Checklist
Key topic 1.1: The origins of the Cold War, 1941–58
1 Early tension between East and West
● The Grand Alliance. The outcomes of the Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam conferences.
● The ideological differences between the superpowers and the attitudes of Stalin, Truman and Churchill.
● The impact on US-Soviet relations of the development of the atomic Bomb
● The Long and Novikov telegrams and the creation of Soviet
satellite states in Eastern Europe.
Key Topic 1.2: The development of the Cold War
● The impact on US-Soviet relations of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, 1947.
● The significance of Cominform (1947), Comecon (1949) and the formation of NATO (1949).
● Berlin: its division into zones. The Berlin Crisis (blockade and airlift) and its impact. The formation of the
Federal Republic of Germany
and German Democratic Republic.
Key Topic 1.3: The Cold War intensifies
● The significance of the arms race and the formation of the Warsaw Pact.
● Events in 1956 leading to the Hungarian Uprising, and Khrushchev’s response.
● The international reaction to the Soviet invasion of Hungary.
Key Topic 2.Three Cold War crises, BERLIN 1961
● The refugee problem in Berlin, Khrushchev’s Berlin ultimatum (1958), and the summit meetings of 1959–
61.
● The construction of the Berlin Wall, 1961.
●Impact of the construction of the Berlin Wall on US-Soviet relations. Kennedy’s visit to Berlin in 1963.
Key Topic 2.Three Cold War crises, CUBA 1961-62
● Soviet relations with Cuba, the Cuban Revolution and the refusal of the USA to recognise Castro’s
government. The significance of the Bay of Pigs incident.
● The events of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
● The consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis: the ‘hotline’, the Limited Test Ban Treaty 1963
Key Topic 2, Three Cold War Crises, CZECHOSLOVAKIA 1968 (pages 22-23)
● Opposition in Czechoslovakia to Soviet control: the Prague Spring. (Pages 18-20)
● The Brezhnev Doctrine and the re-establishment of Soviet control in Czechoslovakia.
●; the ● Outer Space Treaty 1967; and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty 1968. (Page 20) International
reaction to Soviet measures in Czechoslovakia. (Pages 18-20)
,Yalta Conference (February 1945)
The leaders present were Stalin (USSR), Roosevelt (USA) and Churchill (Britain).
Agreements:
• Stalin agreed to join the war against Japan once Germany was defeated
• All 3 agreed to join the United Nations.
• Germany to be divided into four zones of occupation (Br, Fr, USA, USSR)
• Berlin to be divided into four zones, as Germany
• Stalin to have ‘a sphere of influence' in Eastern Europe.
• ‘Free elections' to be held to decide governments countries liberated from Nazi occupation
• USSR to join the war against Japan once Hitler had been defeated
Disagreements:
• dispute over Poland: Stalin insisted on a ‘friendly government’ in Poland. The West demanded free elections in
Poland.
Potsdam Conference (July 1945)
The leaders present were Stalin (USSR), Truman (USA), and Attlee (Britain)
Personality clash: Truman, the new President of the USA, was fiercely anti-communist. He was not prepared to
negotiate with Stalin. This, in turn, angered Stalin.
Agreements:
• USSR to gain eastern Poland and Poland to be compensated with some German territory - the German border
was settled at the Oder-Neisse Line.
• Nazi Party to be banned and Nazi war criminals to be put on trial.
Disagreements:
• Stalin demanded harsh reparations from Germany for the USSR - demanded $20 billion compensation. This
figure was rejected by Truman and Attlee – they did not want to make the same mistakes as at Versailles.
• Stalin denied a naval base in the Mediterranean
•Stalin had set up a communist government in Poland without free elections being held – this
angered Truman and Attlee and made them suspicious of Stalin’s motives.
The atomic bomb
On 16th August, during the Potsdam Conference, the USA successfully tested their first A Bomb. Truman informed
Stalin about it, but was not willing to share the technology. This made Stalin even more suspicious of the West and
encouraged him to begin an arms race to make the USSR’s weapons equal in force to those of the USA.
The Arms Race was pushed along by fear.
