-
Period: to
Key Aims
Peaceful Coexistence
Security of USSR
"Socialism in One Country" -
Locarno Conference
- Germany did not confirm eastern borders
- USSR not invited to discussion bcs outcast
- Deepened political isolation
-
Treaty of Berlin
- Reaffirmed Treaty of Rapallo for 5 more years
- Not to participate in any economic embargo imposed on partner country
- Banks in Ger made USSR credits up to 300million marks available
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"Socialism in One Country" Policy
- Focus on building a functioning socialist society internally
- Avoid premature conflict
- Needed industrial superpower
- Military response necessary for survival
- Appeal to Russian patriotism, didn't need foreign help
- Stakes too high to go to war
- Behind the west in Industrial Development -
Britain and Canada break off diplomatic relations
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Stalin emerges as Leader of USSR
-
Alteration of the Comintern/Left Turn
- Role to protect the USSR
- Foreign parties had to swear absolute obidience to the Soviet Union
- Became branch of Soviet Foreign Office
- Soviet spies planted into foreign communist parties
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Kellogg Briand Pact
Renounced use of war as instrument of political policy -
Litvinov Protocol
- Litvinov (Commissar of Foreign Affairs)
- Applies anti-war pact in Eastern Europe (USSR, Poland, Romania, Latvia, Estonia)
- Reassured west of Russia's intention
- Helped to gain time for Second Revolution
-
Wall Street Crash
- Showed superiority of Soviet System
- Little to fear from west + Russia could be more aggressive
- Continue direct contact w/ capitalist Govs
-
Alteration of Comintern
- Foreign communist parties have to denounce social democratic parties as "social fascists" bcs co-operated w/ governments
- KPD in Ger had to attack SPD despite calls for united leftist action against Nazis
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Non-aggression pact with France
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Exclusion from Four Power Pact
- Britain, France, Italy, Germany
-
Western Response
- Regarded as European Power
- No united capitalist front
- Business was likely
- Military and Industrial gains through cooperation
- 1933 USA gives USSR official recognition
-
Collective Security introduced
- Working with other states to stop fascist expansion and ensure protection of Russia
- Failed as it relied on powerful states to work together which in Br + Fr's quest to avoid war didn't add up
-
Join League of Nations
- Due to Litvinov's insistance
- Showed want to form collective front against German aggression
- Stop appeasement
- Improve foreign relations
-
Mutual Assistance Pacts w/ Czechoslovakia and France
- Deter Hitler from going to war
- Soviet Union would still have to fight for itself
- Allied with Czechoslovakia
-
The Anti-Comintern Pact
- Signed by Germany and Japan (Italy later)
- To counter activities of the Comintern and uphold defence
- Stalin must put in more effort to obtain allies
- Agreed to invite other nations to join
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Period: to
Spanish Civil War
Economic motivation for Stalin !! Why?
- Rid of Trotsky's supporters
- Carry out purges without anxiety
- France could be taken by fascists (potential ally)
- Support popular fronts
- Swift victory could boost fascism, scare Br + Fr into signing anti-communist agreements
- Gold reserve Impact
- Gave more prestige
- Failure of Br + Fr to intervene seen as weakness
- Strengthened Hitler x Mussolini if fascist victory -
Use of Appeasement
- E.g. Sudetenland
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Munich Agreement
- Allowed for Germany to claim the Sudetenland
- Controlled German Borders
-
Nazi Soviet Pact
- 10 Year non-aggression pact, peace + sphere of influence in Baltic
- Control of Eastern Poland Could be argued to be a continuation of rapallo instead
- Collective security via alliance w/ Fr + Br
- Build red army
- Gained land (sphere of influence)
- Ger + West fight till standstill, USSR fill up power vacuum -
Nazi Takeover of Czechoslovakia
-
Operation Barbarossa
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Period: to
Lend Lease
- Worth 11 Billion Dollars
- Prevented the collapse of Soviet economy
-
Tehran Conference
- Churchill, Roosevelt + Stalin meet for first time and discuss post war Europe, UN and Germany
- Decided on Operation Overlord
- starts the idea of sphere of influence
-
Operation Overlord
- Landing Br, Commonwealth + USA troops in France rather than the Balkans
- Opened up a second front !!!! Stalin happy
- Churchill would've preferred Balkans
- Basically so USSR could liberate EE itself for a sphere of interest
-
Tolstoy Conference (Churchill-Stalin Meeting)
- Proposed divison of SE Europe in SOI
- USSR 90% Romania 75% Bulharia
- Britain 90% Greece
- Yugoslavia divided equally
- Desire for buffer states for security !
