Download Unit 1 Breakdown of wartime alliance

Pocklington School
History Department
Superpower Relations
1943-1991
Unit 1: The Breakdown of the Wartime Alliance
Name:
Contents
Mark Scheme
Useful Websites
Glossary
Unit 1: The Breakdown of the wartime alliance
Definitions
World War Two
Rivalry before 1945
Yalta
Potsdam
Iron Curtain
Revision Overview
Unit 2: Containment
Truman Doctrine, 1947
Marshall Plan, 1948
Berlin Airlift, 1948-9
Asia
1945-50 overview
Arms Race
Unit 3: Controlling Eastern Europe
Khrushchev
Hungary
Berlin, 1961
Unit 4: Cuba 1959-62
Overview
Causes and Consequences of Crisis
1949-62 overview
Unit 5: Détente
Origins
Key features
Collapse
Unit 6: Reagan and Gorbachev
Reagan
Gorbachev
Unit 7: End of the Cold War
1989
End of the Cold War
2
Timeline
Marking Policy
Your written work [both class-based and homework] will be assessed on two criteria:


Effort
Attainment
The tables below should help you to understand the mark you have been given and allow you to
make the necessary improvements in your work in the future.
______________________________________________________________________________
Effort
Each piece of work will usually be graded as follows:
Grade
A
B
C
D
Explanation
Excellent effort:
 Exceeds expectation
Expected level of effort:
 All tasks set are completed
 Presentation is good
 Files are well organised
Effort is below the expected
level:
 Some work is missing.
 Answers are brief or appear
rushed.
 Presentation is untidy.
Effort is of concern:
 Work is not handed in after
a warning or is substantially
incomplete.
 Answers are very brief or
appear very rushed.
Reward/Sanction
Link to approach mark
Merit or Distinction
Majority of Grade As will
usually lead to Approach
Grade 1*
Positive comment
Majority of Grade Bs will
usually lead to Approach
Grade 1
Warning comment or
unsatisfactory work sticker
Majority of Grade Cs will
usually lead to Approach
Grade 2
Unsatisfactory work sticker
Departmental Detention if a
recurring problem
Majority of Grade Ds will
usually lead to Approach
Grade 3
Work to be repeated
Notes:
Materials which are forgotten for the lesson- file/textbook/resource material should result in 10
statements being issued.
3
Attainment
Band
Summary of
work
1. Knowledge and
use of concepts and
terms
and
Mark
I
17-20
Sustained
explanation
II
13-16
III
Developed
explanation
Developed
Statements

Good depth of
factual knowledge

Work is structured

Accurate use of key
terms and dates

Satisfactory depth of
factual knowledge

Work is structured

Some key terms and
dates have been
used.

Some factual
knowledge but some
areas missed

Beginning to produce
structured work.

Key terms and dates
used with limited
accuracy.

Limited factual
knowledge

Lacks structure

No use of key terms
and dates.
8-12
IV
Simple
Statements
0-7
2. Understanding of:
Cause & Consequence
Continuity & Change

Good analysis of
causes and
consequences

Can identify well
change and continuity
over time.

Some attempt made at
analysing causes and
consequences

Can identify with some
success areas of
continuity and change.

Identifies reasons for,
and results of, events.

Limited recognition of
change and continuity.

Identifies some reasons
for, and/or results of,
events.

Narrative
4. Historical
Enquiry
3. Evaluation of Sources




Sources have been
correctly interpreted and
clearly explained to a
high standard: Able to
extract information draw
comparisons, assess
utility and uses sources in
a wider argument.

Research is
extensive and
includes a variety
of primary and
secondary works.

Good evidence of
independence
Sources have been
correctly interpreted and
explained to a
satisfactory standard:
Able to extract
information draw
comparisons, assess
utility and uses sources
in a wider argument.

Research is
thorough and
includes some
primary and
secondary works.

Enquiry shows an
increasing degree
of independence.
Sources taken at face
value: Limited ability to
extract information draw
out comparisons assess
utility or use of sources in
a wider argument

Research is
satisfactory

Enquiry shows
limited evidence
of independence.