Until 1949 the USSR could not risk a war against USA. When the USSR exploded its own nuclear weapon in 1949
tension began to increase. The USA began to develop the H bomb. In 1952 the USSR exploded its own H-bomb.
The USA began to build bomber aircraft, to deliver the H-bomb, in the mistaken belief that the USSR had more
bomber aircraft than the USA did.
TRUMAN and STALIN both feared the breakdown of the GRAND ALLIANCE and the subsequent threat of a new war.
Both had secret reports from their embassies for information on the other leader and their plans. The reports were
sent as telegrams.
THE LONG TELEGRAM
TRUMAN received a telegram from Kennan – he was Americas ambassador in Moscow. Kennan reported that:
•Stalin had given a speech calling for destruction of capitalism and America could have NO peace with Russia
while it opposed capitalism
•Russia was building military power so The USA should seek to contain communism.
THE NOVIKOV TELEGRAM
Stalin received a telegram from Novikov – he was Russia’s ambassador in Washington. Novikov reported that:
•America desired to dominate the world.
•Following Roosevelt’s death, the American government was no longer interested in co-operation with the USSR.
•The American public were being prepared for war with the USSR.
Following both telegrams, both countries believed that there was a great possibility of war. The USSR believed that
war was inevitable whereas the Americans had labelled Stalin as 'the new Hitler'. By the end of 1946, the Grand
Alliance was all but over. America believed the USSR were preparing for world domination and vice versa. This was
the unofficial start of the Cold War.
, The creation of Satellite States
• The USSR responded to its nuclear inferiority by strengthening its control over Eastern Europe.
• Rigged elections, violence, intimidation and other methods were used to gain control over Eastern
European states including Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania.
• By 1947 all eastern European states apart from Czechoslovakia had communist governments
(Czechoslovakia came under communist government in 1948)
• No free elections had been held as agreed to at Yalta.
The USSR justified its actions;
- It had created a buffer zone against the West.
- It was afraid of the USA’s atomic power
- It was afraid of an attack by the West in the near future. - It had created a ‘sphere of influence’ as agreed
at Yalta.
• Their actions were seen as a betrayal of promises made during the conferences and thus proved Stalin’s
word to be unreliable thus justifying the USA’s following interference
The Truman Doctrine
• Between 1945 and 1949 the USA sought to contain the spread of communism, first in Europe but later
around the globe. The USA believed that the USSR was determined to expand and that the USA should
use any means possible to stop that expansion.
• Greece was the first country to benefit from this policy. During WW2 the Greek resistance to the
German occupation had been divided into supporters of the monarchy and the communists.
• By the end of the civil war British troops had been able to restore the monarchy but were now under
attack from the communists. By 1947, Britain could no longer afford to continue to keep troops in Greece
and so they asked for help from the USA. The USA provided money to keep the British troops in Greece
In 1947 President Truman outlined the USA’s response in what became known as the Truman Doctrine.
This policy was designed to stop the spread of communism - it was called containment
• Policy was driven by a belief in the ‘Domino Theory' – the USA should prevent one country from falling
to communism to stop others from following suit.
• It was believed that it was America's duty to protect democracies from the threat of communism.
• It would do this by providing money, aid, advisors or even weapons to any country threatened by
communism.
• USA showed this policy in action when it installed ballistic missiles in Turkey - the USSR had no such
missiles and therefore saw this action as hostile.
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan is another example of the Truman Doctrine in action
• Europe’s economy had been shattered by WW2. Europe had to tackle the devastation caused by the war,
the impact of the bombing, the loss of lives, the destruction of industry, refugees and a mountain of
debt. Europe owed the USA $11.5 billion.
• US Secretary of State George Marshall believed that countries suffering from poverty and
unemployment were more likely to turn to communism. The aim of the Marshall Plan was therefore to
rebuild the shattered European economy so that it could contain the spread of communism. A fund of
$15 billion was made available to any nation who applied for it.
• The Marshall Plan aimed to:
- Raise living standards in Western Europe to reduce the appeal of communism.
- To rebuild Germany
- To weaken Soviet control over Eastern Europe
- To help the US economy by increasing US exports to Europe. They did not want a repeat of the 1920s.
• The US government was initially insure about providing so much money to Europe, however, events in
Czechoslovakia soon changed their minds.
