The Cold War

1941 = USA, USSR and GB formed the Grand Alliance to defeat the Nazis. Shared hatred of Nazis was the only thing that allowed them to work together

Tehran conference (28th November - 1st December 1943):

• Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin
• Key focus - plan for the rebuilding of Europe after WW1
• USSR agreed to join the war against Japan after the war with Germany
• USA & GB opened up a western front
• Disagreed on the treatment of Germany

Yalta (4th - 11th February 1945):

• Agree the USSR should have a sphere of influence
• Roosevelt and Churchill allow a communist government to be established in Poland
• Germany would be divided up after the war had ended
• Establish the United Nations

Potsdam conference:

• Truman became President
• Atlee became president
• Prosecute surviving Nazis as war criminals
• Reduce Germany by a 1/4 of its current size

Missouri, USA - 1946: Churchill gave his Iron Curtian speech. Said he believed there was a deep divide between the East and West.

Long Telegram:

• A secret report from Kennan, America's ambassador in Moscow
• Telegram said Stalin had called for the destruction of Capitalism and the USSR was building up it's military power

Novikov's Telegram:

• Novikov - Soviet ambassador to the US. Sent a telegram to Stalin
• Said that the USA wanted to dominate the world and did not want to co-operate with Russia. The US public were also being prepared for a war

Grand Aliiance ended in 1946