Research is weak,
consulting a
limited number of
sources.

Enquiry shows no
independence.
Source taken at face
value
Each piece of work will usually be graded as follows:
Notes:
Each piece of work will usually assess one or two of the four skills outlined above
4
Useful Websites
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/coldwar/
Check out the excellent site from the National Archives
http://www.coldwar.org/
Museum website
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/
CNN website with interactive exercises
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ColdWar.htm
Schools based resources
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/coldwar.htm
Useful for research
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/coldwar/
General site
http://www.atomicarchive.com/historymenu.shtml
History of the arms race
5
Glossary
Cold War
Super Power
Communism
Capitalism
Summit meeting
Free elections
Reparations
Iron Curtain
Sphere of Influence
Satellite State
Coalition Government
Containment
Doctrine
Economic Aid
Cominform
Comecon
NATO
Warsaw Pact
Arms Race
Nationalism
Brinkmanship
Warhead
First Strike
Second Strike
MAD
ICBM
SLBM
MIRV
ABM
CIA
Quarantine
Détente
Non-Proliferation
Linkage
SALT
Mujahideen
Star Wars
NUTS
Gerontocracy
Glasnost
Perestroika
INF
START
Gorbymania
6
Unit 1: The Breakdown of the wartime alliance
Although allies, cracks were already appearing in the Soviet-American alliance by 1945. Stalin was
particularly suspicious of Britain’s policy before the war of appeasement, which he thought aimed
secretly to encourage Hitler to attack Russia. He was also unhappy with the US/British failure to
open up a second front in Europe before June 1944. On the other hand the British and Americans
were worried about Soviet troops in Eastern Europe and their failure to help the Warsaw Uprising
against the Nazis.
The question remained- would the USA and USSR remain friends following the removal of the one
factor which kept them united- the defeat of Germany?
American and Russian troops meet at Torgau on the Elbe, 25th April 1945
7
World War Two: K/W/L Grid
What do I know about WW2?
(complete at start of lesson)
What do I want to know?
(complete at start of lesson)
What have I learnt?
(complete at end of lesson using
the following pages).
9
KEY QUESTION: WHY DID THE WARTIME ALLIANCE BREAKDOWN?
FOCUS ON: The Eastern Front
The war in Russia was to change the course of World War Two in Europe. In June 1941, World
War Two witnessed what was then the largest land attack in history -'Operation Barbarossa'. A
vast Nazi force used Blitzkrieg to devastating effect on the Russian Army. Hitler had long made it
clear that he hated the Russians and that war between the two countries was inevitable. The NaziSoviet Pact of 1939 had only delayed what Hitler was apparently planning even when the Battle of
Britain was at its height. He believed that the Russians were sub-human (the 'untermenschen' )
and that they had no right to live where they did. That they were East European was compounded
by the fact that Russia was communist and led by Joseph Stalin. Hitler hated communism and
Stalin.
Hitler wanted all the land in Eastern Europe to be given to Germans as they, Hitler believed, could
farm it properly while East Europeans could not. Also many Jews lived in Russia (also known as
the USSR at this time) and Hitler wanted them exterminated.
In August 1939, Hitler and Russia had signed a treaty of non-aggression which was meant to last
for 10 years. However, for both countries the treaty was merely to buy time to get their armies into
shape before one attacked the other. Hitler wished to stabilise his western frontier before turning
east. Stalin desperately needed to reform his army after the 1930's putches when his senior
officers had been effectively wiped out either by imprisonment or execution.
In June 1941 Operation Barbarossa took place - a massive attack by the Germans on Russia.
Hitler's senior commanders had advised that the bulk of the German attack should be
concentrated on Moscow. Two smaller armies would target Leningrad and Stalingrad and engage
the enemy. These two armies would then be helped by the troops in the main bulk once Moscow
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had surrendered. They felt that once the heart of the nation had been cut out, the rest of the
country would fall.
Hitler would not have this. He did not believe that the Russian army was a match for the
Wehrmacht and decided on three equal forces attacking Moscow, Leningrad and Stalingrad. As
always, he got his way.
The German attack on Russia involved:
3 million soldiers,
