US responses to Soviet actions in Eastern, Central and South-Eastern Europe, 1947

Why did Stalin leave Italy and France?

Stalin could of had Italy and France- however he decided not to-this is evidence of him wanting good relations with the US.

How much of Poland's population was lost?

Poland was in an important position as it is a bridge between Russia and Germany and they lost 10% of their population because of the Nazis.

Why were Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia important?

They liberated themselves in WW2 and in May 1946 the Communists were the largest party. Communism was popular among these two countries.

What was FDR's policy at the end of WW2?

He wants co-operation on a case-by-case basis.

When was Kennan's Long Telegram?

It was in February 1946

When and where was Churchill's Iron Curtain speech?

It was in March 1946 and it was in Fulton, Missouri.

Who was James F. Byrnes?

He was Truman's secretary of state from July 1945 to January 1947 and he reported to Truman.

Falling out over Eastern Europe

The USA was unwilling to accept Soviet domination of Eastern Europe. The USA wanted Eastern Europe to become more like America.

Stalin emphasised the Soviet Union's security problems its need to protect itself from Germany, and the West by controlling the nations on its borders.

The breakdown

In 1946 and 1947 there was an almost complete breakdown in the relations between the Western powers and the USSR.

The coming of the Cold War stifled political life in Europe, it denied Europeans the chance to forge their own destinies and led to the freezing-up of Europe into two distinct blocs.

The effective end of de-Nazification in Western Germany and de-fascistisation in Italy. In 1945, Vietnam declares independence and from 1946-54 the French fight a losing battle in Vietnam (the Indochina War).

How much was given to the French to the Vietnamese?

$4 billion and the French lost the war.

What are the US' concerns?

During 1946-47 the American policymakers became convinced that the USSR was consistently acting in ways which contravened the 'Declaration of liberated Europe'.