Issues discussed 1943: Teheran Conference
Provide a title for each row Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill
Agreements
 Britain and the USA to open up a ‘second front’
to help defeat Hitler by invading France in May
1944
 The USSR to help defeat Japan once Germany
was defeated
 Part of Eastern Poland to become part of the
USSR.
 Set up a United Nations Organisation after the
war to promote world peace.
Disagreements
Stalin was annoyed that Britain and the USA were
being so slow to open a ‘second front’ to help him
in the fight against Hitler. He thought they were
waiting to let Hitler do the maximum damage to
the USSR.
Stalin wanted control of Poland to protect the
USSR from future invasions. Britain had gone to
war to protect Poland’s independence. Churchill
was suspicious that Stalin wanted to control
Poland, especially after the Katyn Massacre of
Polish officers by Soviet soldiers was discovered in
1943.
February 1945: Yalta Conference
Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill
Agreements
 Hunt down and try Nazi war criminals in an
international court of justice.
 Divide Germany, and Berlin, into zones,
occupied by each allied power.
 Take reparations from their zones, half of which
would go to the USSR.
 USSR to help defeat Japan
 Countries in Eastern Europe, including Poland,
to be independent and hold free, democratic
elections.
 Eastern Europe to be a Soviet ‘sphere of
influence’; the USSR to have land from Poland,
Poland to be given some land from Germany to
compensate.
 Set up United Nations Organisation to promote
world peace.
Disagreements
They disagreed on reparations. Stalin wanted a
much higher amount than Roosevelt or Churchill.
Stalin wanted more land from Poland to be given
to the USSR. He wanted a ‘friendly’ government in
Poland.
Churchill and Roosevelt were afraid that this
meant that Stalin wanted to control Poland.
July 1945: Potsdam Conference
Stalin, Truman, Churchill replaced by Attlee
Agreements
 Ban the Nazi Party and try leading Nazi war criminals
at Nuremberg in 1946.
 Divide Germany and Berlin into four zones, occupied
by each allied power.
 Re-establish democracy in Germany, including free
elections, free press and free speech.
 Germany to pay reparations, mostly in industrial
goods, and mainly to the USSR.
 Truman boasts about his new A-bomb!
 To give the USSR land from Poland, and Poland land
from Germany, up to the rivers Oder and Neisse.
 To participate in the United Nations Organisation.
Disagreements
Stalin wanted massive compensation which would have
crippled Germany. A weak Germany could not threaten
the USSR. Truman wanted Germany to recover as a
protection against Communism and to avoid the
mistakes of the Treaty of Versailles.
Stalin had set up a communist government in Poland,
breaking the agreement at Yalta to hold free elections.
Most Poles did not want a communist government.
The USA and GB complained about this.
Truman wanted free democratic elections to be held in
all countries in Eastern Europe. Stalin thought Truman
was interfering because Eastern Europe was supposed
to be his ‘sphere of influence’.
 How did the USSR take control of Eastern Europe?
Method Poland Romania Hungary Czechoslovakia Bulgaria Yugoslavia
Provide a title for each row
Not occupied by the
At the end of the Second World War, the Red Army of the USSR occupied all of these countries in order to Red Army at the end
defeat the German army and drive the Nazis out. of the war: it is
freed from the Nazis
June 1945 a coalition January 1945 1945 Non-Communist By 1947 the Late 1944 a
government of several Coalition government Smallholders’ Party Communists are the Communist- by its own freedom
parties set up. of several parties set wins over 50% of the largest party in the dominated coalition fighters.
up. vote. coalition government. government set up.
March 1945 Soviet Communist Party Communists control
Marshal Tito, a
army takes over the seizes control of the the police and armed Communist,
Romanian army and Ministry of the forces. becomes President
forces the King to Interior, which but refuses to take
appoint a communist controls the police. orders from Stalin.
government.
Stalin expels Tito
Leader of the main 1947 the Communist 1947 Communists use 1948 with support
from Cominform
opposition party, government abolishes control of the police from USSR the
Stanislaw Milokajcyk, the monarchy to arrest Bela Kovacs, Communists use the and refuses to allow
fled to London leader of the army to seize control the USSR or other
Smallholders’ Party and arrest many non- countries in Eastern
and force Prime Communists. Foreign Europe to trade with
Minister Imre Nagy to secretary Jan Masaryk Yugoslavia.
resign. ‘falls out of a window’.
January 1947 rigged November 1946 August 1947 the 1948 rigged elections November 1945 Tito accepts
elections ensure a elections held, Communists receive a secure a Communist rigged elections won financial help from
completely Communists win 80% large share of the vote victory and all other by the Communists. the West, which
communist of votes. and take over the parties are banned. 1946 all other parties really annoys Stalin.
government is government. Other banned.
elected. parties banned.

