Mike MacLennan-History Example Note-Superpower Relations 1943-1972
A world divided: superpower relations, 1943-72
1. How did WW2 come to an end inc. cooperation between capitalism and communism
2. Tehran (November 1943)
3. Yalta (February 1945)
4. Potsdam (July 1945)
5. Division of Germany and Berlin
6. Soviet Expansion in Eastern Europe
7. Churchill's Iron Curtain
8. Marshall Aid
9. Truman Doctrine
10. Russian Response - Comecon & Cominform
11. Berlin Blockade
12. FRG & GDR
13. Nato and the Warsaw Pact
14. Arms and Space Race
15. Communism in Asia (Korea, China, Vietnam)
16. Relations between 1953 (Stalin's death) & 1956 (Khrushchev Speech)
17. Hungarian Uprising
18. U2 Crisis
19. Creation of Berlin Wall
20. Cuban Missile Crisis
21. Prague Spring
22. The Thaw (Early 1960s)
23. Detente (Late 1960s & Early 1970s)
, Mike MacLennan-History Example Note-Superpower Relations 1943-1972
How did WW2 come to and end including cooperation between capitalism and communism
Soviets
● Move on the eastern front in September 1943, Germans retreat into Ukraine
● January 1944, end of the Siege of Leningrad
● 1944, widespread Soviet advances occupying all of Romania, USSR, and entering Eastern
Germany
Allied forces
● In July 1943 allied troops had landed in Italy and on the 25th of the same month Mussolini
resigned. The new leaders of Italy declared war on germany on the 13th of October 1943 and
the battle between allied and German troops continued until May 1945
● On the second of May 1945 German armies in Italy surrender
● On the 6th of June 1944 D'Day happened. Allied troops landed in France and began a slow
advance across France towards Germany
● One the 25th of August 1944 allied troops took paris
Tehran (November 1943)
Main areas discussed
● The destruction of Germany and Japan
● What would happen to Germany once they had been defeated
● The League of Nations
Agreements reached
● Starlin would enter the war against Japan as soon as Germany was defeated
● America would open a second front in France
● After the war Russia was promised compensation in Poland
● Poland would gain some German territory
● All leaders agreed on the idea of a new world peace organisation to replace the League of
Nations
Yalta (February 1945)
Main areas discussed
● The future after the end of the war
Agreements reached
● Establishment of a United Nations Organisation
● Division of Germany into occupation zones for each power
● Berlin also to be split into zones
● Similar arrangements for Austria
● Free elections in Eastern Europe
● Starlin to join war against Japan 3 months after Germany defeat
● States seized by Stalin in 1939 to become part of the USSR
Areas of tension/ disagreement
● In return for joining the war against Japan, Starlin wanted territorial compensation in
Manchuria and the whole of Sakhalin Island
● Members of non communist Polish government in exile in London should join the Lublin
government
● Russia would in return be allowed to keep the strip of Eastern Poland taken in 1939
● Nevertheless Roosevelt and Churchill refused to agree to Stalin's demands that Poland be
given all German territory east of the Rivers Oder and Neisse
, Mike MacLennan-History Example Note-Superpower Relations 1943-1972
Potsdam (July 1945)
Main areas discussed
● Future of Germany
Agreements reached
● For now, Germany to be run by a Control Council made of four military commanders for four
zones
● Germany given the “chance to rebuild its life on a democratic and peaceful basis” including
elections
● Nazi leaders to be put on trial
● Reparations: each power could take what it wanted from its own zone, in addition Russia
could take 25% of industrial equipment in other zones
● Similar arrangements made for Austria
Areas of tension/ disagreement
● Truman and Churchill were angry because Germany went against their word from Yalta
agreements where the part of Germany east of the Oder Neisse line occupied by Russians
was being run by a pro communist Polish government. The Government had alo expelled 5
million Germans living there
● Truman did not inform Starlin about the nature of the atomic bomb, though he did tell
Churchill, they were dropped on Japan two days after the conference on the 5th and 7th of
August
● Japan surrender on 10th but Russia still invaded on 8th and so were allowed no part in
occupation
Division of Berlin and Germany (1945)
Germany was split into four corners for USSR, Britain, France and USA. It was split similarly for Berlin
that rested in the USSR zone.
USSR fears
● The USSR lost majority of control in Berlin
● There is a trilateral confrontation, there is a stronger allied presence splitting Germany
● Russia is outnumbered and are marginalised, US, Britain and France all capitalism while
Russia is communism
● Britain, French and US troops in Russian occupied Germany which could form platform for a
launch
● People could also move between the different zones and because there was a shift of people
moving from the East to the West, it made Russia look weak because while they were not
pumping money into the economy and improving life while the allies were. Capitalism was
better
What fears might the USA, Britain and France have at this stage
● Truman thought Stalin wanted communism to spread to the west. If Berlin falls to communism
then the domino theory is that other countries will also fall to communism
● Allied soldiers in Russian territory are also isolated
Soviet Expansion into Eastern Europe (WW2-1948)
Between the end of the WW2 and 1948 the Soviet Union made sure that every country in Eastern
Europe had a government that was both communist and sympathetic to the soviet Union.
