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Potsdam Conference
After FDR's death in April 12, 1945, Truman would replace him and met with Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin in Potsdam, Germany. Truman would press Stalin to permit free elections in Eastern Europe but Stalin refused. He would later declare that communism and capitalism could not exist in the same world in a speech in 1946. -
Yalta Conference
The leaders of the U.S., Britain, and the Soviet Union all met together before the end of the war to discuss post war time. They would agree to split Germany into zones of occupation controlled by the allies and Germany would have to compensate the Soviet Union for the loss of life and property. Stalin agreed to join the war vs Japan and promised that the Eastern European Countries would have free elections. This was the last event with the USA and Soviet Union being allies. -
The Truman Doctrine
Truman asked Congress to send foreign aid for Turkey and Greece in order to combat communism by easing USSR demands in Turkey and stabilizing the government in Greece. The support would be called the Truman Doctrine and caused great controversy. Brought the element of containment. Containment was to use the country's resources by squashing any communism that spread westward. -
The Marshall Plan
WW2 left Western Europe ruined and in economic turmoil. Jobs were scare and food were low. In 1947 U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall proposed a plan to Congress that would have the U.S. send food, machinery, and other materials to rebuild Western Europe. Congress vote approval after the Communist seized power in Czechoslovakia. The plan cost $12.5 billion. The plan was a spectacular success as many countries were aided. -
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The Berlin Airlift
The United States and the Soviet Union clashed over Germany's fate. The Soviets wanted to keep Germany weak but in 1948, France, Britain, and the U.S. withdrew their forces from Germany to allow it to form one nation. The Soviets responded by holding West Berlin hostage. The city faced starvation as Stalin gambled that the Allies would surrender or withdraw the idea of reunifying Germany. But instead American and British planes dropped flew and supplies into Berlin until the Soviets surrendered. -
Formation of NATO
As many countries feared the Soviets aggression after the Berlin Blockade, 10 western European countries joined America and Canada to form a defensive military alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) If any member of NATO was attacked, the supporting countries would come into play.