Key topic 1.1: The origins of the Cold War, 1941–58
1 Early tension between East and West
● The Grand Alliance. The outcomes of the Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam conferences.
● The ideological differences between the superpowers and the attitudes of Stalin, Truman and Churchill.
● The impact on US-Soviet relations of the development of the atomic Bomb
● The Long and Novikov telegrams and the creation of Soviet
satellite states in Eastern Europe.
Key Topic 1.2: The development of the Cold War
● The impact on US-Soviet relations of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, 1947.
● The significance of Cominform (1947), Comecon (1949) and the formation of NATO (1949).
● Berlin: its division into zones. The Berlin Crisis (blockade and airlift) and its impact. The formation of the
Federal Republic of Germany
and German Democratic Republic.
Key Topic 1.3: The Cold War intensifies
● The significance of the arms race and the formation of the Warsaw Pact.
● Events in 1956 leading to the Hungarian Uprising, and Khrushchev’s response.
● The international reaction to the Soviet invasion of Hungary.
Key Topic 2.Three Cold War crises, BERLIN 1961
● The refugee problem in Berlin, Khrushchev’s Berlin ultimatum (1958), and the summit meetings of 1959–
61.
● The construction of the Berlin Wall, 1961.
●Impact of the construction of the Berlin Wall on US-Soviet relations. Kennedy’s visit to Berlin in 1963.
Key Topic 2.Three Cold War crises, CUBA 1961-62
● Soviet relations with Cuba, the Cuban Revolution and the refusal of the USA to recognise Castro’s
government. The significance of the Bay of Pigs incident.
● The events of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
● The consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis: the ‘hotline’, the Limited Test Ban Treaty 1963
Key Topic 2, Three Cold War Crises, CZECHOSLOVAKIA 1968 (pages 22-23)
● Opposition in Czechoslovakia to Soviet control: the Prague Spring. (Pages 18-20)
● The Brezhnev Doctrine and the re-establishment of Soviet control in Czechoslovakia.
●; the ● Outer Space Treaty 1967; and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty 1968. (Page 20) International
reaction to Soviet measures in Czechoslovakia. (Pages 18-20)
,Yalta Conference (February 1945)
The leaders present were Stalin (USSR), Roosevelt (USA) and Churchill (Britain).
Agreements:
• Stalin agreed to join the war against Japan once Germany was defeated
• All 3 agreed to join the United Nations.
• Germany to be divided into four zones of occupation (Br, Fr, USA, USSR)
• Berlin to be divided into four zones, as Germany
• Stalin to have ‘a sphere of influence' in Eastern Europe.
• ‘Free elections' to be held to decide governments countries liberated from Nazi occupation
• USSR to join the war against Japan once Hitler had been defeated
Disagreements:
• dispute over Poland: Stalin insisted on a ‘friendly government’ in Poland. The West demanded free elections in
Poland.
Potsdam Conference (July 1945)
The leaders present were Stalin (USSR), Truman (USA), and Attlee (Britain)
Personality clash: Truman, the new President of the USA, was fiercely anti-communist. He was not prepared to
negotiate with Stalin. This, in turn, angered Stalin.
Agreements:
• USSR to gain eastern Poland and Poland to be compensated with some German territory - the German border
was settled at the Oder-Neisse Line.
• Nazi Party to be banned and Nazi war criminals to be put on trial.
Disagreements:
• Stalin demanded harsh reparations from Germany for the USSR - demanded $20 billion compensation. This
figure was rejected by Truman and Attlee – they did not want to make the same mistakes as at Versailles.
• Stalin denied a naval base in the Mediterranean
•Stalin had set up a communist government in Poland without free elections being held – this
angered Truman and Attlee and made them suspicious of Stalin’s motives.
The atomic bomb
On 16th August, during the Potsdam Conference, the USA successfully tested their first A Bomb. Truman informed
Stalin about it, but was not willing to share the technology. This made Stalin even more suspicious of the West and
encouraged him to begin an arms race to make the USSR’s weapons equal in force to those of the USA.
The Arms Race was pushed along by fear.
Until 1949 the USSR could not risk a war against USA. When the USSR exploded its own nuclear weapon in 1949
tension began to increase. The USA began to develop the H bomb. In 1952 the USSR exploded its own H-bomb.
