Early tension Flashcards
Who was part of the grand alliance
Britain- Led by churchill
USA- led by roosevelt
Soviet union- led by stalin
Tehran conference
date: 1943
leaders: stalin/roosevelt/churchill
agreements: open a second front by invading nazi occupied france in 1944
no disagreements
Tension was not present as the focus was on defeating hitler
Yalta conference
date: feb 1945
leaders: roosevelt/churchill/stalin
agreements: poland would be communist/ ussr would help japan
disagreements: Stalin wanted to be harsh with germany/ B&USA didnt
low tension- hitler is yet to be defeated
Potsdam conference
date:july/aug 1945
leaders: truman/churchill/stalin
agreements: germany= split into 4
germany would lose its army
disagreements: Truman= free elections but stalin wanted a buffer zone
increased tension- truman has an atomic bomb and hitler is dead
reasons for the end of the grand alliance
-USA dropped an atomic bomb on japan= military disadvantage for other countries
-Roosevelt= work with stalin
Truman=less trust so pushed stalin around at potsdam
-INCREASED TENSIONS
-Britain= economically exhausted so became an ally to USA
USA,Britain & capitalist beliefs
-communism enslaved people
-Everyone should be free & make money themselves
-Individuals= better thinking for themselves rather than state doing it
-Trade= everyone rich
USSR & communist beliefs
-capitalism exploits workers to make rich richer
- only some are made rich by capitalism
-better to work as a team=stronger rather than solo
-state should control economy & run it= beneficial
The long telegram 1946
US ambassador kennan to truman
-soviet saw capitalism as a threat
- soviet=build military power
peace= wasnt a possibility
Novikov’s telegram 1946
-USA wanted world domination= building their strength
-USSR= only country able to stand upto USA
- USA= preparing for war
communism: ‘free elections’
-yalta and potsdam= promise off free elections
-elections were fixed to make sure communism won
-in control communists= rid off non communists
Influence in Eastern Europe
Bulgaria= communist gov in 1945
Romania= communist-led coalition took power by 1947= communist
Poland, Hungary, czechoslovakia
Impact of Soviet occupation on the superpower relations
-USA= betrayal as previously said to hold democratic elections
-saw it as a stepping stone to take over Western Europe
