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clear that Germany was losing the European war, the allied leaders met at Yata in the Ukraine to plan what would happen to Europe after Germanys defeat.
Stalin, Roosevelt
four zone.
concentration camps were revealed. They agreed to hunt down and punish war criminals who were responsible for the genocide.
Nations Organisation, which would aim to keep peace after the war.
An estimated 20 million Soviet people
had died. Stalin was concerned about the future security of the USSR. They agreed that eastern Europe should be seen as a Soviet sphere of influence.
Perhaps
you think that just because we are the allies of the English we have forgotten who they are and who Churchill is. Theres nothing they like better than to trick their allies. During the First World War they constantly tricked the Russians and the French. And Churchill? Is the kind of man who will pick your pocket of a kopeck! And Roosevelt? Is not like that. He dips in his hand only for bigger coins.
government in Poland, ignoring the wishes of the majority of Poles. Britain and the USA protested, but he defended his action.
In 1945, Presidet Roosevelt died. He was then replaced by his Vice-President, Harry Truman. He was a very different man from Roosevelt. He was much more anti-Communist and was very suspicious of Stalin. He saw Soviet actions in eastern Europe as preparations for a Soviet take-over of the rest of Europe.
the Allies had broken down. It had been replaced by suspicion and acucusation.
USSR (The Union of Soviet Socialist Republic) was soon so great that leaders were talking in public about the threat of war between the two countries. After the war, the two sides increased their stock of weapons.
recrimination, people began to talk about a Cold War. would dominate relations between the countries for much of that time.
common as countries and their leaders had different beliefs and ideas. Americans trusted Communists less than Nazis.
Stalin signed his pact with Hitler in 1939. The Americans had not sent troops to help him hold back Hitler in the Soviet Union.
It was a democracy. It
wealthiest country. But, as in most capitalist countries, there were extremes, some great wealth and great poverty as well.
of control by the government was more important than everyone being equal.
Many Americans
dictatorship. Elections were held, but all candidates belonged to the Communist Party.
because its industry had grown rapdly in the 1920s and 1930s, but the general standar of living in the USSR was much lower than in the USA. Even so, unemployment was rarer and extreme poverty was rarer than in the USA.
rights of individuals were seen as less important than the good societyas a whole. So individuals lives were tightly controlled.
Every Communist
President Truman
of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures The free peoples of the world look to us for support in maintaining those freedoms. If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of the world.
the USA was prepared to send money, equipment and advice to any country which has, in the American view, threatened by a Communist take-over. His aim was to stop Communism from spreading any further.
MARSHALL AID
succeeded when people faced poverty and hardship. He sent the American General George Marshall to assess the economic state of Europe. What he found was a ruined economy. The countries of Europe owed a lot of money to the USA. Britain electricity was turned off for a period each day in the winter of 1947. Most countries were still rationing bread.
extremely generous act by by American people. On the other hand, it was also motivated by American self-interest. They wanted to create new markets for American goods.
aims behind Marshall Aid would weaken his hold on eastern Europe. He also felt that the USA was trying to dominate as many states as possible by making they dependent on dollars.
to war. Stalin could do nothing about the reorganisation of the western zones (Germany, Britain, France), but he felt that he could stamp his authority on Berlin. It was deep in the Soviet zone and was linked to the western zones of Germany by vital roads, railways and canals. In June 1948, Stalin blocked all these supply lines, cutting off the two-million strong population of West Berlin from Western help.
gave in to Stalin on this issue, the western zones of Germany might be next. Truman wanted to show that he was serious about his policy of containment. He wanted Berlin to be a symbol of freedom. In 1948 the Allies decided to air-lift supplies. The planes got through and for the next ten months West Berlin was supplied by planes bringing food, clothing, oil, building materials.
confrontation:
Berlin. There was no guarantedd that the land communications would not be cut again. Confrontation made both sides even more stubborn.
The Berlin blockade was a move to test our ability and our will to resist
President Truman, speaking in 1949.
allies had shown how suspicious they were of each other. How they would obstruct each other in almost any way they could. How they would bombard each other with propaganda. Each had shown that it was not willing to go to war with each other.
THE CUBA
arms race that Cuba became a major flashpoint of the Cold War.
relationship but without any direct confrontation. Fidel let America keep its naval base. He assured them that they were safe. However, American spies knew that he was receiving arms from the Soviet Union. January 1961. The USA broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba. April 1961. President Kennedy supplied arms, equipment and transport for 1400 anti-Castro exiles to invade Cuba.
THE OCTOBER
CRISIS
American U-2 plane flew over Cuba. It took detailed photographs of missiles sites in Cuba. Those missils were bein built by the USSR.
To defend CUBA.
United Nations Assembly, where each side openly criticised the actions of the other. Sometimes criticised each other through their television programmes, newspapers, art and films. Sometimes threatened military confrontation with each other, although it never came to war. Commonly sent troops or advisers to help other states or groups to disrup the aims and plans of their opponents.
Walsh, B. (1996).