The Cold war

-At Yalta, it was agreed that there should be a soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe

-US believed that this meant the governements of Eastern Europe would be friendly towards the USSR

-The USSR believed that this meant the USSR controlled the government of the Eastern European countries. This was why the read army stayed in the countries so they could help achieve a communist take over

-Stalin created Cominform to help control Eastern Europe

-In March 1946, Churchill described the USSR's control of Eastern Europ as an "Iron Curtain" because it seemed to have divided West and Eastern Europe with no way through

-Truman believed that poverty + hardship = communism so, US economic help was needed in Western Europe

-Stalin set up COMECON promoting trade between the Eastern European states

-Marshall aid was offered to all European countries however, Stalin would not let it apply to Eastern Europe (to which he controlled)

-George Marshall made the Marshall plan which sent economic aid to stop the spread of communism

-March 1947, Truman announced that to stop the spread of communism the US would offer what ever support necessary to any country wanting to maintain "freedom"

-Stalin told them that America were using doing this so, in the long term, they would take all there money

-This made communism look weak as they needed the money but refused to accept the help of the Americans

-Stalin knew he couldn't do anything about how the Western zones of Germany were run so in JUNE 1948,  he cut all rail and road links from the West that led into the East

-In retaliation, the West used an airlift to which supplies would be flown in

-Stalin didn't think they would use an airlift due to the amount it was cost

-Stalin was also provoking violence but the West realised any act of violence was cause a war

-In MAY 1949, Stalin eventually called off the blockade as it was not successful

-NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Association) was set up shortly after the end of the Berlin Blockade in 1949

-This stated that if any one of the countries included in NATO was attacked, the rest would all respond

-The WARSAW pact was the USSR's version of NATO and was set up in 1955

-These were created as they knew the possibilities were high of another  war