Cold War Revision

The war against Hitler had united America and Russia, but post-war splits appeared.   They stopped short of full scale war because of the development of the Atomic bomb.

It turned into a battle for world domination.

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

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): 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 (non-communists won a big majority).   The Communists were led by the pro-Russian 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)

Causes   [memory word: CABAN]

	Cold War was beginning to bite – created tension.
	Aims USA and Britain wanted Germany to recover Stalin wanted to destroy Germany and was looting German industrial capacity.
	Bizonia USA, Britain and France merged their zones into West Germany which became more prosperous than the Soviet zone.
	American Aid Marshall Aid was voted 31 March 1948.
	New Currency (3 things) To get the Germany economy going, Britain and America introduced a new currency. This destabilised the East German economy Stalin said that this was the cause of the blockade.

Events (6 points)

	(24 June 1948) – Stalin closed all rail and road links from Berlin to West Germany.
	Lasted 11 months.
	The Allies airlifted supplies to Berliners – 275,000 flights took 1.5m tons supplies.
	In winter, Berliners lived on dried eggs and potatoes/ 4 hours of electricity a day.
	US had B29 bombers on standby.
	(12 May 1949) – Stalin re-opened the borders.

Results   [memory word: CENA]

	Cold War got worse.
	East/ West Germany split. West Germany = Federal Republic of Germany. East Germany = German Democratic Republic.
	NATO/ Warsaw Pact NATO was set up in 1949 by the Western Allies as a defensive alliance against the USSR Warsaw Pact set up 1955 by Russia
	Arms Race The USA and USSR competed for world domination.

North Korea [Communist] invaded South Korea [Capitalist].

Causes   [memory word: DUCKS]

	Domino theory Truman thought that Far Eastern countries would fall like dominoes.   China became Communist in 1949.   Truman feared Japan would follow.   He felt he had to stop this.
	Undermine Communism NSC 68 (April 1950) recommended that the US abandon 'containment' and start to 'roll back' Communism.
	Cold War Truman and Stalin were in a battle for world domination – Korea was a ‘war at arm’s length’.
	Kim Il Sung got  Stalin’s and Mao tse Tung’s agreement to attack South Korea.
	Syngman Rhee (1950) – boasted he would attack North Korea – gave an excuse.

Events   (5 phases)

	By June 1950 the NKPA captured most of South Korea from the ROKs.
	July  1950 UN troops, mainly Americans led by General MacArthur, drove the Communists back to the Chinese border.
	October 1950 (4 things) China attacked drove the Americans back advanced into South Korea. MacArthur called for use of atomic bomb.
	March 1950 (3 things) The Americans sent reinforcements and drove back the Chinese (200,000 dead) Truman told the troops to stop t the 38th  parallel Truman sacked MacArthur for criticising his orders.
	1953 Truce: America claimed successful containment.

It seemed he would bring a thaw in the Cold War (4 reasons)

	He advocated  ‘Peaceful Coexistence’
	He met Western leaders at summit meetings
	He was friendly to Yugoslavia, telling Tito there were ‘different roads to Communism’
	He criticised Stalin, executed Beria, set free political prisoners and began to de-stalinise the eastern bloc countries.

In fact 1955–1963 was the time of greatest tension in the Cold War (3 reasons)

	Khrushchev used Russian troops when countries tried to leave Russian control.
	By peaceful co-existence, Khrushchev meant ‘peaceful competition’ (5 examples)  He loved to argue (Kitchen debate with Nixon) He gave economic aid to countries like Afghanistan and Burma Space Race (1957: Sputnik.   1961: Yuri Gagarin orbits the earth) Arms Race (1953: Russia got the hydrogen bomb) Warsaw Pact (1955: 8 countries) USSR Albania Bulgaria Czechoslovakia, East Germany Hungary Poland Romania
	In retaliation, in America: McCarthy conducted a 'witchhunt' for Communists America entered the arms race with Russia in 1955, NATO agreed to an army of 0.5million men in West Germany America entered the space race with Russia America rushed to put a man on the moon. American U2 planes spied on Russia

Causes   (5 reasons)

	Poverty When most of Hungary’s food was sent to Russia.
	Russian Control (3 things) The Hungarians were very patriotic They hated censorship, the AVH, and Russian control of education. They hated having Russian troops stationed in Hungary
	Catholic Church Communism tried to destroy religion, but most Hungarians were devout Catholics
	Help from the West The Hungarians thought Eisenhower or the UN would help.
	Destalinisation Led to protests against Rakosi’s harsh government.

Events   (3 key dates)

	23 October Student riots – attacks on AVH and Russian troops
	24 October – 3 November Reforming government led by Imre Nagy (4 things) Democracy Freedom of speech Freedom of religion Aimed to withdraw from Warsaw Pact.
	4 November Soviets sent in 1000 tanks to crush the rebellion. Western powers protested but didn’t send troops (didn’t want a war).

Results   (7 things)

	Janos Kadar put in control of Hungary
	4,000 Hungarians killed
	Nagy shot.
	200,000 Hungarians flee to West.
	Many westerners leave the Communist party.
	Russia stays in control behind the Iron Curtain.
	Western leaders all the more determined to ‘contain’ communism.

1 May 1960 Soviets shot down American U2 spy plane over USSR, and captured pilot Gary Powers.

Americans had to admit he was a spy.

Khrushchev demanded  apology + end to spying flights.

Eisenhower refused.  

Results   (5 things)

	Khrushchev walks out of Paris summit (14 May 1960)
	Eisenhower’s planned visit to Russia cancelled
	Khrushchev demands that US leaves West Berlin
	Americans came off badly – been caught lying- propaganda victory for USSR.
	New American president Kennedy promises to get tough on Communism.

Causes   (3 Causes)

	Growing tension (2 things) U2 crisis Kennedy finances anti-Communist forces in Laos and Vietnam
	Refugees (3 things) West Berlin enjoyed much higher standard than East Berlin. 1945 –1960 3 million people crossed the border – a propaganda point for the US Most refugees were skilled workers
	Sabotage The Russians claimed that America used West Berlin for spies and sabotage in east Germany.

Events (6 things)

	13 August 1961
	East Germans erected a barbed wire wall overnight, later replaced with stone.
	All movement between East and West was stopped.
	Wall was fortified with barbed wire and guns.
	Western powers could do nothing.
	Symbol of  East /West division until 1989.

Causes   (4 causes)

	Superpower tension U2 – Berlin Wall – Laos – Vietnam
	Fidel Castro’s Cuba (3 things) Cuba only 90 miles off coast of America. Close relationship with USSR (oil, machinery and money in return for sugar) Cuba nationalises American companies
	Bay of Pigs (April 1961) – America sent in rebels in but they were defeated (a humiliation).
	Missile bases 14 October 1962 – USA U2 spy planes photographs Soviet missile sites on Cuba.

Events  (4 things)

	Kennedy ordered a naval blockade and threatened invasion.
	For 10 days the world was on the brink of nuclear war.
	Kennedy promised to remove US missiles from Turkey
	28 October Khrushchev removed the missiles and the crisis was over

Results  (4 things)

	Khrushchev seemed to have failed
	Kennedy became the hero of the Western world
	Telephone hot line set up between Moscow and Washington.
	(1963) – Nuclear test ban treaty signed.