The Origins of the Cold War 1945-1949

  • Percentages Agreement

    Churchill + Stalin met in Moscow to establish the percentage of predominance Britain and USSR would have in Eastern European states (ex. USSR to have 90% of Romania + UK to have 90% of Greece)
  • Yalta Conference

    4-11 Feb 1945 - Meeting between the Grand Alliance (Churchill, Roosevelt + Stalin) in Crimea
    Represented high point in allied cooperation prior to end of WW2
    Agreed: Germany + Berlin divided into 4 zones (US,USSR,UK+Fr) UN formally ratified USSR gain land from Poland + Poland expanded to the west/north Declaration on Liberated Europe created
  • Potsdam Conference

    17 Jul - 1 Aug 1945 - after end of war in Europe (May 1945) - Truman, Churchill/Atlee + Stalin
    Successful detonation of US atomic bomb day before the Potsdam Conference (Truman hoped this gave him diplomatic leverage)
    Agreed: Germany to be demilitarised, de-Nazified, decentralised and disarmed freedom of speech/press to be restored USSR to receive reparations from it's own zone + 25% from western zone
  • Provisional Gov of National Unity - Poland

    Poland post war: Lublin Gov (pro-Stalin gov in Poland) + London Pols (Polish gov in exile in London) Provisional Government of National Unity formed in Jun 1945 - contained parties from both ends of the political spectrum (Stalin's pluralist approach)