3580 tanks,
7184 artillery guns,
1830 planes
750,000 horses
The Russian army collapsed under this onslaught and the attack was initially incredibly
successful. Moscow was nearly reached, Leningrad was surrounded and the oil fields in the south
were swiftly approached. But it had one main failing and that was created by Hitler himself.
As the Russians pulled back (retreated) they destroyed anything that might be of use to the
German army as it advanced - bridges, railways, buildings etc. and poisoned water supplies. This
policy was known as "scorched earth" and it was not expected by the Germans and severely
hindered their armies. The supply lines of the German army stretched from Germany through
Poland and into Russia itself - a huge distance to defend and control. These supply lines were
attacked by guerrillas called partisans who did a considerable amount of damage to the German
army and caused major shortages.
The winter of 1941-42 was one of the worst in recorded history. Daily temperatures fell to 40
degrees below zero. German soldiers had not been issued with warm winter clothing as Hitler
believed that the invasion would be over by the winter. Soldiers froze to death in their sleep, diesel
froze in fuel tanks and food was in very short supply. Russian soldiers had been issued with winter
clothing and did not suffer as badly as their German enemies.
The defeat of an entire German army at Stalingrad was a disaster for the Germans and some
historians consider this battle the turning point of World War Two because the German army could
now only go in one direction and that was back to Germany.
However, while the army was fighting the Russian army, soldiers from the SS Einsatzgruppen
murdered hundreds of thousands of civilians. This was all part of Hitler’s plan to get rid of 'subhumans' from Europe. It is thought that as many as 20 million Russians died during the war. The
slaughter was so great that Himmler believed that the policy of shooting civilians might disturbed
those doing the killing. A direct result of this was the order to find a quicker way of murdering the
people of Russia and the idea of death factories developed from this which lead to the Holocaust.
However, from a military point of view, the defeat of the Germans by the Russians was vital to the
Allies overall victory in Europe. Over two-thirds of the German army was in the Russian war and
its defeat meant that the Allies in the west (GB, France and USA) had more chance of success
12
against a smaller force. Winston Churchill stated that it was the Russians who "tore the heart out
of the German army."
What was the war like for the people in Russia and for the German soldiers?
From a German soldier who fought in Russia :
"Do you know how we behaved to the civilians? We behaved like devils out of Hell. We left those poor
villagers to starve to death, thousands and thousands of them. How can you win a war in this way?
We shoot villagers on the slightest excuse. Just stick them up against a wall. We order the whole village out
to watch. It’s a vicious circle. We hate them and they hate us, and on and on it goes, everyone getting more
inhuman.
The civilians were all ready to look on us as saviours. They had had years of oppression from the
communists. What did we do? Turn into slaves under Hitler.
If the Russians should ever pay back one half of what we have done, you won’t smile or sing again.
We were quartered (living) in a house outside the town. Our dwelling for the night was a wooden house
occupied by a Russian family of five children and an old grandmother. We were bitten by fleas all night. We
opened our tins and made coffee, sharing what we had with the children and the old woman.
The man of the house was a soldier and the mother had been taken away to dig trenches. The children all had
protubing bellies of long-term malnutrition. The reality is that after 22 years of Communist rule, a salted fish
is the height of luxury. How this country depresses me."
From a soldier who fought in southern Russia :
"I watched my mother and father die. I knew perfectly well that they were starving. But I wanted their bread
more than I wanted them to stay alive. And they knew that. That’s what I remember about the blockade (of
Leningrad): that feeling that you wanted your parents to die because you wanted their bread."
Daily rationing quotas for the people of Leningrad in November 1941
Labourer
Child of Eight
Bread
252g
128g
Fat
19g
17g
Meat
49g
14g
Cereals
49g
39g
Sugar
49g
39g
13
Factor 1: Communism and Capitalism
One way of life is based upon the will of the majority, and is distinguished by free institutions,
