Berlin Blockade Document Analysis

1. What type of document is this? What is its purpose?      
  Both documents are reports and memorandums from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).  The purpose of these documents is to report on the decisions being made by the Soviet Union regarding Berlin and West Germany.


2. When was it written? Why is that significant?     
 They were written on June 30, 1948 and that is significant because they are events that had just happened and were probably events that the Soviet Union did not want the rest of the war knowing about.


3. Who created the document? Who received the document?     
 They were written by R.H. Hillenkoetter in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) created the document for President Truman.


4. Who is Marshal Sokolovsky?     
 Marshal Sokolovsky is an official from the Soviet Union who met with German officials about how the Berlin Blockade would affect East Germany and how to solve this issue. He decides to let the West feed their own parts of Berlin (West Berlin).


5. How did the CIA get information of the meeting between Marshal Sokolovsky and German members of the German industrial committee?      
   The CIA had a spy or imformant at the conference who supplied them with information.
  

6. What were the three Soviet alternatives as they presented themselves when this document was written? What policy did the Soviets pursue over the course of the next nine months? Why?     

 The three alternative were to start a war with the USA, Britain, and France, stop the blockade, or just let the three western countries take care of feeding the people in West Berlin.  They felt that they were not in a good position to start a war because they did not have the supplies to do so and that if they lifted the blockade they would look weak.  Therefore, having the West feed their people was the best option and would create a challenge for those countries and Soviet wanted to create hardships for them.

7. Stalin stated in a speech on February 9, 1946, "he [Stalin] blamed the last war on 'capitalist monopolies' and warning that, since the same forces still operated, the USSR must treble the basic materials of national defense such as iron and steel, double coal and oil production, and to delay the manufacture of consumer goods until rearmament was complete." Who are the "capitalist monopolies?" How does this statement enlighten the Soviet viewpoint against the United States? Were the Allies justified in canceling the shipments of German reparations to the Soviets at the end of World War II? Why did the Soviets rely so heavily on Germany for food and industry?        
  The capitalist monopolies are American and British companies.  This statement enlightens the Soviet viewpoint against the US.  That is because Stalin is saying that companies of the US and Britain are responsible for starving people and the lack of goods for the people in the country.  This would make the Soviets seem like the victims and the US seem like an attacker out to kill innocent people.  Also, although it does not seem fair, the Allies were justified in stopping the Soviets from taking such a large amount of money from Germany.  Even though the Soviet Union lost many men in the war, punishing Germany too harshly would risk another war and, with the discovery of the atomic bomb, they might actually have been able to take over the world in World War III.  The lack of money was especially unfortunate for the Soviet Union because they desperately relied on Germany for food and industry because the rest of the Soviet Union, mainly Russia, was in a drought.  This meant that the rest of the Soviet Union could not grow food, so they needed German food.

The Berlin Blockade and Airlift

1. What is Source 37 (p. 75) saying about Josip Tito, leader of Yugoslavia?     
  Source 37 states that Josip Tito is not loyal to the Soviet Union and is greedy.  The Source shows that he is not loyal by making him wear a cloak that says "Judas" and Judas is the ultimate betrayer in history, having been the one who betrayed Jesus.  So he is a betrayer because he is interacting with the United States by accepting their money and the USSR, whose government he was part of, hated the USA.  Tito is also shown as being greedy because he will do anything, even beg America, to obtain money.  That is what Source 37 shows about Josip Titio.


2. Why do you think Stalin was so hostile to Tito?        
  Stalin was so hostile to Tito because he was afraid of losing control of Yugoslavia.  Originally, Yugoslavia was only country to resist being taken over by the USSR, thus already being a threat to the government.  Then when Tito was contemplating taking the Marshall Aid money, he was even more fo a threat to Stalin because he was not following Stalin's orders.  Therefore, Stalin was hostile to Tito because Tito was threatening his power.


3. Look back at the map in Source 27 on page 71. How does the geographical position of Yugoslavia help to explain why Stalin did not take any direct action (such as sending in troops) against Tito?     
 Stalin did not take any direct action, such as sending troops against Tito, because of the geographical position of Yugoslavia.  Yugoslavia is surrounded by two countries that were not part of the USSR.  As part of the Truman Doctrine, the USA might have tried to help Yugoslavia through Austria and Greece to resist Stalin.  This might have also started a war and Stalin did not want a war so he did not take direct action aginst Yugoslavia.


