The Cold War begins 1945 1948

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The Cold War begins 1945 -1948

• Key issues
• Why did the wartime alliance fall apart?
• What were the major points of difference?
• The importance of Yalta and Potsdam conferences
• The roles of Stalin and Truman

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The chronology and narrative

• Major point The USSR lost around 20 million
  people in WW2
• Stalin was determined to make the USSR secure in
  the future
• By contrast GB lost around 370,000 and the USA
  lost 297,000 people.
• KEEP THIS IN MIND

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The rise of the superpowers

• Before WW2 there were a number of countries which
  could have claimed to be superpowers USA,
  USSR,GB, France, Japan, Germany.
• The damage caused by the war to these countries
  left only two countries with the military
  strength and resources to be called
  superpowers.USA and USSR.

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What they believed

• Dont forget USA was capitalist and USSR was
  communist
• They were complete opposites
• They had allied against Fascism .. Now the
  common enemy had been defeated the reason for
  co-operation was gone
• Differences soon emerged

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Task

• Sort the statements into two piles
• COMMUNIST beliefs the USSR
• CAPITALIST beliefs the USA, GB et
• Now stick them into your books
• How similar/different are these beliefs?

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Europe at the end of WW2

• After the war who would lead the countries and
  form new governments
• The USSR favoured the communist groups, the USA
  favoured the non-communists
• Examples would be Greece and Yugoslavia
• This was one cause of tension between the
  superpowers

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The Cold war

• Aim To understand the decisions made at the
  Yalta and Potsdam conferences of 1945
• 4th April 2008

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The Conferences

• Two conferences were held in 1945 at Yalta and
  Potsdam
• The aim was to discuss the future especially
• What to do with Germanys leaders after the war
• What would happen to the occupied countries after
  liberation, especially those of Eastern Europe
• How to end the war with Japan
• How to build a lasting peace

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True or False