1. Reasons for the Cold War
,Long-term Rivalry between the Soviet Union and the
West
By the end of World War II, it was clear that the USSR and the USA were the world’s leading
superpowers. The USA and the allies had opposite beliefs about how a country should be run
compared to the Soviet Union. This was a reason for the Cold War, as both superpowers were
suspicious of each other and wanted to outdo each other.
The USA- CAPITALIST:
● Business and property were privately owned
● People in the USA were alarmed by the communist theory, which talked of spreading
revolution
● The USA was the world’s wealthiest country; some people were very wealthy, while
others were very poor
● Most Americans believed that other countries should be run in the American way
● They believed being free of control by the government was more important than
everyone being equal
● It was a democracy, and its government was chosen in free democratic elections
● People had freedom and had the freedom of speech, and the freedom of religion
The Soviet Union (USSR)- COMMUNIST:
● Many in the USSR saw the USA’s actions as selfishly building its economic empire and
political influence
● All industry was owned and run by the state
● Most Soviet people believe that other countries should be run in the communist way
● It taught that the role of the communist state was to encourage communist revolution
worldwide
○ The USSR’s leaders tended to take practical decisions rather than be led by this
ideology
● One-party dictatorship
○ Elections were held, but all candidates belonged to the Communist Party
● Economic superpower, as its industry had grown rapidly in the 1920s and 1930s, but the
general standard of living in the USSR was much lower than in the USA
○ Unemployment was rare, and extreme poverty was rarer than in the USA
● The rights of individuals were seen as less important than the good of society as a whole
○ The individuals’ lives were tightly controlled
,Tensions and Disagreements during WW2 and After
Although the USSR, Britain, and the USA fought together against Nazi Germany, their alliance
was always fragile. It was a partnership formed out of necessity, not trust. It was a strategic
wartime alliance.
Joseph Stalin (1978-1953):
● Leader of the USSR during WW2
● He joined the Allies in fighting against Nazi Germany in June 1941
Tensions:
● Disagreement over the Second Front
○ The USSR suffered from the German invasion, as 27 million Soviet citizens were
killed
○ Stalin wanted the Allies to invade the Nazi-controlled Europe in 1941, which
would take off some pressure from the USSR
○ Due to this, Stalin was convinced that the Allies wanted to see the USSR
weakened by fighting for its survival against Germany.
● Pre-existing mistrust
○ Churchill, the British leader, was suspicious about Stalin’s plans for Eastern
Europe after the war, as the Soviet Union’s army took control of Eastern
European countries
○ Churchill thought Stalin planned to keep hold of these countries once the war
was won
● They disagreed on what should happen to Germany once it was defeated, as the USSR
wanted to make sure that Germany would never be a threat to it again, while the Allies
did not want to see Germany destroyed
The Tehran Conference:
● In November 1943, the leaders of the USSR, USA, and Britain met for the first time in
person in Tehran, Iran.
● The leaders were Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill.
● It was held in Tehran, as it was safe from enemy attacks, and it was neutral ground
● Stalin invited Roosevelt to stay in the Soviet embassy, and he accepted
○ The Soviets used recording devices to spy on all of Roosevelt’s conversations,
although Stalin was happy with this
● They were all very friendly with each other and had a great dinner together
● Agreements made:
○ The USA and Britain would invade France in May 1944, helping the Soviet Union
against Germany
○ The USSR would enter the war against Japan as soon as Germany was defeated
○ Parts of Eastern Poland would be given to the USSR after the war
, ○ The United Nations (UN) was set up to help solve problems between countries
The Yalta Conference:
● They met again in Yalta, in Soviet Ukraine, in February 1945
● Agreements made:
○ Germany and its capital, Berlin, would be divided into 4 different zones: USSR,
US, British, and French
○ Eastern Europe should be seen as a ‘Soviet Sphere of Influence.’
● Disagreements:
○ The public did not see these
○ Stalin wanted the border of the USSR to move westward into Poland to protect
the USSR from future attacks from Germany, but Roosevelt and Churchill did not
agree with this
○ They all agreed that Germany should pay reparations, but they could not agree
on the amount, so they left it to discuss the next time they met
The Potsdam Conference:
● Roosevelt died in April 1945, so he was replaced by the new president, Harry Truman
● Churchill was there at the start of the conference, but there was an election on 5 July,
which he lost, so he was replaced by Clement Attlee, the new British Prime Minister.
● Attlee, Truman, and Stalin met in Potsdam after Germany’s defeat in July-August
1945
● Tensions
○ Truman was very anti-communist and suspicious of Stalin
○ The USA and Britain began taking their troops out of Europe, whereas the USSR
did not take its troops out
○ Truman took Stalin aside to tell him about the new atomic bomb the USA had
tested, which seemed threatening to Stalin
○ Stalin set up a communist government in Poland against the wishes of Truman
and Churchill
● Agreements
○ They all agreed on where the new border would be between Poland and
Germany
○ They all agreed to ban the Nazi Party and put its leaders on trial as war criminals.
● Disagreements
○ Stalin wanted very high reparations payments from Germany, but the USA and
Britain disagreed, as doing this in WW1 had caused tensions and led to WW2.
○ Britain and the USA wanted to rebuild Germany’s economy, which made Stalin
suspicious that they wanted to make Germany strong so it could help them
control/destroy the USSR.
