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1945 elections

During WWII the USSR was occupying Hungary (which was allied with the Axis powers)

→ This caused the Hungarian Communist Party to rapidly grow in numbers.

Elections were required by the Yalta Agreement.

Moreover, after an agreement between Hungary and the USSR, Western powers feared Hungary would become Communist and urged therefore for elections.

Parliamentary elections were held in Hungary on 4 November 1945.

Being anonymous and without census or fraud, this election was the first “democratic” election in Hungary.

It was also the first election under full universal suffrage ever held in Hungary.

However, it has been described as “generally fair, but not entirely free”, since only “democratic” parties could be involved (pre-war right-wing parties were excluded).

The Soviets expected a 70% probability of victory.

Nevertheless, to their surprise the result was nearly the opposite, with the Independent Smallholders Party (a right-wing party) winning 57% of the votes. *

This meant that people preferred a parliamentary democratic nation where private property was allowed rather than a state where economy was entirely managed by the Communists.

A new government with Ferenc Nagy as Prime Minister was established in 1946.

However, the Communists received several charges, including control over the Interior Ministry and the police → this helped them to easily eliminate political opponents one by one.

5 March 1946: creation of a coalition government formed by left parties

→ 1947: Nagy is forced to resign

→ New elections are held on 31 August 1947: Communist victory.

Hungarian revolution in 1956

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev held a speech against the period of Stalin’s rule.

This led to a popular uprising in Hungary in October 1956.

Rebels won the first phase of this revolution and established a new government with Imre Nagy as premier and based on a multiparty system.

Nagy declared neutrality and asked the UN for support.

However, the USA feared a new global conflict and preferred not to act against the USSR.

Thus, in November 1958 the Communists regained power in Hungary and Nagy was executed.

However, the Stalinist-type domination and exploitation did not return.

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How did that influence the relations between the USSR and the Western powers?

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How did that influence the relations between the USSR and the Western powers?

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Even if Hungary was formally part of the Eastern bloc, Hungarian people were unhappy with a Communist government and wanted Hungary to be a democratic State (as shown, for instance, by the result of the 1945 elections and by the revolution): nevertheless, the Communists succeeded in taking and maintaining power through violence.

Imre Nagy actually wanted Hungary to get closer to the Western bloc, but the USA decided not to support Hungary (otherwise the USSR might have taken this action as a war declaration).

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What happened in the countries? (Briefly)

How did that influence the relations between USSR and wester powers?

Illustrated by one image & one meme

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Soviet Union

After World War II the Soviet Union made territorial demands on Turkey, submitting a list of territory to be ceded including Kars, Ardahan and Nakhichevan (the former two were held by Russia at the time; Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was an Azeri enclave inside Armenian SSR).

The Soviets demanded joint control of the Turkish Straits to secure their military and trade routes from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.

These moves were all part of the larger goals SET by the Soviet Union to expand their dominance in the region and contain and counterbalance powers from The West.

Following Stalin's death in 1953, the Soviet government disavowed its territorial claims to Turkey and worked hard to restore and maintain a high level of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Turkey

Turkey rebuffs soviet demands for territorial and straits concessions, against her sovereignty.

At the same time, the Turkish government which should support was Ring United States demanded assistance to where the 1946 Turkey Straits Crisis brought increased tension.

Backed by the US and under the Truman doctrine, Turkey strengthened its ground and resisted soviet aggression.

Turkey did not drag its heels: in 1952 it joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, thereby securing its position in the Western bloc and enjoying a guarantee against Soviet aggression.

United States

The US strongly opposes Soviet claims to Turkestan and any move (concerning Turkish straits) which it considers as expansionist.

As part of the Truman Doctrine, the United States incorporated both economic and military support to Turkey with a purpose to prevent Soviet influence in this region.

The arrival in 1946 of the USS Missouri evidenced American support and also helped alleviate tensions.

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Look into the origin of the World Bank/IMF.

Describe their purpose & function (Briefly)

How did their purpose & function match the different ideologies?

https://www.worldbank.org/en/archive/history

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2012/07/26/getting_to_know_theworldbank#:~:text=The%20World%20Bank%20was%20established%20in%201944%20to%20help%20rebuild,in%20the%20world%20are%20members.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/archive/history

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The World Bank is an international development organization owned by 187 countries. Its role is to reduce poverty by lending money to the governments of its poorer members to improve their economies and to improve the standard of living of their people.

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Compare your findings and list the reasons for tensions.

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Identify factors leading to the Cold War - Key words only.

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Identify factors leading to the Cold War - Key words only.

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How did that influence the relations between the USSR and western powers?

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How did that influence the relations between the USSR and western powers?

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Deepening the division between USSR and the West: Soviet demands for control of Turkish strategic points such as Ardahan and Kars (held by Turkey) and an eventual Western control over the Turkish Straits resulted in tension with the US, UK, and other NATO countries.

US opposition to Soviet territorial demands: US resistance to Soviet expansion in Turkey, describing the claims  as radical and a reversion to the Nazi style. The Americans were convinced that if the Soviets controlled the Turkish Straits, then they would have strategic access to the Mediterranean, and this would threaten Turkey's sovereignty.

The Soviet territorial demands, together with other threats such as the increased naval presence and claims of joint practices in the straits, pushed Turkey to look for U.S. protection in an environment where there was a Cold War escalation and where both sides were making efforts to expand their influence all over the world (Truman Doctrine). This resulted in the promulgation of the Truman Doctrine, a document signaling US support for Turkey and Greece threatened by the Soviet Union, thereby setting up a bifurcation between East and West.

Turkey's alliance with NATO—Turkey's response to the pressure of the Soviet Union followed by US immediate support—brought Turkey into NATO in 1952. That represented a major step forward in the convergence of Turkey with Western powers, and consequently it consolidated the geopolitical anti-Soviet containment of the West in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

The establishment of diplomatic relations between the USSR and the West : Because Turkey did not fulfill all the demands of the USSR, threatened relations between the Soviet Union and western powers deteriorated, which worsened the cold war.

Dropping of Soviet territorial claims: After the death of Stalin in 1953, the new leadership in Moscow had abandoned its claims on parts of Turkey and sought better relations with Turkey and with Western nations.

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1946 Greek legislative election - Wikipedia

Soviet territorial claims against Turkey - Wikipedia

Turkish straits crisis - Wikipedia

1945 Hungarian parliamentary election - Wikipedia