Iron Curtain Separates Europe

1. What is your overall impression of Source 26 (p. 70) and use extracts from the source to support your view. (No fence sitting; you must choose one but not both)     

• a reasonable assessment of Stalin’s aims based on the facts
• an overreaction to Stalin’s actions based on fear of and prejudice towards the USSR?               
I do agree with the statement that it was a reasonable assessment of Stalin's aims based on facts. I agree with that because the things said in this document were true. In line 2 he says that the Soviet Union were not willing to co-operate with the other sides, that was true. The Soviets didn't want to co-operate with the other sides because they didn't the other sides didn't have the same ideals about communism. Also when he says that the Soviet Union wanted to extend their control into continental Europe is true. He wanted the whole world to be red(communist) and to get that he would have to start near him in Europe and then spread.



 
2. Source 26 is a British source. Does it seem likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government?   
Yes it does seem likely that the American government was producing the same sort of documents. It seems that way because they were allies and we had the same viewpoints on the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union wanted to take over the world and that the Soviet Union was the enemy.




3. Study Source 27 (p. 71) and make a list of three different actions that Communists took to achieve power in eastern Europe. AND Explain how each factor helped.  
1. In Bulgaria a left-wing coalition won the government in 1945, the Communists then killed all the leaders in the opposing parties. This factor helped because when you get rid of all your competitors, you are the only one left and they have to give it to you. So they got control of the government by killing off everyone else.
2. In Hungary the Communist party became the largest party by imprisoning leaders of the other parties and attacking church officials. This factor helped in that when you kill off the opposition you win, like they did in Bulgaria, and when you attack people they are less likely to speak up against you. 
3. In Poland they forced the non-communist into exile. Again when you get rid of the other side you have won outright. That is what the did in Poland except they didn't kill them this time. They just forced him into exile, a lot better than killing him :).

The Potsdam Conference

1. Read Source 17 (p 68). At Yalta, Churchill and Roosevelt had agreed with Stalin that eastern Europe would be a Soviet ‘sphere of influence’. Do you think Source 17 is what they had in mind?  
No I do not think that is what they had in mind. They didn't want communism to spread even more and that is what Stalin is suggesting. That he will do whatever he wants with his territory, whether it is what Roosevelt and Churchill agree with or not.





2. Would they agree with Stalin’s views expressed in Sources 17 and 18? Explain your answer.      
No they would not agree with Stalin's views expressed in sources 17 and 18. They wouldn't because they don't want Communism to spread into other parts of the world. They want those countries to be able to be a democracy not influenced by the U.S.S.R. to be communism.





3.  Explain how each of the three developments described in the text might affect relationships at Potsdam.
Each of these developments makes is so that the relationships are not as great as they were at Yalta. Each country is mad at each other because of these events. Mostly it is both Great Britain and the United States are mad at the Soviet Union because of all they have done, lied about the free elections, trying to convert other countries to communism, just all around they are mad at them. 

Origins of the Cold War: Yalta Conference

1. What month and year did the Yalta Conference place?      
The Yalta Conference took place in February of 1945.




2. While the conference was taking place who were the Allies (Big Three) still fighting? Be specific. (Consider as well, what hadn't taken place yet that you've already studied.)       
While the conference was taking place the Allies were still fighting Germany and Japan. Even though technically they were still fighting against Germany the war was already over, the only one who didn't believe that was Adolf Hitler. The war in Japan although was still going strong.

 

3. Why was Roosevelt anxious to make concessions to Stalin concerning the fate of postwar Germany?       
Roosevelt was anxious to make concessions to Stalin because he didn't want Stalin to get too much control and go overboard with it. Like taking over Germany making them part of the Soviet Union, or with Japan have that split into two different parts (North and South). Also he didn't want to make him make promises that he could ultimately break.

 

4. What decisions did Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin make at the Yalta Conference?      
At the Yalta Conference the "Big Three" came up with some huge decisions. They would separate Germany into four different parts, one for the United States, Soviet Union, France, and Great Britain. Roosevelt also got Stalin to agree to join the United States in Japan once Germany was defeated, and to get him to come to a conference in San Francisco about the United Nations, which became a reality.