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)      


I believe it is exactly what Stalin was planning to do. The evidence of his actions in Eastern Europe show that he's willing to be aggressive in order to spread Communism. His unwillingness to accept non-communist governments bordering the Soviet Union was evident and he made it clear that he wanted to spread Communism around the world. 


  
2. Source 26 is a British source. Does it seem likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government?      
Most likely similar documents were being produced. We were close allies with Britain and probably had similar views. Not to mention Truman was very anti-communist and anti-communism was a popular ideal at this time in America.



3. Study Source 27 (p. 71) and make a list of three different actions that Communists took to achieve power in eastern Europe. Explain how each factor helped.     
1.) Imprisoning opposition leaders and Church leaders in Hungary. - This ensured that the Communist party was the only one in the "free" elections so they would definitely come to power.

2.) Banning all other parties in Czechoslovakia. - This way Czechoslovakia became a one party state run totally and completely by the Communist.

3.) Executing the other members of a left wing coalition in Bulgaria. - By executing the other leaders, the Communists were able to ride them to power then keep power after their death since the coalition had been elected as a whole. 

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?

No, I think the "sphere of influence" that Churchill and Roosevelt had in mind was much less militarily oriented. Based on Source 17, Stalin planned on keeping a firm grip on these nations with his powerful troops. Churchill and Roosevelt merely agreed to let him set up governments there, essentially Communist puppet governments. The fact that he felt the need to control them with his army as well shows some distrust he felt for the other two leaders. 

2. Would they agree with Stalin’s views expressed in Sources 17 and 18? Explain your answer.
No, Stalin expresses rather anti-U.S.A. and Great Britain sentiments in source 18. The tone sounds almost annoyed at the two countries for interfering, as he thinks he didn't interfere with Greece. He believes they should return the favor. I believe Churchill and Roosevelt would think that Stalin was thinking of mounting a conquest of all of Europe through Poland, where as Greece was crucial for Great Britain's security. I think they would agree to some extent with source 17. Although they would not think it was the ideal method of imposing ideology, I think the two leaders would acknowledge that a large army certainly helps.




3.  Explain how each of the three developments described in the text might affect relationships at Potsdam.
The fact that Stalin was keeping his troops in eastern Europe was very threatening to the other leaders at the conference. Although he claimed it was to prevent further attacks, the war in Europe was over, so naturally the leaders were dubious. Truman's anti-communist tendencies certainly didn't help Stalin's image in his eyes either. Truman, with the newfound power of the atomic bomb under his belt, felt like he could genuinely go toe to toe with Stalin if need be. The three developments probably made for a tense conference. 

Origins of the Cold War: Yalta Conference

1. Choose two points of agreement from the list and explain why they were significant for the future peace of Europe.      

First Point: As countries were liberated from occupation by the German army, they would be allowed to hold free elections to choose the government they wanted. This agreement allowed for democracy to spread in Europe. It also helped to prevent the Soviets from implementing Communist puppet governments. If this agreement had not been reached, the Communists would have tried to keep more of Eastern Europe than they did.      



Second Point: The Big Three agreed to join the United Nations. These three leaders were the most powerful leaders in the world, therefore all three joining an organization made for keeping the peace was influential. Without these three nations the United Nations would not have enough power to actually maintain peace.



2. Read Sources 2 - 11 on pages 320 and 321. What is your overall impression of the Yalta Conference based on these sources?
Based on these sources, I think the Yalta Conference was based on deception on all fronts. Stalin knew that Churchill and Roosevelt were anti-communist and distrusted their intentions. Roosevelt and Churchill distrusted Stalin because he was such a powerful and influential force in Eastern Europe. However, all three knew that for the sake of the world, it was necessary to put up a front of there being absolutely no disagreement between them to show everyone that the world powers were strong and united.