-
West Develops Atomic Bomb
Great example of distrust -
Yalta Conference
Main topics: Poland, Germany, UN
Poland
- Poland's borders along curzon line
- Receive an increase in territory from Germany
- Recognise Provis Gov. by placing politicians from london and poland in it, elections asap !
Germany
- Divided into 4 zones with 4 commanders
- Build them up to prevent spread of communism
UN
- Creation of UN
- Declaration of Liberated Europe -
Potsdam Conference
- DeNazification of Germany via the ACC and reparations, divides it into 4
- Poland recieves territory
- Establish Council of Ministers to negotiate peace w/ Axis
- More UN control
- Nuclear weapon discussion
- Increased tensions bcs of nuclear weapons and change in leadership
- Move Poland west into Germany
- Make USSR a nuclear power
- Dominate over newcomers -
Period: to
Creation of Buffer Zone in Eastern Europe
- Hungary, accessed Budapest by December 1944
- Romania, wanted to annex Romanian Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina
- Bulgaria, already had communist revolution
-
Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech
DISTRUST !! -
Soviet Fall in Germany
- Compromise over reparations breaking down
- Western zones taking majority of German refugees
- Br and US want to delay delivering machinery and raw materials to USSR although agreed at Potsdam
- Military Govener of US zone, General Clay, wanted reparations delayed until formation of German economic plam
-
Moscow Conference of Ministers
- Soviets determined to destroy Bizonia by setting up new central German administration
- British Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin, had no plan to revise Potsdam
- USSR returning reparations would stop their progress towards a weak Germany
-
COMINFORM
- Communist Information Bureau
- Means of exerting soviet influence
-
Truman Doctrine
-USA policy of containment, which was the main motivation in western foreign policy
- Built from kennen’s long telegram- After British lose control in Greece, USA had to take on the leading role in this
-
Marshall Aid
$13.3 billion dollars used in European Recovery Program to revive European economies and improve living standards Dollar diplomacy Thought it was undermine Soviet Control of EE by providing financial aid -
London Foreign Ministers' Conference
- Allowed West Germany to draft a constitution
-
Introduction of Deutschmark
- Stalin implements Ostmark into Soviet Zone
- Devalues the Reichmark
- Separates the western and eastern economy
-
Berlin Blockade + Airlift
- Stalin cuts off all electricity and fuel supplies to West Berlin
- All road water and rail links to West Germany were closed
- Reach an agreement in May to call off blockade bcs Stalin not prepared to go to war
- Need to protect USSR
- US violating Yalta and Potsdam by strengthening Germany
- 'Whoever controls Germany controls the continent' - Lenin -
NATO Created
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
- Use military means to defend status quo in western europe
- korean war (1950) marked USA's commitment to contain the spread of communism -
COMECON Created
- Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
- Set up by representatives of Bulgaria, Czechoslovaki, Hungary, Poland, Romania and USSR
- Dominated by USSR
- compete against marshall plan
- draw states away from america
- further political control Issues
- Couldn't compete with Marshall Plan
- Failed to be instrument of control -
Federal Republic of Germany is created
- Enjoyed an economic miracle
- growth of 9% per annum
- formally divided Germany
-
West Germany joins NATO