What were the two superpowers that emerged from WWII?
- United States of America (USA)
- Soviet Union (USSR)
They had fundamentally different ideologies: capitalism + democracy (USA) vs communism + one-party authoritarian state (USSR.
The Tehran Conference in 1943 was significant for what reason?
Early wartime meeting of Allies to discuss war strategy and post-war plans
It marked the beginning of discussions about post-war Europe.
What major agreement was reached at the Yalta Conference in February 1945?
- Dividing Germany into zones
- Free elections in liberated countries (in principle)
- Soviet entry into war against Japan
This conference set the stage for post-war Europe.
What event in July-August 1945 worsened tensions among the Allies?
Potsdam Conference
Disagreements over reparations and the future of Germany/Eastern Europe contributed to rising tensions.
The USA’s testing/use of the atomic bomb in August 1945 added what to the Cold War context?
New dimension of mistrust
The nuclear monopoly by the USA was seen as threatening by the USSR.
Between 1945-48, what did the USSR establish in Eastern Europe?
- Communist regimes in Poland
- Czechoslovakia
- Hungary
- Romania
Free elections promised at Yalta/Potsdam were largely ignored or manipulated.
What did Winston Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech in March 1946 signify?
Division between free West and communist East
The term ‘Iron Curtain’ framed the ideological division in Europe.
What was the purpose of the Truman Doctrine announced in 1947?
Contain communism
It pledged aid to countries resisting Soviet influence.
What was the Marshall Plan initiated in 1948?
US economic aid to rebuild Western Europe
The USSR rejected it, viewing it as capitalist interference.
What was the significance of the Berlin Blockade from June 1948 to May 1949?
USSR blockaded land/rail access to West Berlin
This led to the Berlin Airlift and hardened divisions early in the Cold War.
What major military alliance was formed in 1949?
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
This formalized the division of Europe and included the creation of West Germany.
The orthodox view of blame for the Cold War primarily attributes responsibility to which country?
USSR (Soviet Union)
It argues that the USSR’s expansionism and aggressive moves were the primary causes.
What actions by the USA are seen as contributing to Cold War tensions?
- Truman Doctrine (1947)
- Marshall Plan (1948)
- Formation of NATO (1949)
These were interpreted by the USSR as ideological interference.
The revisionist view suggests that blame for the Cold War lies with which side?
USA / Western Allies
It argues that their actions escalated tensions and made the Cold War likely.
What does the shared/structural view of the Cold War suggest?
Many factors + mutual responsibility
It posits that the Cold War arose from structural, ideological, and historical factors.
What was a significant outcome of the division of Germany after WWII?
Germany split into zones
This division became a symbolic and real fault-line in the Cold War.
What characterized Eastern European countries post-WWII in relation to the USSR?
They became ‘satellites’ of the USSR
This control alarmed the West and justified US policies like containment.
The global political-economic context post-WWII shaped actions of both superpowers due to what factors?
- Destruction from WWII
- Fear of communism spreading
- Need for stability/aid in Europe
These factors made the Cold War a broader geopolitical conflict.
