Co-operation ends and the Cold War begins
Overview
The USA entered World War Two against Germany and Japan in 1941, creating the During World War Two, the USA, Britain and the USSR formed the Grand Alliance against Germany and Japan. This alliance brought together countries with different ideologies - Britain and the USA were capitalist and the USSR was communist. of the USA, Britain and the USSR.
The alliance of the USA and the USSR brought together two sides that were divided by their A set of ideas or thoughts that someone, or a group of people, believe in. The plural of this is 'ideologies'. of A system of running a country where most businesses are owned by private companies or individuals, not the government. and A system of running a country in which all means of production such as tools, factories and raw materials, are owned by the community as a whole. Private property does not exist and each individual contributes according to their ability and receives according to their needs. This means there is no hierarchy of social class..
| US | USSR |
|---|---|
| Democracy | Dictatorship |
| Several political parties representing different sectors of society | One-party state |
| Governments are chosen by democratic elections | No democratic elections and no opportunity to change the government by election |
| Capitalism | Communism |
| People are free to set up private businesses and make money for themselves | All businesses and factories are owned by the state |
| Individual rights and freedoms are important | Individual rights and freedoms are less important than obedience to the state |
The wartime alliance between the USA and the USSR by 1945
The alliance between the USA and the USSR was purely strategic; the main objective was to defeat Germany.
The differences between the USA and the USSR started to re-emerge even before the end of the war.
Some of the distrust between East and West included:
| USA | USSR |
|---|---|
| The USA and Britain had spent years fighting Germany. They did not want to see another A ruler with total power over a country, who has generally come into power through force. Dictators usually rule in a cruel and brutal way. take control over Europe. | The Soviets wanted to make sure that they would not face another invasion. Germany had invaded Russia in 1914 and the USSR in 1941. Therefore, they felt they needed a protective 鈥榖uffer zone鈥. |
| There was a fear that Stalin would treat the people of Eastern Europe badly. | Stalin wanted compensation from Germany as the USSR had suffered the loss of 28 million soldiers. |
| There was anger that Stalin appeared to go back on his word about free elections in Eastern Europe. | Stalin did not trust the West as they had fought against the Someone who believes in the political ideology of communism, a system of running a country in which all means of production such as tools, factories and raw materials, are owned by the community as a whole. Private property does not exist and each individual contributes according to their ability and receives according to their needs. This means there is no hierarchy of social class. in the Russian Civil War. |
| Many in the West feared that the USSR wanted to spread communism and to take over Eastern Europe. | Stalin believed that the Americans wanted the USSR and Germany to destroy each other during the World War Two. The Western Allies had delayed launching an invasion of northern France until June 1944. |
Question
What is a "buffer zone"?
Stalin鈥檚 fear of the USA led him to believe that the USSR needed a An area giving someone protection against a threat, eg the USSR wanted a buffer zone around them after being invaded by Germany in both World Wars. to protect the Soviet Union from attack by anti-communist countries.
The USSR had been invaded twice in the 20th century by Germany, and Stalin wanted to avoid this happening again.
He believed, for security reasons, he had to create a barrier against the West, a barrier made up of Someone who believes in the political ideology of communism, a system of running a country in which all means of production such as tools, factories and raw materials, are owned by the community as a whole. Private property does not exist and each individual contributes according to their ability and receives according to their needs. This means there is no hierarchy of social class. countries in Eastern Europe.
The new president of the USA, Harry Truman, saw Soviet domination of Eastern Europe not as an act of defence on Stalin鈥檚 part, but as an act of aggression and he was worried that this meant communism would spread into Western Europe.
The Yalta conference
While the war with Germany continued, the wartime allies (USA, USSR and Britain) met to discuss the post-war future of Europe.
In February 1945, 鈥榯he Big Three鈥 鈥 Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin met at Yalta in the Crimea region of the USSR.
The main priorities of the leaders for the post-war settlement
Each of the three leaders had different priorities:
| Leaders | Priorities |
|---|---|
| Churchill | He was aware of the dangers of the USSR to the West and keen to see Germany rebuilt at the end of the war to act as a buffer between A system of running a country in which all means of production such as tools, factories and raw materials, are owned by the community as a whole. Private property does not exist and each individual contributes according to their ability and receives according to their needs. This means there is no hierarchy of social class. in Eastern Europe and democracy in Western Europe. Churchill also wanted to see free elections in Eastern Europe, especially Poland. |
| Roosevelt | He wanted to ensure world peace after the war finished, so that the USA could rebuild its connections with the global economy. He believed that a United Nations organisation would be an effective peacekeeping body and was prepared to accept the USSR joining it. |
| Stalin | His main aim was to guarantee Soviet security. He wanted a An area giving someone protection against a threat, eg the USSR wanted a buffer zone around them after being invaded by Germany in both World Wars. of communist countries in Eastern Europe to give the USSR security. |
The Yalta conference: Outcomes
- Germany and Berlin would be divided into four zones of occupation; the USSR, Britain, France and the USA would each control a zone.
