International Relations 1943-1956

  • Tehran

    In the Tehran conference, Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin agreed that the USSR should have a communist sphere or influence in eastern europe and the USA and UK would have a capitalist sphere or influence in western europe.
  • Period: to

    International Relations

  • Yalta

    In the Yalta conference Stalin agreed that Russia would help defeat Japan once Hitler was defeated . Churchill and Roosevelt agreed that Poland would have a communist gonernment. The United Nations was also set up.
  • Potsdam

    Germany surrendered. Truman was the new president of USA. USA had tried out the atomic bomb. Germany was to be split into four zones France, Britian, America and USSR. Berlin would be split the same way.
  • The Long Telegram

    The Long Telegram was from the American Ambassodor (Kennan) in the USSR to the USA. The telegram said that Stalin had given a speech about destroying capitalism and was building up its military.
  • Iron Curtain Speech

    Churchill traveled to the USA to make the speech. He discussed the theroy of an invisible line drawn across europe with communism on one side and capitalism on the other side. This became 'the iron curtian'.
    Stalin responded by saying 'Mr Churchill now adopts the postion of the warmonger', He also described Churchill and Truman to Hitler.
  • Novikov's Telegram

    Novikov's telegram was from the Soviet Ambassador (who was living in the USA) to America. It said that America was planning on dominating the world and was prepared for war. Also it suggested that following Roosevelt death, the American government were no longer interesting in co-operation with the USSR.
  • The Truman Doctrine

    The Truman Doctrine stated that the world had a choice between democratic freedom or communist tyranny.
    The USA would fight for democrasy and communism should be stopped.
  • Marshall Plan

    The Marshall plan was to help rebuild the european economy. The USA commited $13 billion to help.
    If the european countries wanted this aid, they had to trade freely with the USA and they had to reject communism. 16 countries took up this offer.
  • Cominform

    Cominform was an organisation that pulled all communist parties together, it rejected marshall aid, encoraged strikes, and stamped out opposition
  • The Berlin Blockage

    Berlin was in the Soviet Sector but was divided between the 4 allied powers.
    Stalin blocked the other 3 powers from Berlin because he didnt want American troops in Germany, he was scared the new govrenment would try and control its territory in western germany, he didnt want America to have any further influence over Germany.
    He wanted to make sure that Germany didnt become capitalist, he was worried it might do so because, the allies formed 1 big country in the west and set up a parliament.
  • Berlin Airlift

    Because Stalin blocked off travel links (roads, rail, water), Truman decided to fly in suplies for the western part of Berlin. Planes landed every 3mins and there was about 70 larges cargo planes everyday carrying between 600-1000 tonnes of food and suplies.
    The UK helped and by Jan 1949 170,000 tonnes of supplies were airlifted every month.
  • Comecon

    Comecon was to discourage trade with the west and encouranged trade with the east. This was Stalins answer to the Marshall Plan.
  • NATO

    The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was established between USA and many other countries in western europe.
    It agreed that, if any NATO country was attacked then all NATO members would come to their defence.
  • Stalin ends the blockage

  • Established the Federal Republic of Germany

    America, Britian and France established the FDR in western Germany in Sept 1949
  • Established German Democratic Republic

    The USSR established the GDR in eastern Germany a month later.
  • Hungary

    Because Hungary was part of Cominform, it wasnt allowed Marshall aid. Also Hungary's land was redistributed to european countries. Coal, oil and wheat where shipped to russia while hungary was deprived of food.
    In 1952 hungary experienced its lowest agricultural output ever.
  • Stalin dies

    Stalin dies aand Khrushchev takes over. (New russian leader)
  • The Secret Speech -De-Stalin-Isation

    Khrushchev made a speech that he was going to 'de-stalin-ise' russia.
    His statues were taken down, cities renamed, the secret police became less active and more consumer goods were purchased.
  • Rakosi

    Rakosi falls from power after 7 years. He was nicknamed 'the bald butcher' as he murdered opponents in purges.
  • Imre Nagy

    Nagy becomes the new leader of Hungary and he wants change. he wants a democrasy, peoples rights and religion allowed.
    When Nagy wants the leave the Warsaw pact, Khrushchev sends 1000 tanks to Budapest (capital city). Ordinary hungarian people were fighting the soviets who arrived in the tanks.
    Demands are met, hungary leaves the Warsaw pact, but then he was arrested and executed for teason.
  • Khruschev responce to Nagy

    The Soviets returned to hungary and crushed the revolt 200,000 troops and 6000 tanks were sent in and after 2 weeks of fighting, 200,000 hungarians were killed.
  • Janos Kadar

    Became the new leader of Hungary.
    He created a 15 point program which contained:
    Re-establishing the communist control of hungary, using hungarian troops to stop attacksfrom soviet, remain in the warsaw pact and negotiating the withdrawl of soviet troops.
  • International reaction

    America offered $20mil worth of food and medical supplies to help the Nagy government,
    The president 'Dwight Eisnenhower' praised the bravery of the hungarian people and encouraged them to fight on.