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The Cold War Research
The Yalta Conference
The leaders of the Allies were less certain that the Pacific War was about to come to a conclusion
when they arrived in Yalta but were aware that an Allied triumph in Europe was almost certain.
The United States and Great Britain perceived a
significant strategic benefit in Soviet involvement in the
Pacific theatre because they understood that defeating
Japan may need a lengthy battle. At Yalta, Churchill and
Roosevelt met with Stalin to discuss the terms under
which the Soviet Union would join the war against
Japan. The three men came to an agreement that the
Soviets would receive a sphere of influence in
Manchuria in return for their potentially crucial Pacific
theatre involvement.
Potsdam Conference
At order to discuss the conditions of the conclusion of World War II, the Big Three—Soviet leader
Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill (who was succeeded on July 26 by Prime
Minister Clement Attlee), and American President
Harry Truman—met at Potsdam, Germany, from July
17 to August 2, 1945. Stalin, Churchill, and U.S.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt agreed to meet after
Germany submitted to discuss the postwar
boundaries in Europe at the Yalta Conference in
February 1945. On May 8, 1945, Germany
surrendered, and the leaders of the Allies decided to
meet in Potsdam during the summer to complete the negotiations that had started at Yalta. The
lack of a common foe in Europe caused the Allies to abandon fighting a combined war in the
Pacific, despite their continued commitment to doing so the challenges in coming to agreements
for post-war rebuilding in Europe.
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Truman Doctrine
President Harry S. Truman founded the Truman Doctrine, which
states that the United States will offer political, military, and
economic support to any democratic nation under attack from
internal or external authoritarian forces. The Truman Doctrine
successfully changed the direction of American foreign policy
from one of potential intervention in distant wars to one of
usual retreat from regional crises with no direct U.S.
involvement.
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan benefited the United States by creating markets for American products,
trustworthy commercial partners, and financial backing for the establishment of democratic,
stable governments in Western Europe. With Congress's acceptance of the Marshall Plan, the
postwar years saw the bipartisanship of World War II continue.The Marshall Plan benefited the
United States by creating markets for American products, trustworthy commercial partners, and
financial backing for the establishment of democratic, stable governments in Western Europe.
With Congress's acceptance of the Marshall Plan, the postwar years saw the bipartisanship of
World War II continue.
Policy of Containment and Domino Theory
American diplomat George Kennan initially described the Policy of Containment in 1947. It
sought to stop communism from spreading beyond of its current borders, notably in Europe and
Asia. The idea underlying the strategy was that if communism were allowed to advance
unchecked, it would eventually take over the globe. By assisting nations under communist danger
economically and militarily, assisting anti-communist governments and organizations, and, where
necessary, deploying military action, the US administration aimed to restrain communism. A
similar idea that surfaced in the 1950s was the domino theory. It implied that if one nation in an
area converted to communism, the neighbouring nations may follow suit like a line of dominoes.
According to this hypothesis, the US administration feared that communism would continue to
develop in the region if it did not get involved in wars like the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
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What did the leaders agree upon in context of Germany after the WW2?
United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin agreed that after the
war, Germany would be split and occupied jointly during the Tehran Conference in 1943.
How did the events change at Potsdam?
It was determined that the Americans, British, French, and Soviets would occupy Germany.
Additionally, it would be disarmed and demilitarized. German military-capable industry was to be
destroyed, and Nazi influence in the vanquished nation's educational and judicial systems was to
be expelled.
Why was Stalin suspicious of Truman?
The British only withdrew in 1947 because they were out of money while still supporting the anticommunist government. The Truman Doctrine was directly a result of this. Stalin was incensed that
Truman had waited until the last minute to inform him of the atom bomb. Stalin thought he had
been warned when the bomb was detonated.