Transcript The Beginnings of the Cold War

The Beginnings of the Cold
War
The Cold War
This icon indicates the slide contains activities created in Flash. These activities are not editable.
For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation.
1 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
What we will learn today
What we will learn today:
1.
What happened at the Yalta Conference?
2.
What changed by the Potsdam Conference?
3.
What were the short-term causes of the Cold War?
2 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
The USA and the USSR
In five minutes, create a rough table to describe the
relationship between the USA and USSR:
Before 1945
After 1945
What were both sides united
against?
What happened to change the
situation?
Were the two countries really
friendly?
Why might both countries be
suspicious of each other?
How were the countries
different?
How did technological
changes make a difference?
As you complete this lesson you will
explore these ideas.
3 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
The Yalta conference
Churchill
Roosevelt
Stalin
Great Britain
USA
USSR
These three leaders, known as the
Big Three, met at Yalta in Russia in
February 1945.
4 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
The Yalta conference is often thought of as the
beginning of the Cold War. It was a meeting of the Big
Three at the former palace of Tsar Nicholas II on the
Crimean shore of the Black Sea.
They met between 4 and 11 February 1945. Stalin’s army
had reached the River Oder and were poised to attack
Berlin. The Soviet army had been told to pause while the
conference took place. Stalin had occupied Poland and
had the largest army in Europe.
5 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
Key agreements at Yalta
Stalin accepted France as one of the four powers.
Germany was to be divided into four zones, each
occupied by one of the four allies (USA, USSR, Britain,
France). Berlin was also to be divided into four sectors.
Poland would get land from Germany, and would lose
land to USSR in the east.
The USSR would declare war on Japan three months
after the end of the war with Germany.
Stalin promised to allow free elections in the East
European countries the Soviet army was occupying.
Germany was to pay reparations of $20 million, half of
which was to go to the USSR.
Who seems to have done best at the conference?
6 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
The Yalta conference – interpretations
Read source a and b. Note down which you think is
written by an American and which by a Briton. You must
explain your choice.
“Churchill was anxious to limit Russian influence in
Europe, but Roosevelt did not share his aim … Stalin
obtained his aims over Poland. Her frontiers were to be
the so-called Curzon line … on the east and the western
Neisse on the west. Her government was to be … the
Lublin Committee rather than … the exiled government in
London.” A Ramm, 1992.
7 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
“Yalta was widely hailed as a giant step toward world
peace – and assailed for the concessions the British and
American leaders granted their Soviet partner … In return
for Stalin’s pledge to join the war against Japan … the
Soviet Union gained the Kurile Islands and parts of
Manchuria … On European matters the Western chiefs
were even more accommodating…” L Glennon, 1995.
Which source was by an
American, which by a Briton?
8 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
Key terms of Yalta: Germany was divided
9 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
The problems of Yalta
The Yalta Conference was initially thought to be very
successful. However, problems were emerging between
the superpowers.
The US thought the
agreement to
‘democracy and free
elections’ meant that
Eastern Europe would
have freedom of
speech and proper
elections.
Problems
Some suggest Roosevelt
was simply naive, others
suggest he was trying to
keep the USSR in the war.
10 of 22
The Soviets’ idea of
democracy was the
communist one, where
the Communist Party
represented the
people, and all worked
for the good of the
nation.
Whatever the reasons, these
tensions at Yalta were the
beginnings of much deeper
mistrust and suspicion that
led to the Cold War.
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
The Potsdam conference
Atlee
Churchill
Great Britain
Truman
Roosevelt
USA
Stalin
USSR
In July and August 1945, the Big Three met again.
However, the Big Three changed.
Roosevelt died, and was replaced by Truman. Truman felt
Roosevelt had been too soft on the communist USSR.
During the Potsdam Conference Churchill lost a general
election and was replaced by Atlee.
11 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
From 17 July to 2 August 1945, the Allies held a
conference in Potsdam, a port 25 km south of Berlin.
In May 1945, Germany surrendered. The war still
continued in the Pacific, but the Allies had to build on the
decisions made at Yalta.
The ‘new’ Big Three did not get on as well as the original
Big Three. In addition to changes in the leaders, there were
other tensions at Potsdam.
12 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
Tensions at Potsdam
Truman was in the middle of trials for
the new atomic bomb. He didn’t
reveal this, but Stalin secretly knew
from his spies. Stalin was furious
that Truman kept the issue a ‘secret’.
