Superpowers Emerge

After WWII: Only power that could rival the U.S. was the Soviet Union. Bear – used in to symbolize Russia in cartoons, articles, plays to imply that Russia is “big, brutal and clumsy.” The United States emerged from World War II as by far the world’s greatest power. The U.S. boasted the world’s most powerful navy and air force. The U.S. accounted for half the world’s manufacturing capacity. It alone possessed the atomic bomb. The only power that in any way could rival the U.S. was the Soviet Union, whose armies occupied most of eastern Europe, including the eastern part of Germany. Like the United States, the Soviets looked forward to a world order modeled on their own society and values. Soon after WWII ended, the alliance between the United States and the Soviet Union broke down and was replaced by a struggle between Communist and non-Communist nations. This struggle hecame known as the Cold War. After WWII: Only power that could rival the U.S. was the Soviet Union.

February 1945 – Yalta Conference (Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin meet to discuss postwar Europe) Key decisions: Democracies would be est., all liberated European and former Axis satellite countries would hold free elections. Germany – divide Germany into four “Allied Occupation Zones” & divide Berlin into four zones Differences arose among the wartime Allies even before the war had ended. In the final months of the war, Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin, and FDR had met at Yalta, a resort in the Soviet Union. There, Stalin promised to hold free elections in the parts of Eastern Europe under his control. At the time, Soviet troops were occupying most of Eastern Europe.

However, upon achieving victory in 1945… Soviet authorities in Poland organized an election which constituted nothing more than a sham. 2) Pro-communists govts. established in Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria What? We didn’t shake on it! Instead, Stalin proceeded to establish Communist governments in these nations. He realized that free elections would result in non-Communist governments. Stalin wanted to construct a ring of friendly countries to protect the western borders of the Soviet Union.

The United States feared the spread of communism The United States feared the spread of communism. You will learn more about why after performing a close reading of the Truman Doctrine (get excited!!)