4. Read Source 40 (p. 77). What reasons did the Soviet Union give for cutting off West Berlin?       
  The Soviet Union cut off West Berlin.  They stated that they were not allowing traffic and barges in because of technical difficulties and they did not have enough coal to give West Berlin electricity.  thos were the reason the Soviet Union gave.


5. Why do you think the USA did not believe these were genuine reasons?           

  The USA did not believe these were genuine reasons because they knew the true plan of the Soviet Union.  The Soviet Union wanted to take over all of Europe and probably the world.  Taking Berlin by cutting off the rest of the world so that Berlin would be poor was a perfect plan for the USSR.  Communist appealed to the poor, so cutting off Berlin was taking one little bit of Europe at a time.  Also, taking Berlin was like a test to the USA.  It was seeing how much the USSR could do before the USA would start a war and is equivalent to a little child testing the rules.  The third reason the USA did not believe that the USSR gave genuine reasons is that there is a small chance that all of these technical problems would happen at the same time.  Therefore, the USA did not believe the USSR's reasons.

6. How do Sources 41–43 differ in their interpretation of the blockade?            
  Source 41, 42, and 43 differ in their interpretation of the blockade.  Source 41 reports the Berlin Blockade to be a tie.  Neither side won and the whole situation just increased the tension between the USA and USSR.  Source 42 states that the USA "won" by showing the USSR how strong they are.  Source 43 states that the USSR had nothing to do with the Berlin Blockade and the USA is full of liars who imagined it.  Those are how the Sources differ because they all blame different sides and state that different sides won.


7.  Which do you think is the most useful source for a historian studying the Berlin Blockade?       
  Out fo Sources 41, 42, and 43, the most useful source for a historian studying the Berlin Blockade is Source 43.  That is because this source shows the views published by the Soviet Union about the Berlin Blockade almost forty years later.  This may not be the most accurate depiction of the event, but it shows the views the USSR wished to publicly announce and how they looked back on the event after the fact.  Therefore, this is the most interesting and useful source for a historian studying attitudes towards the Berlin Blockade.



8.  Which source do you think gives the most reliable view of the blockade?      

  The most factual and reliable view fo the blockade is Source 41 because it was written by a historian who was not swayed by emotions present at the time of the blockade because it was written about thirty five years after the blockade.

Iron Curtain Separates Europe

1. What is your overall impression of Source 26 (p. 70) and use extracts from the source to support your view. (No fence sitting; you must choose one but not both)      

• a reasonable assessment of Stalin’s aims based on the facts
• an overreaction to Stalin’s actions based on fear of and prejudice towards the USSR?        

  Source 26 is a reasonable assessment of Stalin's aims.  At the time it was made, Stalin had taken the "Soviet influence" to mean that they could control other countries, so the source was correct in stating that the Soviet Unions is "not prepared to co-operate with any non-Communist controlled government in eastern Europe".  The source is accurate because the Soviet Union was not allowing the countries under its influence to hold elections for the type of government they want, but just directly controlling and implementing governments for the Soviet Union.  The other reason this is a reasonable assessment is because it states that Stalin is planning to take over the world and "the immensity of the aim should not betray [others] into believing that it cannot be achieved".  This was a good assessment of the facts at the time because a weapon had been developed, the atom bomb, and people believe that, once a country obtained it, it could be used to take over other countries very easily, therefore a country with the bomb could take over the world.  So it was accurate when the source states that the Soviet Union might be able to take over the world. Clearly the source was a reasonable assessment of the facts.

  
2. Source 26 is a British source. Does it seem likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government?      
  It seems likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government.  This is because Britain and America usually agreed on how to handle the Soviet Union.  Also, the government could win over the public and convince them that funding the Cold War was a good thing by producing documents like this that are meant to scare people into fighting the Soviet Union.  Such documents were most likely produced by the American government.



3. Study Source 27 (p. 71) and make a list of three different actions that Communists took to achieve power in eastern Europe. Explain how each factor helped.     