○ Truman started to suspect Stalin of wanting to control all of Europe due to the
Soviet ‘sphere of influence’ in Eastern Europe
,Long-term Rivalry between the Soviet Union and the
West
By the end of World War II, it was clear that the USSR and the USA were the world’s leading
superpowers. The USA and the allies had opposite beliefs about how a country should be run
compared to the Soviet Union. This was a reason for the Cold War, as both superpowers were
suspicious of each other and wanted to outdo each other.
The USA- CAPITALIST:
● Business and property were privately owned
● People in the USA were alarmed by the communist theory, which talked of spreading
revolution
● The USA was the world’s wealthiest country; some people were very wealthy, while
others were very poor
● Most Americans believed that other countries should be run in the American way
● They believed being free of control by the government was more important than
everyone being equal
● It was a democracy, and its government was chosen in free democratic elections
● People had freedom and had the freedom of speech, and the freedom of religion
The Soviet Union (USSR)- COMMUNIST:
● Many in the USSR saw the USA’s actions as selfishly building its economic empire and
political influence
● All industry was owned and run by the state
● Most Soviet people believe that other countries should be run in the communist way
● It taught that the role of the communist state was to encourage communist revolution
worldwide
○ The USSR’s leaders tended to take practical decisions rather than be led by this
ideology
● One-party dictatorship
○ Elections were held, but all candidates belonged to the Communist Party
● Economic superpower, as its industry had grown rapidly in the 1920s and 1930s, but the
general standard of living in the USSR was much lower than in the USA
○ Unemployment was rare, and extreme poverty was rarer than in the USA
● The rights of individuals were seen as less important than the good of society as a whole
○ The individuals’ lives were tightly controlled
,Tensions and Disagreements during WW2 and After
Although the USSR, Britain, and the USA fought together against Nazi Germany, their alliance
was always fragile. It was a partnership formed out of necessity, not trust. It was a strategic
wartime alliance.
Joseph Stalin (1978-1953):
● Leader of the USSR during WW2
● He joined the Allies in fighting against Nazi Germany in June 1941
Tensions:
● Disagreement over the Second Front
○ The USSR suffered from the German invasion, as 27 million Soviet citizens were
killed
○ Stalin wanted the Allies to invade the Nazi-controlled Europe in 1941, which
would take off some pressure from the USSR
○ Due to this, Stalin was convinced that the Allies wanted to see the USSR
weakened by fighting for its survival against Germany.
● Pre-existing mistrust
○ Churchill, the British leader, was suspicious about Stalin’s plans for Eastern
Europe after the war, as the Soviet Union’s army took control of Eastern
European countries
○ Churchill thought Stalin planned to keep hold of these countries once the war
was won
● They disagreed on what should happen to Germany once it was defeated, as the USSR
wanted to make sure that Germany would never be a threat to it again, while the Allies
did not want to see Germany destroyed
The Tehran Conference:
● In November 1943, the leaders of the USSR, USA, and Britain met for the first time in
person in Tehran, Iran.
● The leaders were Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill.
● It was held in Tehran, as it was safe from enemy attacks, and it was neutral ground
● Stalin invited Roosevelt to stay in the Soviet embassy, and he accepted
○ The Soviets used recording devices to spy on all of Roosevelt’s conversations,
although Stalin was happy with this
● They were all very friendly with each other and had a great dinner together
● Agreements made:
○ The USA and Britain would invade France in May 1944, helping the Soviet Union
against Germany
○ The USSR would enter the war against Japan as soon as Germany was defeated
○ Parts of Eastern Poland would be given to the USSR after the war
, ○ The United Nations (UN) was set up to help solve problems between countries
The Yalta Conference:
● They met again in Yalta, in Soviet Ukraine, in February 1945
● Agreements made:
○ Germany and its capital, Berlin, would be divided into 4 different zones: USSR,
US, British, and French
○ Eastern Europe should be seen as a ‘Soviet Sphere of Influence.’
● Disagreements:
○ The public did not see these
○ Stalin wanted the border of the USSR to move westward into Poland to protect
the USSR from future attacks from Germany, but Roosevelt and Churchill did not
agree with this
○ They all agreed that Germany should pay reparations, but they could not agree
on the amount, so they left it to discuss the next time they met
The Potsdam Conference:
● Roosevelt died in April 1945, so he was replaced by the new president, Harry Truman
● Churchill was there at the start of the conference, but there was an election on 5 July,
which he lost, so he was replaced by Clement Attlee, the new British Prime Minister.
● Attlee, Truman, and Stalin met in Potsdam after Germany’s defeat in July-August
1945
● Tensions
○ Truman was very anti-communist and suspicious of Stalin
○ The USA and Britain began taking their troops out of Europe, whereas the USSR
did not take its troops out
○ Truman took Stalin aside to tell him about the new atomic bomb the USA had
tested, which seemed threatening to Stalin
○ Stalin set up a communist government in Poland against the wishes of Truman
and Churchill
● Agreements
○ They all agreed on where the new border would be between Poland and
Germany
○ They all agreed to ban the Nazi Party and put its leaders on trial as war criminals.
● Disagreements
○ Stalin wanted very high reparations payments from Germany, but the USA and
Britain disagreed, as doing this in WW1 had caused tensions and led to WW2.
○ Britain and the USA wanted to rebuild Germany’s economy, which made Stalin
suspicious that they wanted to make Germany strong so it could help them
control/destroy the USSR.
○ Truman started to suspect Stalin of wanting to control all of Europe due to the
Soviet ‘sphere of influence’ in Eastern Europe