representative government, free elections, guarantees of individual liberty, freedom of speech and
religion, and freedom from political oppression.
The second way of life is based upon the will of a minority forcibly imposed upon the majority. It
relies upon terror and oppression, a controlled press and radio; fixed elections, and the suppression
of personal freedoms.
A speech by President Truman of the US (1947)
 Read Waugh and Wright page 10
1. Complete the following table to explain the differences between the two political systems
[ideologies]:
Communism
Capitalism
Political
System
Economic
ideas
State
intervention
Freedoms
14
2. What was meant by the term ‘Cold War’?
This is usually a 3 mark question. You need to write a basic definition and then develop this with
supporting contextual detail.
 Read Waugh and Wright pages 8-9
Answer:
The Cold War was a phrase used to describe the rivalry and tension between the
Superpowers- USA and USSR after 1945. The Cold War had several defining features…
Now add some brief detail about the following aspects:
Different ideologies
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Economic rivalry
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Propaganda
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Arms Race
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Space race
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Spying
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3. What was meant by the term ‘Superpower’?
 Read Waugh and Wright page 9
Now have a go at a definition yourself:
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Factor 2: Rivalry before 1945
 Read Waugh and Wright pages 10-14
During the 1920s and 1930s US and Soviet contact with each other was limited. However both sides
viewed each other with suspicion. Though the USA did not feel directly threatened by the USSR there had
been ‘red scares’ in America in the early 1920s- Americans feared that immigrants from Russia and
Eastern Europe might bring with them socialist ideas and attempt to persuade the American working class
to mount a revolution. The origins of McCarthyism predate World War Two!
Make notes on the following points of tension:
a. The Russian Civil War
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b. British foreign policy [appeasement] before World War Two
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Russian cartoon comments on Munich
c. Rivalry during World War Two
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d. The Tehran Conference
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Factor 3: Yalta, Crimea [USSR] 4th-11th February 1945
a. Who were the key figures in the wartime alliance system and what were their aims?
 Read Waugh and Wright pages 14-15
1. Complete the table below explaining each leader’s aims and attitudes at Yalta:
Winston Churchill
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
19
Joseph Stalin
b. The Yalta Meeting: Agreements and Disagreements
The aims of the three war leaders were different, both aiming to combine the security of their own country
with the ideal of European stability. Stalin wanted to create a buffer of pro-Soviet states to protect the
Soviet Union against any potential attack from the West, something which Roosevelt and Churchill were
firmly against. Poland, being the largest country in Eastern Europe, was likely to set the pattern for the rest
of the region, and it was on this matter that the allies met in February 1945, at Yalta.
Two different political groups had emerged:
London Poles
Lublin Poles
This was the Polish government of 1939
which had spent the war years in exile in
London. They continued to meet despite
the fact that Poland was occupied by the
Nazis.
They were anti-communist, and wanted
Poland to remain independent and free
from Soviet control.
This was a ‘government in waiting’. Stalin
had established this group of Polish
communists in the city of Lublin after its
liberation from the Nazis. Stalin hoped to
place the Lublin Poles into government in
Warsaw.
The Red Army was the first to reach Poland, and as it approached in August 1944, Polish resistance
fighters had begun an uprising against the German occupying troops in Warsaw, the capital. They counted
on the support of the nearby Red Army, but also believed that by taking the initiative they could ensure the
leadership of the London Poles. The Red Army did nothing to help and the rebellion was mercilessly
crushed by the Germans. 300 000 Poles were killed. Eventually Warsaw fell to the Russians and by
January 1945 Poland had been liberated and the Lublin Poles were placed in control by the USSR.





