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The Origins of the Cold War 1917-1945 - Coggle Diagram
The Origins of the Cold War 1917-1945
The Bolshevik Revolution 1917
1917
February
revolution: Russians were fed up with Nicholas II and his governments ineffectiveness - provisional government set up
October:
Lenin overthrows the provisional government - the revolution starts
March 15th:
Abdication of Tsar Nicholas II
November 11th:
End of World War 1
1918
July 17th:
Bolshevik's kill the Romanov Family
1922
April 3rd:
Stalin takes over after Lenin's death
The Nazi-Soviet Pact 1939
Also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
A non-aggression pact signed in 1939 by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union shortly before World War II
Both Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years
This led to a joint invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany and Soviet Union that September
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Adolf Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union
Began in June 1941, and was an attack on Russia and its leader Joseph Stalin
Drastically changed the fate of World War 2
Summary:
Despite early success against an unprepared Soviet army, the invasion began to slow down and eventually ground to a halt in December just 20km short of Moscow
At that moment the Russians struck back with a surprise winter counter-attack, bringing the offensive to an end
Teheran, Yalta, and Potsdam Conferences
Teheran
28th November 1943
Stalin insists on a second front (aka operation overlord)
Roosevelt promised a landing in May 1944 whilst Churchill was more interested in attacking the Mediterranean.
Once Germany defeated, USSR would fight against Japan
USSR would gain Polish Territory – polish boarder moved West. Only unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany accepted
Yalta
4th-11th February 1945
Germany + Berlin divided into 4 zones
USSR annex Polish territory they occupy – Polish boarder moved West to Oder-Neisse line
Free elections in freed occupied countries
Londo Poles join Lublin Poles
Formation of UN
USSR would receive reparations from Germany over 5 years (£20bn in goods/services)
Soviet POWs in West to go home regardless of consent
Potsdam
17th July 1945
Tense – Stalin been going back on decisions made in Yalta - Atomic Bomb now in equation
Nazi party/govt/laws destroyed + German education controlled to exclude Nazi militarist doctrines.Trial of Nazi War Criminals
Polish Provisional govt – free elections ASAP
Reparations to Russia from Soviet zone + 10% industrial equipment from West
'Orderly and humane' expulsion of ethnic Germans from Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia into 4 occupied zones
Personality Problems
Stalin
= trusted nobody, willing to go back on deals, wanted safety of USSR + worldwide revolution, aggressive, 'Uncle Joe'
Roosevelt
= trusted Stalin, a bit naïve, agreed to buffer zone, convinced Stalin to join UN
Truman
= hard-line anti-communist, aggressive, did not see Stalin as someone who could be negotiated with, tough attitude
Churchill
= strongly anti-communist, more worried about defeating Germany, horrified as Stalin's cold-blood violence, suspicious of Stalin, 'percentages agreement'
Atlee
= very new to foreign policy, saw USSR as expansionist, more concerned with British reconstruction, let the USA conduct most of the negotiations