USH 15:1

• The Origins of the Cold War– The Yalta Conference• Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin meet in Yalta (Soviet Union)• Agreements reached set the groundwork for Cold War

Issues at Yalta

• Poland• Two governments-in-waiting

– Communist and Democratic

• Stalin argues Poland must be communist because it is a neighbor country• Churchill and Roosevelt reluctantly agree

Issues at Yalta

• The Declaration of Liberated Europe – “The right of all people to choose the form of

government under which they will live”

Issues at Yalta

• Dividing Germany– Divide Germany into four zones• Great Britain, U.S., France, Soviet Union would each

control a zone

– Stalin demands Germany pay war reparations• Roosevelt agrees, with stipulations:

– Germany will pay in goods, not cash– Germany will pay what it can afford

Issues at Yalta

• Tensions Rise After Yalta– Soviets (Russians) pressure king of Romania to

appoint a communist gov’t• U.S. accuses Soviets of violating “Declaration of

Liberated Europe”

– Soviets refuse to allow non-Communists serve in Polish government

The Cold War

• Yalta marks turning point in U.S. – Soviet relations

• Roosevelt: Allied victory + U.N. = peace– Instead: U.S. and Soviets become increasingly

hostile and competitive with each other • Era known as “Cold War”– 1946-1990

Cold War

• Soviet Goals and Ideals– Keep Germany weak– Control countries around Russia– Capitalism will eventually fail• Doing countries a favor by making them communist

– Capitalist countries want to destroy communist countries

American Goals and Ideals

• Economic growth is key to peace• World trade will stop world war • President Truman believed the appeasement

of Hitler caused WWII– Would not appease future dictators

The Potsdam Conference

• Truman meets Stalin in Germany– Stalin:• Germany must pay heavy reparations

– Truman:• German industry must recover, or Europe will not

recover

– American/Soviet tensions increase further

The Iron Curtain

• Communist countries in eastern Europe become “satellite nations” of Soviet Union– Remain friendly to Soviet Union– Follow Soviet policies

• Churchill: an “iron curtain” has fallen over eastern Europe – Speech in Fulton, Missouri