The borders of Poland were
agreed to be altered so she gained
some land from Germany but lost
some to the USSR.
The Lublin government was to be
expanded to include free London
Poles. It was agreed that
democratic elections would be
held soon.
Germany [and Berlin] was to be
divided into four occupation
zones (Britain, France, USSR and
USA).
Eastern Europe was to become a
Soviet ‘sphere of influence’ but
free elections were to be held in
all these countries.
The USSR promised to help defeat
Japan in return for island
territories to the north of the
island.
The creation of the United Nations
Organisation was agreed.
Benefits USSR

2. Complete the table below:
Benefits West
Yalta Agreement
20
Source
Despite the apparent unity of the allies (see Sources A and B), behind the scenes the West were increasingly
suspicious of Stalin (see Source C). Relations deteriorated as Stalin seemed to ignore certain elements of the Yalta
Agreement. The high expectations in the West that Stalin would allow democratic governments in Eastern Europe
was soon destroyed when 16 leaders of the Polish Resistance were invited from London to hold talks with the Soviet
authorities near Warsaw. They were arrested and never seen again.
Source A
Source B
Source C
THE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY reported that he had now received a further communication from the Polish
Government. This was under examination, and [the Foreign Secretary] sought clarification or guarantees on a
number of important and difficult points. The following points were made in the course of the discussion which
followed: Did the Russians really want an independent Poland? Or had they in view a puppet Government under
Russian control and a Soviet Republic? The Foreign Secretary said there were increasing signs which pointed in the
latter direction (in other words, he thought they wanted to make Poland a Soviet Republic under their influence).
3. Who gained most from Yalta?
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Factor 4: Potsdam, Berlin, 17th July- 2nd August 1945.
a. Events before the conference

Read Waugh and Wright p16-17 and make notes on the following:
1. What had changed between Yalta and Potsdam?
Poland
Red Army and Eastern
Europe
Truman
Changes between
Yalta and Potsdam
Atom Bomb
22
Poland ‘jumps to the left’
FOCUS ON:
Poland in 1939 [marked in bold and dotted]
Created in 1918 out of
Prussia [Germany] and
Russia
Baltic republics of Estonia,
Lithuania and Latvia also
given independence from
Russia.
East Prussia still
Germany, but
given a ‘corridor
sea’,
thus
Germany in two.
part of
Poland
to the
splitting
Poland in 1945 [marked in bold and dotted]
Poland gains land in the
West up to the rivers
Oder-Niesse
from
Germany
USSR takes over eastern
Poland in 1939 [as part of
Nazi-Soviet Pact]
USSR annexes the three
Baltic republics in 1940.
USSR
annexes
the
northern third of East
Prussia [which it still has
today]
23
b. The Potsdam Conference
At Potsdam, Truman, less inclined to trust Stalin than
Roosevelt had been, also had a secret weapon;
Operation Manhattan had been completed and the
USA possessed a working atomic bomb. This placed
Truman firmly in control of the negotiations: “Truman
was a changed man. He told the Russians where they
got on and off and generally bossed the whole
meeting” (Churchill, writing about the conference later)
Atlee
Truman
Stalin
Using three colours highlight or underline the following: (1) Areas of agreement between the allies;
(2) ideas rejected by the West; (3) ideas rejected by Stalin;
Potsdam Discussions








