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The Beginning End of World War II •Toward the end of World War II, it was becoming clear that Britain and the USA had different world goals from the USSR. •The USSR had liberated Eastern European nations from the Nazis, but it appeared they were going to stay and impose communist governments there. •FDR & Churchill wanted Stalin’s promise that there would be free elections in these nations after the war. Stalin readily agreed to hold “free” elections — which to him meant that people would be free to vote for the one communist candidate on the ballot. •Stalin offered to “help” the United States end the war with Japan in the Pacific. He suggested the Red Army would aid the U.S. in the invasion of the Japanese home islands. The U.S. did not want the Soviets to set up a communist state in Japan like they had in Eastern Europe. The U.S. decided to use atomic weapons to end the war quickly. Military Split •As Europe took on a new shape, new military alliances were created. •NATO NATO — The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a defensive military alliance between the USA, Canada & 10 Western European nations. •Warsaw Warsaw Pact — The Warsaw Pact was a defensive military alliance between the USSR & 7 Eastern European nations. •The world was now divided into three camps: Countries led by the USA, countries led by the USSR, and those who tried to negotiate a neutral path between the two. SLMS/11 The Iron Curtain •After the post-WWII conferences were over, Churchill made the observation that an “iron curtain” had descended across Europe. There was a significant division between Eastern & Western European countries. People could not travel freely back and forth. •Politically, most Western European nations were democratic. Most Eastern European nations were communist. •The USSR was using Eastern European nations as a “buffer” zone from the west. These nations had “puppet” governments set up by the Soviet Union, and were often referred to as Soviet satellites. U.S. Policy of Containment •The United States became firmly committed to the policy of containment. Quite simply, the goal of the policy was to contain the spread of communism. The U.S. would use political, economic and even military tools to contain communism. •The Marshall Plan (1948-52) offered free financial aid to any European nation rebuilding after World War II. This offered insight into the U.S. containment plan. Therefore, the aid was considered an investment in stable economies and permanent democracies. •The Truman Doctrine (1947) offered aid to countries fighting outside “pressures”. This was less subtle than the Marshall Plan, as the U.S. suggested it would send direct economic and/or military aid to any free nation fighting against a communist forces.