History Notes on Cold War
History notes
Yalta Conference February 1945
Relations between Churchill and Stalin were frosty
Greatest source of conflict was over Poland
Soviets have established a communist government in Poland
Allies did not want communist in Poland and hope for free election
Potsdam Conference July 1945
Potsdam= Berlin Suburb
Stalin occupied most of Eastern Europe: (Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech, Poland, Finland.)
America had a new President – Truman
Truman was more anti communist
The allies have greater military advantage because of nuclear test
Disagreement over Potsdam:
Hostile atmosphere
1. Disagreed over what to do in Germany (Stalin wanted to destroy it, USA wanted to rebuild and recover Germany)
2. Reparations – Russia wanted Germany to pay reparations, USA did not want to repeat the TOV.
3. Truman agreed to recognize the Polish government,
1945:
6th August - the atomic bomb in Nagasaki and Hiroshima
Stalin was angry that Truman had not told him at Potsdam about the atom bomb (Trust issue)
1949 USSR developed atomic bomb meant nuclear war, could be nuclear destruction, series of tense confrontations. Makes people careful and think twice before waging war.
Nuclear bomb stopped cold war from getting to a “hot war”
The USSR and Eastern Europe – The Iron Curtain
End of WW2 the Soviets liberated countries from Nazis
Countries were replaced with Soviet communism occupation
Loyal to power: Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia.
Took control of the police, army and radio stations (Controlled)
Arrested and murdered political opponents
Alarmed Churchill. March 1946 (Fulton USA) gave speech and he described the division between East and West as an “Iron Curtain”.
The Iron curtain
One side, communist states of the East. Other side, were the capitalist democracies of the West
Aim: Churchill wanted to convince the US to prevent the spread of communism.
Stalin
Yalta Conference February 1945
Relations between Churchill and Stalin were frosty
Greatest source of conflict was over Poland
Soviets have established a communist government in Poland
Allies did not want communist in Poland and hope for free election
Potsdam Conference July 1945
Potsdam= Berlin Suburb
Stalin occupied most of Eastern Europe: (Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech, Poland, Finland.)
America had a new President – Truman
Truman was more anti communist
The allies have greater military advantage because of nuclear test
Disagreement over Potsdam:
Hostile atmosphere
1. Disagreed over what to do in Germany (Stalin wanted to destroy it, USA wanted to rebuild and recover Germany)
2. Reparations – Russia wanted Germany to pay reparations, USA did not want to repeat the TOV.
3. Truman agreed to recognize the Polish government,
1945:
6th August - the atomic bomb in Nagasaki and Hiroshima
Stalin was angry that Truman had not told him at Potsdam about the atom bomb (Trust issue)
1949 USSR developed atomic bomb meant nuclear war, could be nuclear destruction, series of tense confrontations. Makes people careful and think twice before waging war.
Nuclear bomb stopped cold war from getting to a “hot war”
The USSR and Eastern Europe – The Iron Curtain
End of WW2 the Soviets liberated countries from Nazis
Countries were replaced with Soviet communism occupation
Loyal to power: Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia.
Took control of the police, army and radio stations (Controlled)
Arrested and murdered political opponents
Alarmed Churchill. March 1946 (Fulton USA) gave speech and he described the division between East and West as an “Iron Curtain”.
The Iron curtain
One side, communist states of the East. Other side, were the capitalist democracies of the West
Aim: Churchill wanted to convince the US to prevent the spread of communism.
Stalin