German reparations were agreed. Each country was to take from its own
zone. USSR was to receive some extra industrial material from the western
zones.
The future prosperity of Germany.
The rivers Oder and Neisse were decided for the German-Polish border. This
meant Poland was to take over a large part of Germany.
The Nazi Party was to be completely removed from Germany.
The USSR claimed a stake in the industrial area of the Ruhr.
The USSR wanted to share in the occupation of Japan.
Britain and the USA demanded a say in what went on in Eastern Europe,
particularly with regard to free elections.
To create a United Nations.
24
2. Why does the meeting at Potsdam suggest that the wartime alliance was breaking down?
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25
Factor 5: The Development of the Iron Curtain, 1945-8
 Read Waugh and Wright page 21-23.
As the Red Army liberated much of
Eastern Europe, Stalin made sure that in
the post-war reorganisation most of these
countries would be under direct Soviet
influence, or at the very least friendly
Communist countries. Step by step he
took over Albania, Bulgaria, Poland,
Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and
East Germany in a process described by
the Hungarian Communist Rakosi as
‘slicing salami’, or salami tactics (slowly
removing or slicing away all opposition to
Communism).
Why did Stalin do this?
Source A: The devastated landscape of Stalingrad- Russia suffered
greatly as a result of the war. 27 million Russians died.
Source B: Stalin speaking in February 1945
Victory means, first of all, that our Soviet social system has won. The
Soviet social system has successfully stood the test in the fire of war and it
has proved its complete vitality. The Soviet social system has proved to be
more capable and more stable than the non-Soviet social system. The
Soviet social system is a better form of society than nay non-Soviet social
system.
Source C: Stalin at Yalta
Mr. Churchill has said that for Great Britain the Polish question is one of
honour. But for the Russians it is a question of honour and security.
Throughout history Poland has been the corridor of attack on Russia.
Source D: Stalin comments on Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech in
1946
It should not be forgotten that the Germans invaded the USSR through
Finland, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary. The Germans were able to
invade because governments hostile to the USSR existed in these
countries. As a result the USSR suffered a loss of life several times
greater than Britain and the USA combined. The Soviet Union can not
forget the huge sacrifices of the Soviet people. Is it surprising that the
Soviet Union is trying to see that governments loyal to the Soviet Union
should exist in these countries.
26
1. Complete the table below.
U
US Imperialism
S
Soviet triumphs in
World War Two
S
Security
R
Reward for Soviet
Sacrifice in War
 Read Waugh and Wright pages 23-24
2. Define the meaning of the term ‘satellite state’
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3. Was the USA correct in thinking that the USSR wanted to use Eastern Europe as a launch pad for
further communist expansion?
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27
4. How was communism established in Eastern Europe? Fill in the flow chart below, explaining
each process and giving examples from different countries Eastern Europe
28
Factor 6: Winston Churchill's ‘Iron Curtain’ Speech
Nine months after Sir Winston Churchill failed to be re-elected as
Britain's PM, Churchill [with President Truman] traveled on March 5,
1946, to Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri (population of 7,000).
Churchill gave his now famous "Iron Curtain speech.
Before this speech, the U.S. and Britain had been concerned with their
own post-war economies and had remained extremely grateful for the
Soviet Union's role in ending World War II. It was Churchill's speech,
which he titled "The Sinews of Peace," that changed the way the
democratic West viewed the Communist East.
Though many people believe that Churchill coined the phrase "the iron
curtain" during this speech, the term had actually been used for
decades (including in several earlier letters from Churchill to Truman).
Churchill's use of the phrase gave it wider circulation and made the
phrase popularly recognized as the division of Europe into East and West.
"The Sinews of Peace"
March 5, 1946, Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri
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, Belgrade,
Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all
are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in some cases, increasing measure of
control from Moscow. If the population of the English-speaking Commonwealths be added to that of the United States with all
that such co-operation implies in the air, on the sea, all over the globe … if all British moral and material forces and convictions
are joined with your own in fraternal association, the high-roads of the future will be clear, not only for us but for all, not only for