Each of these countries ended up with a completely Communist government, strictly controlled by orders from
Stalin in Moscow. They were called ‘People’s Democracies’ because, as in the USSR, Stalin claimed that the
Communist system worked in the interests of the people.
 America’s approach to the post-war world:
The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan

In March 1947, President Harry Truman gave a speech to the US Congress (parliament):

At the present moment in world history nearly every nation must choose
between alternative ways of life. The choice is too often not a free one.
One way of life is based upon the will of the majority, and is distinguished
by free institutions, representative government, free elections,
guarantees of individual liberty, freedom of speech and religion, and
freedom from political oppression. The second way of life is based upon
the will of a minority forcibly imposed upon the majority. It relies upon
terror and oppression, a controlled press and radio, fixed elections, and
the suppression of personal freedoms.

I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free
peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or
by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free peoples to work
out their own destinies in their own way. I believe that our help should be
primarily through economic stability and orderly political process.

Can you extract the four key things he was saying?

1.

2.

3.

4.

Congress approved the Truman Doctrine. They agreed that the USA should be prepared to send money,
equipment and advice to any country which was threatened by a Communist take-over. The first thing they
did was to provide money to Greece and Turkey, where Communist rebels were trying to take over the
government. This policy was known as containment, because it accepted that Eastern Europe was now
Communist, but tried to stop Communism from spreading any further. It meant that the USA was now much
more involved in Europe.
Putting the Truman Doctrine into Practice: The Marshall Plan

Europe’s requirements for the next three or four year of foreign foods and other
essential products – mainly from the USA – are so much greater than its present
ability to pay that it must have substantial additional help or face economic and
political disaster. It is logical that the USA should do whatever it can to restore
normal economic health to the world, without which there can be no political
stability and peace. Our policy is directed not against any other country or
political doctrine, but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos. Its
purpose should be the revival of a working economy so as to produce the
conditions in which free institutions can exist.

US Secretary of State George Marshall, announcing the Marshall Plan, June 1947.

Truman sent George Marshall to investigate the state of Europe. Marshall found that the economies of
European countries had been ruined by the war, and that they were crippled by debts of $11.5 billion, which
they owed to the USA. There were shortages of goods, most countries were still rationing bread, and in Britain
there was such a shortage of coal that electricity had to be turned off for a period of time each day.

Truman asked Congress to approve Marshall’s plan to provide $17 billion to Europe to help rebuild its
economy. Congress initially refused. However, when Communists took over the government in Czechoslovakia
and Jan Masaryk ‘fell out of the window’, Congress approved the plan. $17 billion was provided to countries in
Europe over the next 4 years. Machinery was provided to rebuild factories, and advice on developing
infrastructure such as transport systems.

The Marshall Plan suited the interests of

America. American businesses
wanted to create new markets for
American goods. Americans had
suffered greatly during the Great
Depression and wanted to prevent
another depression from happening, by
ensuring that there were plenty of
jobs in American industry, and
markets to which they could export
their products. Stalin thought that the
USA was trying to dominate as many
states as possible by making them
dependent on US money.

The largest amount of Marshall Aid

went to Britain ($3.1bn) and France
($2.7bn). These were the strongest
countries in Europe and could be the
most useful allies for the USA against
the USSR. Some of the Marshall Aid
money was spent on weapons.

What was Stalin thinking?

For Russia it is not only a question of honour, but

security – not only because we are on Poland’s
To control the countries of Eastern Europe, Stalin set up two organisations:
Cominform
The Communist Information Bureau, set up in
1947.
Reaction to: the Truman Doctrine
Aim: to co-ordinate and control Communist parties
throughout Europe.
Methods:
 tells countries in Eastern Europe how to conduct
their foreign policy i.e. their relations with other
countries
 tells countries in Eastern Europe how to run their
economies, with the government taking over
(collectivising) agriculture and control of industry
Outcome: any Communist Party members who
disagree with Moscow are removed, Eastern
European countries obey the USSR
Exception: Yugoslavia, thrown out of Cominform
when its Communist leader, Tito, refuses to obey
the USSR.
Comecon
The Council for Mutual Assistance, set up in
1949.
Reaction to: the Marshall Plan
Aim: claims to offer financial support to
countries in Eastern Europe
Methods:
 controls the economies of Eastern European
states
 takes their resources for the USSR
Outcome: control of all Eastern European
economies
 Czechoslovakia and East Germany are
instructed to concentrate on industry
 Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria are instructed
to produce food and raw materials
 USSR benefits, in money and goods