Why did the Cold War start?

The USA and the USSR were allies during the Second World War, but they had always been
suspicious of each other as they were so different. Explain how the two countries were
different.

Both countries had been affected by the war differently. Explain how the USSR and the USA
were affected by the war. Explain what the USA now had that made it very powerful.

Stalin wanted to protect the USSR from ever being attacked again. Explain what Stalin did in
Eastern Europe in order to keep the USSR protected. Explain what the USA thought about
this.

Germany was a place where tension developed. Explain what happened to Germany and
Berlin after the war. Explain what Stalin did in 1948 and how the USA and Britain responded.

By the end of the Berlin blockade a Cold War had definitely started. The year before, in 1947,
President Truman had said that he would try to stop ……………………………….. from spreading.
In 1949 the USA formed a military alliance called ……………… In that same year the USSR
detonated an ………………… bomb and ………………… became communist. For the next few
decades the USA and the USSR would try to spread their influence around the world and
would build more and more weapons.