Thai
Sikh International School.
History
notes , Year 10, [ The roots of the cold war]
1.
What
are the three conflicting explanations given by the Historians for the start of
the cold war?
1.
The
USSR was to blame. Stalin planned for a communist takeover of the world. The
takeover of Eastern Europe was the first step towards world control.
2.
The
USA was to blame. Soviet actions were defensive. The USA wanted to control its
area of influence USSR to do the same.
3.
Neither
side was to blame. The cold war was based on misunderstanding and forces beyond
the control of both the sides.
2.
Why
did the destruction of Germany make a conflict likely between the USA and the
USSR?
3.
The hostility between the USA and Soviet
Union was suspended in 1941 when they had a common wish to destroy Hitler. At
the end of the war Nazi ( Germany) over Europe was destroyed. But the question
remained what should replace it? In many
countries there was no proper government. Decisions had to be made about the
future of these countries. Inevitably, America and Soviet leaders had very
different views on the best type of government for the countries in Europe.
These difference s made a conflict between USA and USSR.
4. What were the differences between American
and Soviet ideas? (Write from text, Page94, 5 points only )
1945:
The breakdown of the wartime alliance.
1.
Explain
the different attitudes of the leaders who met at Yalta towards Poland.
In feb 1945, the leaders of Britain
,USA and Soviet union met at a place
called Yalta. Three leaders were Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin. They met to
decide on the shape of the postwar world. Much of their time was spent
discussing the future of Poland. They disagreed about how Poland should be
governed Two different groups wanted to form the new government for Poland.
Each group had a very difficult relationship with Stalin.
2.
Who
were the Lublin poles and London poles?
When the Second World War broke out,
some of the members of the polish government fed to London and set up a
government in exile. They were anti- soviet. The London poles were Catholics
and many were land owners. In 1943 they were horrified to learn that the Soviet
Army had executed about 15000 polish officers and buried their bodies at a
place called ‘ Katyn”. Stalin knew that if London poles formed a polish government,
it would be hostile to the USSR.
In July 1944 the USSR set up its
own future government for Poland. They first met at the town of Lublin, and
they became known as the Lublin poles. They were mostly communists and Stalin
felt that they could be trusted.
3.
What
was the Warsaw uprising?
In August 1944 the polish fighters,
loyal to the London poles, attacked the German forces occupying Warsaw, the
capital of Poland. The Soviet army; which was nearby, was silent. The British
and the Americans were appalled by the soviet attitude . Without the soviet
help the rising was smashed by the Germans and nearly 3 lakh poles were killed. The Germans sent the surviving poles
to concentration camps. In January 1945 the Red army went on to take control of
the Poland and announced that Poland had been liberated and Lublin group was
now in charge of Poland.
4.
What
is the importance of Yalta conference?
The meeting at Yalta, in the Soviet
Union, took place between 4 and 11 February 1945. The meeting was attended by
Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt. The three men were pleased at the way the war
was going. The discussion at Yalta was very wide ranging but the future of
Poland dominated. The three leaders had previously agreed that the Soviet Union would take land from Poland and
Poland would, in turn, be given German land. At Yalta they argued about the
details and Churchill tried to limit the changes.
5.
What
were the important terms of the Yalta agreement?
1. The
final agreement included a declaration on Liberated Europe which meant that
free elections would be held, in defeated countries, as soon as possible, to
set up a democratic government.
2.The Lublin government
in Poland was to be expanded so that it includes some of London poles.
3The British and the
Americans held many prisoners of war from Soviet territory and at Yalta it was
agreed that they would be sent back to USSR.
4The
leaders agreed that Germany should be divided into Occupied zones separately as
French zone, British, American and Soviet zone.
5The
leaders agreed to the setting up of the United Nations.
6.Explain why Roosevelt and Churchill were disappointed at the way
Stalin put the Yalta Agreement into practice?
Roosevelt was proud of
the Yalta agreement. He was disappointed to see how Stalin put into practice.
Stalin paid only lip service to the idea of bringing non-communists into the
government of Poland. At Yalta it was agreed that the Soviet foreign minister,
Molotov, would negotiate the details of the new Polish government with the
British and American ambassadors to Moscow. These talks were not successful.
Molotov refused to let the London poles play a significant part in the
government.
7.What was
agreed at Potsdam conference? What were the areas of disagreement from the of Potsdam discussion?
The leaders of USA, USSR and Britain met at Potsdam,
near Berlin on August 1945. This was the last of wartime summit meetings. In
the place of Roosevelt; now it was replaced by Clement Atlee. The main areas of
agreement and disagreement were the following.
1. German
reparations were agreed. Each country was to take reparations from its own area
of occupation.
2. German-
polish boarders on the rivers Oder and Neisse were finally agreed. But British
and Americans disliked the new borders- so only could do little about it.
3. It
was agreed that Nazi party should be stamped out in all sectors of Germany.
4. The
Soviet Union wanted to share in the occupation of Japan. Truman blocked this
idea.
5. Soviet
Union wanted to play a part in running of the rich German industrial area of
Ruhr. But USA rejected this idea.
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