Stalin was determined to get what he felt the USSR
deserved: reparations from Germany and guaranteed
future security.
Truman was determined to force free elections in
Eastern Europe to encourage countries to recover. Stalin
had other ideas and wanted to keep the countries weak
to act as a buffer zone.
13 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
“Agreements” at Potsdam
German reparations were agreed – each country was to take
reparations from its own area of occupation. The USSR was
also to receive some industrial equipment from the Western
zones – little of this was actually handed over.
The details of the German–Polish borders on the rivers Oder
and Neisse were agreed, although the British and Americans
were unhappy with it.
The German people were to be “re-educated” and Nazism
stamped out, and war criminals tried and punished.
Austria was also to be divided into four zones, like Germany.
Independence was regained in 1955.
The USSR wanted to help run the rich German industrial area
of the Ruhr – the USA rejected this.
The USSR wanted a share in the occupation of Japan – the
USA rejected this.
14 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
Understanding Potsdam: buffer zone
What was the point of this buffer zone Stalin wanted?
The USSR had suffered three invasions from the West
(1914, 1918 and 1941). It believed the Western Allies
were helping Germany to rebuild, meaning Germany
would be a threat yet again.
Stalin decided the only way to be truly safe was to have
a ‘buffer zone’ of ‘friendly states’ between themselves
and Germany.
From 1945, the USSR made sure the countries of
Eastern Europe became communist.
15 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
16 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
The atomic bomb – nuclear war
President Truman had not mentioned the development
of the atomic bomb to Stalin at Potsdam. As you have
already learnt, Stalin was furious about this.
On 6 August 1945, the USA dropped the first atomic bomb
on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, they dropped a
different type of atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Hundreds of
thousands of people died from radiation poisoning.
Debate still rages today about the atomic bomb. Some
suggest that it ended the war against Japan, who would
never have given up otherwise. Others suggest it was a
simply the USA showing its power to the world – and
especially the USSR.
17 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
The Iron Curtain
In March 1946, Winston Churchill gave a speech in
Fulton, Missouri. In his speech he was the first to use
the term Iron Curtain.
“From Stettin, in the Baltic, to
Trieste, in the Adriatic, an
iron curtain has descended
across the continent. Behind
that line … all are subject to
a high and increasing control
from Moscow...”
18 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
The ‘Iron Curtain’ stood for the border between East and
West set up by Stalin. It soon became a thousand mile
fence making a clear division between East and West,
the division between communism and capitalism.
In December 1946, Britain and the USA agreed to unite
their German zones for economic purposes. The Soviets
were furious. Not only had they acted without agreement
from the Soviets, but they also appeared to be rebuilding
Germany, when Stalin wanted to keep it weak.
THE COLD WAR HAD BEGUN.
19 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
The Truman Doctrine and Marshall Aid
In 1947, US president Harry S Truman gave a speech in
which he promised that the USA would give aid to countries
that were resisting communist takeover. This became known
as the Truman Doctrine.
In June the same year, George Marshall, US Secretary
of State, gave a speech outlining a way to keep
communism at bay and build up markets for US
exports. It became known as the ‘Marshall Plan’.
20 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
$13 billion was provided by the US government for all
European countries to rebuild. In Italy and France,
communist parties were growing in size, and the aim was
to cut them down. During the plan’s four-year run,
industrial production in Western Europe went up by 40%.
Marshall Aid was available to all countries who had been
affected by the war, but the Soviets would allow none of it
to enter their satellite states.
Why do you think Stalin would not accept
Marshall Aid?
21 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004
Conclusions
Distrust and suspicion that developed after the defeat of
the ‘common enemy’ – Nazi Germany.
Change in leadership created greater distrust and rivalry.
The USA and UK didn’t want to cripple Germany, whereas
the USSR did – Stalin was suspicious of why his ‘allies’
wanted to help Germany rebuild.
The USSR didn’t allow free elections in Eastern Europe –
Stalin was determined to create a ‘buffer’ protection zone.
The USA didn’t tell the USSR they’d developed an atomic
bomb – was it dropped on Japan as a threat to the USSR?
Think back to your previous work and create a diagram
showing both the long- and short-term causes.
Which do you consider to be the most significant?
22 of 22
© Boardworks Ltd 2004