- Germany would pay Compensation payments paid to cover the cost of damages incurred by war..
- Eastern European countries would come under Stalin's In international politics, an area in which one nation holds, or claims to hold, dominant power over a country or several countries. but be entitled to free elections.
- The The successor to the League of Nations, the United Nations was established in 1945 as an international organisation designed to keep peace, uphold international law and set standards in human rights. would be established.
- The USSR would declare war on Japan.
- There would be new borders for Poland.
Sample question
Describe two outcomes of the Yalta conference in February 1945.
- Germany would be made to pay Compensation payments paid to cover the cost of damages incurred by war.. This was to pay for the damage caused by the war.
- Germany and Berlin would be divided into four zones; USSR, USA, Britain and France would each be in charge of a zone.
The Potsdam conference
The next meeting of the Big Three took place between July and August 1945 at Potsdam, just outside Berlin.
The main priorities of the leaders for the post-war settlement
Each of the three leaders had different priorities:
| Leaders | Priorities |
|---|---|
| Atlee | He had defeated Churchill to become Prime Minister of Britain. The British attitude to the USSR was hardening. |
| Truman | Roosevelt had died and had been replaced by Harry Truman. He did not want a weakened Germany in central Europe as he believed it would encourage support in Germany for A system of running a country in which all means of production such as tools, factories and raw materials, are owned by the community as a whole. Private property does not exist and each individual contributes according to their ability and receives according to their needs. This means there is no hierarchy of social class.. He was also being encouraged to take a harsh line against Stalin. |
| Stalin | He wanted to weaken Germany further by taking equipment and materials as Compensation payments paid to cover the cost of damages incurred by war.. |
Question
What were the outcomes of the Potsdam conference?
- Each power could take Compensation payments paid to cover the cost of damages incurred by war. from their German zone. The USSR could also take additional reparations from other zones in return for supplies.
- Germany and Poland's borders were altered. Some Polish territory went to the USSR and some German territory went to Poland.
- Austria would be divided into four zones of occupation.
Yalta and Potsdam compared
What were the differences between the Yalta and Potsdam conferences?
Question
There were three main differences:
- The Yalta conference took place during World War Two. By the time of the Potsdam conference, Nazi Germany had been defeated, although the war in Japan continued.
- There had been a change in leadership in the UK and USA meaning personal relationships were lost. Cooperation was being replaced with mistrust.
- There was a change in the atmosphere at the Potsdam conference. Truman wanted to be tougher on A system of running a country in which all means of production such as tools, factories and raw materials, are owned by the community as a whole. Private property does not exist and each individual contributes according to their ability and receives according to their needs. This means there is no hierarchy of social class.: he thought Stalin wasn't keeping promises on Eastern Europe and knew that America had successfully tested an A nuclear weapon that releases a huge amount of energy by splitting atoms. They can cause enormous amounts of death and damage when dropped on an area. , so no longer needed Soviet help in the war against Japan.
Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the start of the Cold War
On 6 August 1945, the USA dropped an A nuclear weapon that releases a huge amount of energy by splitting atoms. They can cause enormous amounts of death and damage when dropped on an area. on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
The blast devastated an area of five square miles, destroying more than 60 per cent of the city鈥檚 buildings and killing around 140,000 people.
Three days later, the USA dropped a second atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing around 74,000 people.
The official US justification for the dropping of the two atomic bombs was to force the Japanese government to surrender, which it did on 14 August 1945.
Question
How did these events impact upon relations between the USA and the USSR?
Before the bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Truman had already told Stalin about this 鈥榥ew weapon鈥 but Stalin saw the dropping of the A nuclear weapon that releases a huge amount of energy by splitting atoms. They can cause enormous amounts of death and damage when dropped on an area. as directed more at the USSR than Japan.
In response, Stalin gave orders for Soviet scientists to develop their own nuclear weapon which started an When nations compete to have the most or best weapons..
For the remainder of the Cold War the threat of atomic weapons and nuclear war would be a constant theme.
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