•   The Communists disbanded the monarchy of Romania in 1947 after a Communist was elected president in 1945.  This was making sure that there was no other important person in the country besides a Communist.  Without the monarchy, there was not important group to criticize the Communists or threaten their power.
• The Soviet Union set up the German Democratic Republic in 1949 in its part of germany and used its army to control it. This "Democratic Republic" gives the illusion of being free, but can still be controlled by the Communists and, with the help of the military, no one would be brave enough and strong enough to rebel against them.
• In Czechoslovakia, the Communists one the election in 1945 and then became the biggest political party.  In 1948, other parties were banned.  This helped the Communists take power in Eastern Europe by making their party strong and then making sure no other party would ever threaten its strength because they would not exist.  This would also make people accustomed to Communism.

America Enters World War II

1. What impact did the outbreak of war in Europe have on U.S. foreign and defense policy?   
  The outbreak of war in Europe had many impacts on U.S. foreign and defense policy.  To start with, the war forced America to revise the neutrality act that had been put in place in 1935.  Also, a "cash-and-carry" policy was put into place.  This allowed America to sell war goods to nations at war as long as they took the good on their own ships and paid cash.  The debate over this also created another neutrality act in 1939.  Also, the war in Europe scared America, so the amount spent on defense was raised by Congress in 1940 and a law, which was the first of its kind, was created to draft men even though it was a time of peace.  This was called the Selective Training and Service Act.  The outbreak of war clearly made the U.S. less isolated and forced them to prepare for war.


2. Why did Roosevelt take one “unneutral” step after another to assist Britain and the Soviet Union in 1941?    
  Roosevelt took one "unneutral" step after another to assist Britain and the Soviet Union in 1941 because he wanted to protect the United States without going to war. He first justified lending weapons to Britain under the Lend-Lease Act because he felt that the Axis powers would have no opposition if Britain was defeated and this would lead to the Axis powers taking over the world.  Roosevelt also justified helping the Soviet Union by stating that the Soviet Union was an enemy of the Axis powers and so was America.  Therefore, the two should help each other.  Clearly, these unneutral steps were taken to keep the Axis powers at bay so that America would not be threatened and not have to enter the war directly.  Roosevelt wanted the Axis powers defeated, so he helped the Soviet Union and Britain because he thought that they would defeat the Axis powers.


3. Why was the Atlantic Charter important?   
 The Atlantic Charter was important for many reasons.  The Atlantic Charter was a document signed by Winston Churchill and Roosevelt and promised that the two nations, Britain and America, would work together to make sure the Axis powers did not take away the freedom of other countries.  This was really when Roosevelt promised to fight the Axis powers, so it was important in that respect, as well as the document that ensured that the two nations were allies.  The last important aspect of the Atlantic Charter is the fact that it would be the document from which "A Declaration of the United Nations" would be created and that document was the start of the United Nations.  Clearly the Atlantic Charter was very important.


4. Why did the United States enter into an undeclared shooting war with Germany in fall 1941?   
  The United States entered into an undeclared shooting war with Germany in the fall of 1941 because Germany submarines were bombing U.S. destroyers.  Roosevelt had given the orders that, if Germany attacked, they must be instantly taken down.  So, when a U-boat hit fired at Greer, a U.S. destroyer, those on the ship were ordered to shoot at every German submarine that was there.  A similar incident occurred with the U.S. destroyer Rueben James and a merchant ship, Pink Star.  These attacks further provoked shooting because, between the two incidents, 110 lives were lost.  All of the lives lost and the orders from Roosevelt were why the U.S. entered into an undeclared shooting war.


5. How was oil a source of conflict between Japan and the United States?   
  Oil was a source of conflict between Japan and the United States.  This is because Japan wanted to "unite East Asia" by taking over all the countries in East Asia, but the U.S. did not want them to do this. Therefore, the U.S. stopped trading with Japan and this was a problem because the U.S. provided Japan with oil and the Japanese needed oil to run the machines needed to take over other countries and have a war.  The only way for Japan to obtain oil would be to make peace with the U.S. or take control of oil fields in the Dutch East Indies.  The Japanese chose to act against the wishes of the U.S., thus causing a conflict that led to a war.


