Edexcel History Cold war -1947-1961

The cold war

USA

·         Capitalism – businesses and trade are privately owned for profit

·          Democratic elections

·         Freedom of individuals

USSR

·         Communist state- businesses and trade are owned by the government

·         Censorship

·         People’s lives are controlled

Teheran conference: 1943                                               Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt

Agreed on: soviet sphere of influence

Disagreed on: reparations

Yalta conference: February 1945                                   Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt

Agreed on: Germany to be divided into 4 zones, free elections in Eastern Europe

Disagreed on: Reparations

Potsdam conference: July 1945                                       Stalin, Truman and Attlee.

Agreed on: Punishing Nazi criminals

Disagreed on: Reparations, soviet policy in Eastern Europe and the Atom bomb

Soviet satellite states- Countries like Hungary and Poland which were formally independent but were under control by the USSR.           

Free elections which were promised in Yalta took place but were rigged so communist parties could take control.      

Opponents of communists were murdered or frightened into surrender.

Truman Doctrine 1947

A speech by Truman saying he would “Support free people trying to resist communism and the aim was to contain it.”  Containment – Containing political influence of another country.

Marshall Plan

Truman believed that poverty was the main reason for the spread of communism so he tried to make Europe prosperous. He did this by investing 13 billion dollars into Europe.

Only 16 countries accepted it.

Stalin refused it and forced eastern European countries not accepting it.

The soviet response:

Cominform 1947

Cominform was an alliance of communist countries as a response to the Marshall Plan.

 The aim was to spread communist ideas and it helped Stalin to tighten his grip on…