Communism was a genuine choice or elected in;
● Poland
○ After the war the Communists joined a coalition government, then became outright
leaders in 1949 when they forced the non Communist leaders into exile
A world divided: superpower relations, 1943-72
1. How did WW2 come to an end inc. cooperation between capitalism and communism
2. Tehran (November 1943)
3. Yalta (February 1945)
4. Potsdam (July 1945)
5. Division of Germany and Berlin
6. Soviet Expansion in Eastern Europe
7. Churchill's Iron Curtain
8. Marshall Aid
9. Truman Doctrine
10. Russian Response - Comecon & Cominform
11. Berlin Blockade
12. FRG & GDR
13. Nato and the Warsaw Pact
14. Arms and Space Race
15. Communism in Asia (Korea, China, Vietnam)
16. Relations between 1953 (Stalin's death) & 1956 (Khrushchev Speech)
17. Hungarian Uprising
18. U2 Crisis
19. Creation of Berlin Wall
20. Cuban Missile Crisis
21. Prague Spring
22. The Thaw (Early 1960s)
23. Detente (Late 1960s & Early 1970s)
, Mike MacLennan-History Example Note-Superpower Relations 1943-1972
How did WW2 come to and end including cooperation between capitalism and communism
Soviets
● Move on the eastern front in September 1943, Germans retreat into Ukraine
● January 1944, end of the Siege of Leningrad
● 1944, widespread Soviet advances occupying all of Romania, USSR, and entering Eastern
Germany
Allied forces
● In July 1943 allied troops had landed in Italy and on the 25th of the same month Mussolini
resigned. The new leaders of Italy declared war on germany on the 13th of October 1943 and
the battle between allied and German troops continued until May 1945
● On the second of May 1945 German armies in Italy surrender
● On the 6th of June 1944 D'Day happened. Allied troops landed in France and began a slow
advance across France towards Germany
● One the 25th of August 1944 allied troops took paris
Tehran (November 1943)
Main areas discussed
● The destruction of Germany and Japan
● What would happen to Germany once they had been defeated
● The League of Nations
Agreements reached
● Starlin would enter the war against Japan as soon as Germany was defeated
● America would open a second front in France
● After the war Russia was promised compensation in Poland
● Poland would gain some German territory
● All leaders agreed on the idea of a new world peace organisation to replace the League of
Nations
Yalta (February 1945)
Main areas discussed
● The future after the end of the war
Agreements reached
● Establishment of a United Nations Organisation
● Division of Germany into occupation zones for each power
● Berlin also to be split into zones
● Similar arrangements for Austria
● Free elections in Eastern Europe
● Starlin to join war against Japan 3 months after Germany defeat
● States seized by Stalin in 1939 to become part of the USSR
Areas of tension/ disagreement
● In return for joining the war against Japan, Starlin wanted territorial compensation in
Manchuria and the whole of Sakhalin Island
● Members of non communist Polish government in exile in London should join the Lublin
government
● Russia would in return be allowed to keep the strip of Eastern Poland taken in 1939
● Nevertheless Roosevelt and Churchill refused to agree to Stalin's demands that Poland be
given all German territory east of the Rivers Oder and Neisse
, Mike MacLennan-History Example Note-Superpower Relations 1943-1972
Potsdam (July 1945)
Main areas discussed
● Future of Germany
Agreements reached
● For now, Germany to be run by a Control Council made of four military commanders for four
zones
● Germany given the “chance to rebuild its life on a democratic and peaceful basis” including
elections
● Nazi leaders to be put on trial
● Reparations: each power could take what it wanted from its own zone, in addition Russia
could take 25% of industrial equipment in other zones
● Similar arrangements made for Austria
Areas of tension/ disagreement
● Truman and Churchill were angry because Germany went against their word from Yalta
agreements where the part of Germany east of the Oder Neisse line occupied by Russians
was being run by a pro communist Polish government. The Government had alo expelled 5
million Germans living there
● Truman did not inform Starlin about the nature of the atomic bomb, though he did tell
Churchill, they were dropped on Japan two days after the conference on the 5th and 7th of
August
● Japan surrender on 10th but Russia still invaded on 8th and so were allowed no part in
occupation
Division of Berlin and Germany (1945)
Germany was split into four corners for USSR, Britain, France and USA. It was split similarly for Berlin
that rested in the USSR zone.
USSR fears
● The USSR lost majority of control in Berlin
● There is a trilateral confrontation, there is a stronger allied presence splitting Germany
● Russia is outnumbered and are marginalised, US, Britain and France all capitalism while
Russia is communism
● Britain, French and US troops in Russian occupied Germany which could form platform for a
launch
● People could also move between the different zones and because there was a shift of people
moving from the East to the West, it made Russia look weak because while they were not
pumping money into the economy and improving life while the allies were. Capitalism was
better
What fears might the USA, Britain and France have at this stage
● Truman thought Stalin wanted communism to spread to the west. If Berlin falls to communism
then the domino theory is that other countries will also fall to communism
● Allied soldiers in Russian territory are also isolated
Soviet Expansion into Eastern Europe (WW2-1948)
Between the end of the WW2 and 1948 the Soviet Union made sure that every country in Eastern
Europe had a government that was both communist and sympathetic to the soviet Union.
Communism was a genuine choice or elected in;
● Poland
○ After the war the Communists joined a coalition government, then became outright
leaders in 1949 when they forced the non Communist leaders into exile
