The beginning of the Cold War

The Second World War

Period: Sep 1, 1939 to Sep 2, 1945

The Tehran Conference

Nov 28, 1943

The Wikipedia articleThe Big Three meet for the first time. Agreed that the USA and Britain would invade Europe to open a second front against the Germans.

The Yalta Conference

Feb 1, 1945

Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin meet together as Germany begins to crumble.
- Germany to be divided into 4 zones of occupation
- Berlin to be divided into 4 zones too
- Countries of Eastern Europe allowed to hold free elections
- USSR would join the war against Japan DISAGREEMENT
- Over Poland. Stalin wanted to move Poland westwards into Germany. With the Red Army in occupation Churchill and Roosevelt couldn't do much about it.

Yalta to COMECON

Period: Feb 1, 1945 to Jan 1, 1949

Romania

Feb 27, 1945

27 Feb 1945 - Soviet intervention in Romania to install a puppet regime

Lend Lease over

May 1, 1945

During the war the Americans had given lots of money to Russia, this was called Lend Lease.
Lend Lease aid to Moscow terminated as the war was over.

COMECON set up

Jan 1, 1949

Council for Mutual Economic Aid.
Trading organisation of communist countries
Didn’t involve any injection of money so wasn’t as good as the Marshall Plan.