6. What problem would the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor solve for Roosevelt? What new problems would it create?  
  The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor solved problems for Roosevelt, but it also created problems.  The problem it solved was whether or not to go to war.  After Pearl Harbor was attacked, there was no question that the U.S. should go to war so Roosevelt was easily able to make the Congress declare war.  Also, the awful reports from Pearl Harbor probably helped the American public realize that the Axis powers were a threat and that the war needed to be fought.  They themselves also felt threatened, so that would make them want to fight.  However, two new problems were created.  The first was that American could no longer hold onto its isolationism.  America was now part of the war and involved.  The second problem was that America had to full on go to war and on two sides of the country.  There were fights to be made across both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.  This was going to be difficult because the U.S. Air Force and Navy were not very strong, so they would need to grow in order to win the war.  Another problem is also the fact that a harbor in U.S. territory was attacked so U.S. property was destroyed.  Those were the problems created, but the problem that was solved by Pearl Harbor was also very important.

Dictators Threaten World Peace

1. Why did the new democracies set up after World War I fail? (And yes, I am aware the answer is in the reading so make sure your answer is in your own words.)      

The new democracies set up after World War I failed for many reasons.  In many of the countries where democracies there was no tradition of democracy so the people in the country did not know what to expect in a democracy or how to run one.  Therefore, these governments were not working.  Also, countries such a Germany were upset about having lost land and were angry about the Treaty of Versailles.  They wanted to reverse this treaty because the treaty took away there property and blamed them.  The democracies also failed because of the economic depression and devastation after the war.  It was difficult to keep people happy when many were starving and it was also difficult to run a government when the economy was doing very badly, so it was easy for the governments to fail. Also, the strong nationalism in the country left the countries wanting something more like an empire.  That was why the new democracies failed.

2. What are the characteristics of a totalitarian state?     
  There are characteristics of a totalitarian state.  In such a state, there cannot be any opposition to the government and the individuals in the society have no rights.  In a totalitarian state the government has complete control of the citizens.


3. What factors led to the rise of Fascism in Italy?     
  There were many factors that led to the rise of Fascism in Italy.  The Italians really felt the need for stronger leadership due to the fact that there were large unemployment and inflation rates. This was blamed on Communism, so Benito Mussolini, who established the Fascist Party, was able to make people want a strong leader by using their fears of Communism to his advantage.  He made people want the nationalism and stability that he claimed Fascism offered and those were the factors that led to the rise of Fascism.


4. What were the key ideas and goals that Hitler presented in Mein Kampf ?      

  The key ideas and goals that Hitler presented in Mein Kampf were related to Nazism.  This was a political philosophy that included fascism with extreme nationalism.  Another idea was racial purification, which was the idea that the Aryan race of blue eyes and blonde hair was the "master race" and that this race was to be served by inferior races such as Jews and Slavs.  Another idea was Germany needed to expand in order to succeed, so it basically had to take over other countries or just take their land.  Those were the three main ideas and goals in Mein Kampf.

5. Why did Japan invade Manchuria?     
Japan invaded Manchuria because they wanted Japan to expand.  The leaders of Japan were mainly militaristic, nationalists, so they believed in spreading Japan and having ways to do so.  Therefore, these Japanese leaders led an invasion of Manchuria in order to take the country's natural resources and land.  This would allow for the expansion Japan thought it needed.


6. What foreign countries were involved in the Spanish Civil War?     
There were many foreign countries involved int he Spanish Civil War.  The Americans created the Abraham Lincoln Battalion and that would be used to fight Fransisco Franco.  The Soviet Union also sent equipment and advisors.  Yet Hitler (Germany) and Mussolini (Italy) sent help to Franco. These two countries would later become alies.  However, many democracies in the west did not take a side.  Clearly more countries than just Spain were involved in the war.


7. What factors contributed to America's growing isolationism?      
There were many factors that contributed to America's growing isolationism.  The main factor was that there was a large antiwar feeling in the country.  During the 1930s, many books had been published stating that the US involvement in World War I was only for the benefit of bankers and those who sold weapons.  Since many people had died in this war, this cause that everyone was believing angered people.  Even the Girl Scouts changed in order to be less militaristic.  In order to keep the people happy, the government did not want to be involved with another war, so America kept to itself.