history 1: Co-operation Ends & Cold War Begins

Who were the main world leaders at the end of WWII?

• USA: Franklin D. Roosevelt → Harry S. Truman

• UK: Winston Churchill → Clement Attlee

• USSR: Joseph Stalin

What was agreed at the Yalta Conference (1945)?

• Germany and Berlin to be divided into zones

• Germany to pay reparations

• Free elections in Eastern Europe

• United Nations to be created

• USSR agreed to join war against Japan

• Allies aimed to maintain cooperation and trust with Stalin

What happened at the Potsdam Conference (1945)?

• Took place after Germany’s defeat

• New leaders: Truman (USA) and Attlee (UK)

• USA had successfully tested the atomic bomb

• Relations became more tense

• USA took a tougher stance against USSR

How did the atomic bombs affect US–USSR relations?

• Forced Japan to surrender

• USSR became suspicious of US power and intentions

• Led to the start of the arms race

• Stalin felt mistrust—alliances weakened (“protect your own”)

What were the ideological differences between the USA and USSR?

• USA: Democracy, capitalism, individual freedom

• USSR: Communism, dictatorship, state control, limited individual rights

Why did the wartime alliance break down in 1945?

• Different aims for post-war Europe

• Growing distrust between leaders

• Fear of communism spreading

• Stalin expanding influence in Eastern Europe

• USA’s development of the atomic bomb