Questions on Suny, Chapter 15
Suny describes two schools of historical thought on the origins of the Cold War, the "orthodox" and the "revisionist." Explain the major arguments made by both schools.
What seems to be Suny's main point about the origins of the Cold War?
Suny breaks the history of Soviet foreign policy during the early stages of the Cold War into two phases. What are these?
Who were the "Big Three" and what had bound them together?
What position did each of the Big Three powers take on the matter of "spheres of influence"?
What made Poland such a tense issue between the Big Three?
What was the "percentages agreement"?
Explain why "Yalta marked the peak of the Grand Alliance." What did the Big Three agree to at the February 1945 Yalta conference?
How did the July-August 1945 Potsdam Conference differ from the Yalta conference?
Why was the Atomic Bomb such an important issue in US-Soviet relations?
Explain the "balance of power" in Europe when WWII ended.
How does Suny describe the Communist parties of Eastern and Western Europe in 1945-46? Did the USSR dictate that all Communist parties (especially in Eastern Europe) follow identical policies in the immediate post-war years? Explain.
What question does Suny say was central to understanding Stalin's policies towards Eastern Europe in the post-war years?
Why was the question of US aid to eastern Europe such a touchy matter in US-Soviet relations?
What "three important statements" in 1946 shaped the Cold War? Explain the main points of Stalin's pre-election speech, Kennan's "Long Telegram," and Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech.
What examples does Suny give of the US and the USSR misunderstanding each others' intentions in 1946?
What was the Marshall Plan, and why did the USSR see it as a threat?
When and why was the Cominform created, and how did it mark a turn in Soviet strategy?
When and under what circumstances did the Communist Party establish a dictatorship in Poland?
When and under what circumstances did the Communist Party establish a dictatorship in Czechoslovakia?
When and under what circumstances did the Yugoslavian Communists break with the USSR?
What was "Finlandization"?
When was Soviet control over Eastern Europe formalized?
When did it become clear that Germany would be divided into two different states?
When and why did Soviet authorities impose a blockade on Berlin? How did the US respond, and what were the results?
SO....was the Cold War inevitable? And who was to blame?