Reasons for Cold War

Question 1

Ideological Differences

Answer 1

IDEOLGOCAL DIFFERENCES
Soviet Union
- Single Party Rule
- All Property is Collectivized
- Classless Society
- Rights of the Worker Supercede Rights of the Individuals
US
- Free Elections
- Power and wealth differences between people
- Free Speech
- Prioritizing Individualism
PRIOR HISTORY
- The USSR abandoned the Entente in WW1
- The Entente sent expedtionary forces to support the whites
- The partition of Poland
- The USSR was left out of the Munich Conference(dividing Czechoslovakia)
OTHER REAONS
- The allies felt that the USSR wanted to dominate eastern Europe
- The USSR felt that the allies didn’t open a second front to let the USSR and Nazi Germany weaken each other
- The US used atomic weapons on Japan to establish a stronger negotiating position against the USSR
- This backfired as the USSR felt they needed a buffer zone
- Followed with USSR developing their own atom bomb, increasing tensions furthur

Question 2

Tehran Conference

Answer 2

• The western allies agreed to open a second front in France
• They discussed what would happen to Germany and her allies after WW2, no agreement was made
• Agreed to the creation of an international body to settle disputes, leading to the UN

Question 3

Yalta Conference

Answer 3

• Germany divided into 4 zones
• 20 billion reperations half to soviets
• UN would be set up 8 April
• Stalin said future governments in Eastern Europe would have free elections
• Poland would return to its 1929 state

Question 4

Potsdam Conference

Answer 4

• Roosevelt dies, Truman replaces him
• Churchill replaced by Atlee
• Germany has surrendered
• United Nations officially created
• Truman and Atlee were new to these discussions
• Truman decides to take a tough stance against Stalin
• Atlee wanted to just take care of domestic affairs
• Germany finally split into 4, Soviets given poorest region but given lots of industrial equipment
• Truman objected to Soviet control over eastern Europe and the Polish arrangement
• Overall the Grand Alliance still had running issues such as the USSR occupying Eastern Europe