Wednesday, January 30, 2013

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?                
My impression of Source 26 was that the British were very against Stalin and didn't want him to take over the world. They had a reasonable assessment of Stalin's aims based on the facts. They were taking everything very seriously and considered that there is a possibility that he could take over the world and he likely wants to.



  
2. Source 26 is a British source. Does it seem likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government?    
It seems very likely that documents similar to the British Source 26 were being produced by the American government. America was just as involved as the British and largely agreed upon most things, and it is very likely that they also feared that Stalin was a threat to civilization. 




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.) Killed/executed opposing politicians- without competition, they couldn't lose
2.) Take control of all countries that were their enemies in WWII- If they controlled them, they couldn't be opposed by them
3.) Become leader of a country, then make it exclusively communist- Communism was the only option and would last for a while



 

Monday, January 28, 2013

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?   
I do not think that Source 17 is what Churchill and Roosevelt had had in mind when they agreed with Stalin that Eastern Europe would be a Soviet "sphere of influence" because Stalin seems to think that he can do whatever he wants if he has the power to. 





2. Would they agree with Stalin’s views expressed in Sources 17 and 18? Explain your answer.       
They would not agree with Stalin's views because Stalin thinks that he can do anything his army has the power to do and also he didn't help with the formation of the Italian government.





3.  Explain how each of the three developments described in the text might affect relationships at Potsdam.
1.) This created tension and made America and Great Britain angry at Stalin for not listening to them and occupying much of Eastern Europe.
2.) Truman was much more anti-Communist than FDR was, so he didn't feel the need to compromise with Stalin as FDR did and was totally against him
3.) America having an atomic bomb allowed them to behave differently because they didn't need Stalin's help and didn't want it anymore, so they didn't have reason to be kind or compromising with him.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Origins of the Cold War: Yalta Conference

1. What month and year did the Yalta Conference place?      
The Yalta Conference took place in February 1945, from the 4th until the 11th 




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.)        

At the time of the Yalta Conference, the Big Three Allies were fighting Hitler/Germany/the Nazis as well as the Japanese

 


3. Why was Roosevelt anxious to make concessions to Stalin concerning the fate of postwar Germany?        
Roosevelt was anxious to make concessions to Stalin concerning the fate of postwar Germany because he wanted the Soviets' help fighting in Japan and he wanted Stalin's support for The United Nations, a new peace-keeping organization. 

 


4. What decisions did Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin make at the Yalta Conference?
At the Yalta Conference, Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin decided to divide Germany into four separate zones, on each for America, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. Stalin promised free elections and to join the war on Japan, and to attend a conference where the United Nations would form.