Topic 8.2: Contextualization: The Cold War (jan 1, 1945 – jan 1, 1991)

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The Big Three were leaders from the United States (Roosevelt), Great Britain (Churchill), and the Soviet Union (Stalin). They met at the end of World War II to talk about how to end the war and plan for peace after the war.

The Big Three met at the Yalta Conference. They made these decisions: Germany would be split into 4 occupation zones. Poland and Russia would get back land lost in earlier wars. Eastern Europe would have free elections. Soviets would help fight Japan after the war in Europe ended. Soviets would get land in the Pacific. A new group called the United Nations would be created with a Security Council.

After Roosevelt died, Truman became the U.S. President. Britain also had a new Prime Minister. Stalin, Truman, and the new British leader met at the Potsdam Conference. Truman was much harsher to Stalin because the U.S. used the atomic bomb, which Stalin saw as a threat. Stalin had started forming pro-Soviet Communist governments in Europe.

The United Nations (UN) was created after the Yalta Conference. Its job was to help keep peace around the world. The Security Council had 5 permanent members: U.S., Great Britain, France, China, and the Soviet Union. One country could veto any decision, which gave them a lot of power.

The Cold War began after WWII between the U.S. and Soviet Union. The Soviets did not allow free elections in Eastern Europe, even though they agreed to it at Yalta. This made the U.S. and Britain suspicious of the Soviet Union. Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech in 1946 warned that Europe was being divided by the Soviets. The U.S. and Soviet Union started fighting for power and control in the world, but not with direct war.

At the Yalta Conference, the Big Three decided to divide Germany into 4 zones. These zones were controlled by the U.S., Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. The capital, Berlin, was also divided the same way, even though it was deep inside the Soviet zone. This division showed how the U.S. and Soviets were no longer allies and would become rivals.

The Iron Curtain was a name for how Eastern Europe became separated from the West. The Soviet Union controlled Eastern Europe and did not let those countries be free. Churchill said this in a speech to warn people about the danger of Soviet control.

The U.S. wanted to stop communism from spreading. This was called containment.

The Truman Doctrine gave military and economic help to countries fighting communism. The goal was to support free people and stop the spread of Soviet power.

The Marshall Plan gave money to help Western Europe rebuild after WWII. The U.S. wanted to make these countries strong again so they wouldn’t fall to communism. It also helped build friendship and alliances with the U.S.

NATO was a military alliance between the U.S., Canada, and Western European countries. It said that if one member was attacked, the others would help. NATO was created to protect against the Soviet threat.

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