Developing Tensions up to 1948​

What were the main disagreements at the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences?

• Disputes over Poland’s borders

• free elections in Eastern Europe

• the occupation of Germany, and reparations

Increasing mistrust due to Truman’s harder stance at Potsdam.

How did Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe increase tensions?

The USSR installed communist, pro-Moscow governments across Eastern Europe, violating wartime agreements and alarming the West.

How did US atomic policy contribute to tension?

USA kept atomic information secret; atomic monopoly (1945–49) increased Soviet suspicion and accelerated arms competition.

What was the Soviet strategy in Eastern Europe after 1945?

Establishing a buffer zone through "salami tactics"—gradually removing non-communist politicians and rigging elections.

Which countries were brought into the Soviet sphere by 1948?

Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and (to a lesser extent) Yugoslavia.

Why did Yugoslavia break from the Soviet bloc?

Tito resisted Stalin’s control; Yugoslavia wanted independent communist development and rejected Cominform directives (expelled 1948).

What was the main argument of Kennan’s Long Telegram?

The USSR was expansionist, insecure, and would only respond to firm containment.

How did the Long Telegram influence US policy?

It shaped the emerging containment doctrine, encouraging a tougher stance toward Soviet expansion.

What did Churchill claim in the Iron Curtain Speech?

That Eastern Europe had fallen under Soviet domination behind an “Iron Curtain,” calling for Anglo-American unity to resist Soviet expansion.

Why was the Iron Curtain speech important?

It publicly acknowledged a divided Europe and intensified Cold War rhetoric; angered Stalin.

What caused the Greek Civil War?

Tension between communist-backed ELAS and the royalist government; Britain could no longer fund support by 1947.

What was the Truman Doctrine?

A US promise to support free peoples resisting communism—politically, economically, and militarily.

Why was the Truman Doctrine significant?

Marked the official start of containment and the USA’s shift to global leadership against communism.

How did the USA intervene in Greece?

Sent money and military advisors; helped defeat communist insurgents by 1949.

What was Cominform?

The Communist Information Bureau—Stalin’s organisation to coordinate communist parties across Europe.

Why was Cominform created?

To tighten Soviet control over Eastern Europe and respond to perceived Western aggression, including the Truman Doctrine.

How did Cominform impact Eastern Europe?

Enforced ideological conformity, purged anti-Soviet elements, and strengthened Stalin’s dominance.

What were the main causes of increasing East–West tension 1945–48?

• Conflicting ideologies

• Soviet expansion

• US containment policies

• nuclear rivalry

• breakdown of wartime cooperation.

Which events marked the shift from wartime alliance to Cold War?

• Long Telegram (1946)

• Iron Curtain speech (1946)

• Truman Doctrine (1947)

• creation of Cominform (1947).

What had the Cold War map of Europe looked like by 1948?

A divided continent: communist Eastern Europe under Soviet influence; Western Europe aligned with the USA.