What year was the Yalta conference and Who were the three leaders attending?

1946, The Iron curtain was Churchill's metaphor given to the division in Europe between the Eastern satellite states and the Western capitalist countries.

What year was Churchill's Iron curtain speach, and what was the Iron curtain?

The new president Harry Truman did not trust the Soviet Union and believed strongly in Churchill's ideas. The USA and Britain were both weary of the mass of land gained by the USSR. And the USA had announced the creation of the atomic bomb, much to Stalin's dislike.

Why did tensions rise at the Potsdam Conference?

When was NATO formed and which of the big 3 was not involved? 

Western zone wanted to speed up German recovery, but the soviets didn’t want them to be strong so they couldn’t attack so USSR refused to allow its zone to trade with other zones
Berlin was far into East Germany, but the allies had to be let in to get to West Berlin, and Stalin didn’t like this, as his zone was then exposed to capitalism and he was worried it would spread

What were the long term causes of the Berlin Blockade?

1953, Khrushchev established himself as leader in 1955

In what year did Stalin die and who succeeded him?

Hungary had gone from Nazi dictatorship to Soviet dictatorship
Rakosi (leader of Hungary) ruled through fear and oppression
Crops and livestock shipped to USSR so people starved
The Arvo (secret police) unfairly arrested people
Death of Stalin
The secret speech by Khrushchev

What were the causes of the Hungarian uprising?

A speech made by Khrushchev denouncing Stalin and promoting destalinisation, which was later found out to be a trick to bring out those opposing to communism

The USA was now fully involved in European affairs
Stalin didn’t see it as a defensive alliance but as a threat
The USA could now build bases in western Europe where planes armed with nuclear weapons could be stationed

Stalin closed all road and rail connections from Berlin to West Germany, hoping to force the allies out of the city
Tanks were put on roads and rail tracks
Truman wanted to stand up to Stalin, and to make Berlin a symbol of freedom behind the Iron Curtain
Allies began airlifting supplies for 10 months with over 600 flights a day, such as coal and food, even taking sick children out of Berlin to seek treatment

What were the key features of the Berlin Blockade?

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tension builders leading up to the cold war GCSE (year10/11) revision for exams 

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Cold war: tension builds

Find everything you need for GCSE Cold War revision: causes of Cold War, revision notes, model answers, tension builders, and more. Includes Cold War timeline, Berlin Blockade info, superpower relations (1941-91), and past papers for Edexcel GCSE History. Perfect for Year 10/11 students!

GCSE Cold War Tension Builders, Revision Notes & Model Answers PDF

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GCSE Cold War Tension Builders, Revision Notes & Model Answers PDF

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