8.1 setting the stage for thecold war and decolonization

Big Three

The leaders of the main Allied powers during WWII

Tehran Conference (1943)

First meeting of the Big Three in Iran; they agreed to divide Germany into zones of occupation and planned the D-Day invasion, with the USSR focusing on Eastern Europe.

Yalta Conference (1945)

Meeting where the Big Three discussed the postwar reorganization of Europe, including Stalin's pledge to join the war against Japan and vague agreements on free elections in Eastern Europe.

Potsdam Conference (1945)

The final meeting of the Big Three (with Truman replacing FDR) in Germany; disagreement over East European elections and reparations solidified tensions, setting the stage for the Cold War.

Harry Truman

The U.S. President who took office after FDR’s death in 1945; he represented the U.S. at Potsdam, ordered the atomic bombings of Japan, and began the policy of containment.

Cold War

A conflict starting in 1945 that did not involve direct military fighting between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, but rather ideological conflict, proxy wars, and an arms race.

Hydrogen Bomb

A thermonuclear weapon developed in the 1950s by the U.S. and USSR that was far more powerful than the atomic bombs used on Japan.

Dwight Eisenhower

US President (and former general) who, in his 1961 farewell address, warned the nation to be cautious of the growing influence of the military-industrial complex.

Military-Industrial Complex

The informal alliance between a nation's military and the defense industries that supply it, often influencing public policy to increase defense spending.

Self-Determination

The principle that people have the right to choose their own government and determine their own political status, a key demand during decolonization