our time, but for a century to come.
1. Why do you think did Churchill’s words contribute to further East-West tension?
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2. Annotate the cartoon below to explain its meaning.
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Revision and Overview
Event
Effect on relations between the Allies
1939 Nazi Soviet NonAggression Pact
Britain and the USSR are enemies, USA is neutral but leaning
towards Britain.
1941 Nazi invasion of
USSR
The USSR changes from an enemy to an ally against the common
threat of Nazi Germany. Little direct co-operation.
1944 ‘Lublin Poles’ set
up
West suspects USSR of a desire to create buffer zone of puppet
Communist states
1944 Warsaw Uprising
1945 Liberation of
Poland
1945 Yalta Conference
1945 Failed discussions
with Molotov concerning
Polish government
1945 Arrest of Polish
Resistance leaders
1945 Death of Roosevelt
- Truman
1945 US completion of
Manhattan Project
1945 Potsdam
Conference
1946 Iron Curtain
Speech, made by
Churchill at Fulton,
Missouri
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Focus on: Learning through Mnemonics:
CAUSES OF THE COLD WAR [memory word: BARE]
Beliefs:
Russia was (3 things)
a Communist country,
ruled by a dictator
who cared little about human rights.
America was (3 things)
a capitalist
democracy,
which valued freedom.
Aims:
Stalin wanted (2 things)
reparations from Germany
a buffer of friendly states.
Britain and the USA [led by President Truman] wanted (2 things)
to help Germany recover
to prevent large areas of Europe from coming under Communist control.
Resentment about history
The USSR did not trust Britain and the USA (2 reasons)
They had tried to destroy the Russian Revolution in 1918.
Stalin thought they had not helped the USSR enough in WW2.
Britain and the USA did not trust the USSR (1 reason)
Stalin had signed the Nazi-Soviet pact in 1939.
Events
.....and in case you are wondering:
EVENTS (9 events):
YALTA CONFERENCE (4 things)
February 1945
Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt agreed to (5 points):
Divide Germany into 4 zones occupied by France, Britain, USA, USSR.
Hold free elections in Eastern European countries.
Give the USSR territory in Manchuria in return for their help against Japan.
Set up the United Nations.
Set up a government of Communists and non Communists in Poland.
On the surface, everything seemed friendly
Tension behind the scenes
POTSDAM CONFERENCE (4 things)
July 1945
At Potsdam the tensions surfaced.
Stalin, Truman and Atlee agreed to (2 things):
Bring Nazi war criminals to trial.
Divide Germany into 4 occupied zones.
There were also disagreements over (3 things):
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Soviet policy in Poland.
The size of German reparations.
Stalin’s demands for a naval base in the Mediterranean.
SALAMI TACTICS (2 things)
1945–48
‘Slice-by-slice’, Stalin ensured 7 Eastern European countries had Communist
governments.
Albania
(1945) – the Communists took power after the war without opposition
Bulgaria
(1945) – the Communists executed the leaders of all the other parties.
Poland
(1947) – the Communists forced the non-Communist leaders into exile.
Hungary (4 things)
(1947) – Russian troops stayed there. Stalin allowed elections (noncommunists won a big majority). The Communists were led by the proRussian Rakosi.
Rakosi demanded that groups which opposed him should be banned.
He got control of the police, and arrested his opponents.
He set up a secret police unit, the AVH.
Romania
(1945–1947) – the Communists gradually took over control.
Czechoslovakia
(1945–48) – in 1948, the Communists banned all other parties and killed their
leaders.
East Germany
(1949) – the Russians turned their zone into the German Democratic Republic.
FULTON SPEECH (5 things)
March 1946
Churchill described the Soviet bloc as an ‘iron curtain’.
Stalin believed this was necessary to maintain the safety of the USSR.
After Fulton, the Cold War worsened.
Russia called the speech a declaration of war.
GREECE (2 things)
February 1947
The USA supplied arms and money to defeat the Communists in Greece.
TRUMAN DOCTRINE (2 things)
March 1947
The USA implemented a policy of ‘containment’ towards the USSR – to prevent
Communism spreading any further.
THE MARSHALL PLAN (3 things)
June 1947
Marshall believed poverty was a breeding ground for Communism.
American introduced ‘Marshall Aid’ – $17 billion to get Europe’s economy going.
COMINFORM (3 things)
October 1947
Stalin forbade Communist countries to accept Marshall Aid.
Cominform was set up to control all Communist countries in Europe.
CZECHOSLOVAKIA (3 things)
March 1948
Communists took control
Panicked the US Senate into granting Marshall Aid (31 March 1948)
For more of these, visit www.johndclare.net
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"Restraint? Why are you so
concerned with saving their
lives? The whole idea is to kill
the b*****ds. At the end of the
war if there are two Americans
and one Russian left alive, we
win."
- Thomas Power, US Strategic
Air Command
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