The USA began to build bomber aircraft, to deliver the H-bomb, in the mistaken belief that the USSR had more
bomber aircraft than the USA did.
TRUMAN and STALIN both feared the breakdown of the GRAND ALLIANCE and the subsequent threat of a new war.
Both had secret reports from their embassies for information on the other leader and their plans. The reports were
sent as telegrams.
THE LONG TELEGRAM
TRUMAN received a telegram from Kennan – he was Americas ambassador in Moscow. Kennan reported that:
•Stalin had given a speech calling for destruction of capitalism and America could have NO peace with Russia
while it opposed capitalism
•Russia was building military power so The USA should seek to contain communism.
THE NOVIKOV TELEGRAM
Stalin received a telegram from Novikov – he was Russia’s ambassador in Washington. Novikov reported that:
•America desired to dominate the world.
•Following Roosevelt’s death, the American government was no longer interested in co-operation with the USSR.
•The American public were being prepared for war with the USSR.
Following both telegrams, both countries believed that there was a great possibility of war. The USSR believed that
war was inevitable whereas the Americans had labelled Stalin as 'the new Hitler'. By the end of 1946, the Grand
Alliance was all but over. America believed the USSR were preparing for world domination and vice versa. This was
the unofficial start of the Cold War.
, The creation of Satellite States
• The USSR responded to its nuclear inferiority by strengthening its control over Eastern Europe.
• Rigged elections, violence, intimidation and other methods were used to gain control over Eastern
European states including Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania.
• By 1947 all eastern European states apart from Czechoslovakia had communist governments
(Czechoslovakia came under communist government in 1948)
• No free elections had been held as agreed to at Yalta.
The USSR justified its actions;
- It had created a buffer zone against the West.
- It was afraid of the USA’s atomic power
- It was afraid of an attack by the West in the near future. - It had created a ‘sphere of influence’ as agreed
at Yalta.
• Their actions were seen as a betrayal of promises made during the conferences and thus proved Stalin’s
word to be unreliable thus justifying the USA’s following interference
The Truman Doctrine
• Between 1945 and 1949 the USA sought to contain the spread of communism, first in Europe but later
around the globe. The USA believed that the USSR was determined to expand and that the USA should
use any means possible to stop that expansion.
• Greece was the first country to benefit from this policy. During WW2 the Greek resistance to the
German occupation had been divided into supporters of the monarchy and the communists.
• By the end of the civil war British troops had been able to restore the monarchy but were now under
attack from the communists. By 1947, Britain could no longer afford to continue to keep troops in Greece
and so they asked for help from the USA. The USA provided money to keep the British troops in Greece
In 1947 President Truman outlined the USA’s response in what became known as the Truman Doctrine.
This policy was designed to stop the spread of communism - it was called containment
• Policy was driven by a belief in the ‘Domino Theory' – the USA should prevent one country from falling
to communism to stop others from following suit.
• It was believed that it was America's duty to protect democracies from the threat of communism.
• It would do this by providing money, aid, advisors or even weapons to any country threatened by
communism.
• USA showed this policy in action when it installed ballistic missiles in Turkey - the USSR had no such
missiles and therefore saw this action as hostile.
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan is another example of the Truman Doctrine in action
• Europe’s economy had been shattered by WW2. Europe had to tackle the devastation caused by the war,
the impact of the bombing, the loss of lives, the destruction of industry, refugees and a mountain of
debt. Europe owed the USA $11.5 billion.
• US Secretary of State George Marshall believed that countries suffering from poverty and
unemployment were more likely to turn to communism. The aim of the Marshall Plan was therefore to
rebuild the shattered European economy so that it could contain the spread of communism. A fund of
$15 billion was made available to any nation who applied for it.
• The Marshall Plan aimed to:
- Raise living standards in Western Europe to reduce the appeal of communism.
- To rebuild Germany
- To weaken Soviet control over Eastern Europe
- To help the US economy by increasing US exports to Europe. They did not want a repeat of the 1920s.
• The US government was initially insure about providing so much money to Europe, however, events in
Czechoslovakia soon changed their minds.
