and make
a flow diagram that shows how each of them is
related to the other. Think carefully how you will place
each one.
GradeStudio
Look at Source E. What is the message of this cartoon? Use details of the cartoon and your knowledge to explain
your answer.
[7 marks]
Mark scheme
Level 1: 1–2 marks Using surface features only.
‘Stalin is shooting storks carrying food and supplies out of the sky.’
‘It shows Stalin in the ruins of Berlin.’
Level 2: 2–3 marks Interpretation only.
‘Stalin is responsible for ruining Berlin.’
‘People in Berlin need food and supplies.’
Level 3: 4 marks
Main message.
‘Stalin is not happy that supplies are getting into Berlin so he is shooting them down.’
Level 4: 5–6 marks ‘Main message supported by details of the cartoon OR by contextual knowledge.
‘The cartoonist sees Stalin as the opposite of a Santa popping out of the chimney shooting
the storks, who are usually carrying babies, to the people of Berlin. Stalin is effectively
killing the babies, the food and supplies, of Berlin that is keeping the city alive.’
OR
‘Stalin’s blockade of Berlin was followed by an attempt by the USA and Britain, represented
by the storks, to deliver supplies. The world waited to see if Stalin would shoot down the
planes: he didn’t but the cartoonist must have thought he might.’
Level 5: 7 marks
Main message supported by details of the cartoon AND by contextual knowledge. Both
sides of level 4.
The Cold War, 1945–75
02 326 GCSE MWH.ch02.indd 67
67
1/4/09 15:20:32
Who was more to blame for the start of the Cold War, the USA or
the USSR?
learning objectives
In this lesson you will:
• evaluate historical factors in order to make a judgement on significant events.
USA-controlled factors:
1 President Truman was much more suspicious and less trusting of the USSR than Roosevelt.
2 The USA dropped atomic bombs on Japan to end the Second World War in that region.
3 The Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan promised aid to countries willing to stand up to the
communist threat.
4 The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was set up as a military alliance between
European and North American countries.
5 America, Britain and France formally united their zones of occupied Germany to create the new
Federal Republic of Germany.
6 The Federal Republic of Germany joined NATO.
USSR-controlled factors:
1 The Baltic States were under Soviet occupation at the end of the war.
2 Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary were under Soviet occupation.
3 Poland gained a communist-dominated government supported by the USSR.
4 The Communist Information Bureau (Cominform) was formed.
5 The Berlin Blockade.
6 Council for Mutual Economic Aid (Comecon) was formed.
7 The Soviet part of Germany became the German Democratic Republic.
8 Soviet scientists developed the atomic bomb.
9 The Warsaw Pact was formed as a military alliance of communist states.
Other factors:
1 The conferences between the Allied leaders at the end of the Second World War.
2 The death of Roosevelt in the USA and the election of Attlee in the UK.
68
OCR GCSE History B: Modern World History
02 326 GCSE MWH.ch02.indd 68
1/4/09 15:20:32
All these factors need to be given more detail if they
are to be of help to you in answering this question.
The formulaic response would be to expand on all
the American factors then offer the Soviet factors as
a contrast before adding the ‘other’ factors and a
conclusion. However, your work will be more
interesting to read if you have an opinion at the
beginning, then go about proving it.
Step 1:
Go through your notes and add detail to the above
points. Complete extra research if necessary.
Step 2:
Each factor has a different level of importance;
decide on the appropriate level of importance for
each factor. At this stage you may begin to leave
the less important factors out.
Step 3:
Decide your answer to the question: who was to
blame for the Cold War?
GradeStudio
Who was to blame for the Cold War?
[10 marks]
Examiner’s tip
This question is asking for you to make an argument
and come up with a decision. It is always easier to
avoid committing yourself to one side of the
argument, but when you have an opinion you work
harder to explain it and therefore get higher marks.
Start by making two lists: one for all the things the
USA and the West may have done to encourage
hostility between the two sides and one for the
things the USSR was responsible for. Make sure
you have some details about each one, for
example how their activities may have been to
blame for prolonging the Cold War. When you
have your detailed lists you will be able to make an
informed decision, and you can then begin writing
your answer.
Step 4:
Divide your reasons into two: one side is your
argument for who was most to blame for the Cold
War, the other is recognising that there is an
alternative opinion but arguing that it is not as
accurate as yours.
Step 5:
Look again at your points to support your
argument and see if you can put any together to
make better statements.
Step 6:
Do the same to the other side of the argument,
although here you should aim to group together
factors that are similar.
Step 7:
Write up your answer. Start with who you think
was to blame and support your argument with the
evidence you have collected. Then acknowledge
the other opinion, also with supporting evidence.
Make sure your conclusion matches your
introduction.
The Cold War, 1945–75
02 326 GCSE MWH.ch02.indd 69
69
1/4/09 15:20:33