Iron Curtain Separates Europe

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)      

• a reasonable assessment of Stalin’s aims based on the facts
• an overreaction to Stalin’s actions based on fear of and prejudice towards the USSR?               
  My overall impressions is that this report from the British foreign secretary is an overreaction to Stalin's actions because the source clearly states that "The Soviet Government is not prepared to co-operate with any non-communist government in eastern Europe" and also that "Physical control of Europe and Asia and eventual control of the whole world is what Stalin is aiming at". I think that this is a overreaction because I do not believe that Stalin's true intentions were to take over and control the whole world like how the British foreign secretary post says that it was.   



  
2. Source 26 is a British source. Does it seem likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government?  
 Yes I believe that it does seem likely that similar documents like document 26 were being posted by the American Government because it was very clear during most of the Potsdam Conference and the Yalta conference that America and Britain were a team and were very suspicious of Stalin and his actions.   





3. Study Source 27 (p. 71) and make a list of three different actions that Communists took to achieve power in eastern Europe. AND Explain how each factor helped.   

Three different actions that Communists took to achieve power in eastern Europe were that after the war the communists joined a coalition government then became outright leaders in 1947 when they forced the non-communist leader into exile. This is a significant factor that helped because it forced other countries to join Stalin's ways and join the coalition government. Another action that the communist took was that they became the largest single party in the 1947 elections. They imprisoned opposition politicians and attacked church leaders. This is important factor because they were imprisoning other countries politicians that did not believe in the Soviet ways and that they also were attacking other countries religions and their church leaders.
Lastly another actions that the Communists took were that they in 1945 a communist was elected prime minister within a left-wing coalition and in 1947 the communists also abolished monarchy. This is also an important factor because countries that were controlled by Stalin and his communists could no longer have a monarchy government. 

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?   
 
 I do think that source 17 is what Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt had in mind because they wanted Eastern Europe to take responsibility for their actions that they made during The World War




2. Would they agree with Stalin’s views expressed in Sources 17 and 18? Explain your answer.       
   I do not think that they would agree with Stalin's views that were expressed in sources 17 and 18 because they can say that they are in the position that they are in because of the outcome that the war had on Eastern Europe so for them to have have any help would not be fair because America always has the help of Great Britain.





3.  Explain how each of the three developments described in the text might affect relationships at Potsdam.
  Each of the three developments described in the text might affect the relationships at Potsdam because they could of caused tension and awkwardness  between Churchill Stalin and Roosevelt. 

Origins of the Cold War: Yalta Conference

1. What month and year did the Yalta Conference place?      
The Yalta Conference took place in February 1945.




2. While the conference was taking place who were the Allies (Big Three) still fighting? Be specific. (Consider as well, what hadn't taken place yet that you've already studied.)        
 The big three allies still fighting in the time of the Yalta Conference were The United States, France and Great Britian and their leaders Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin.

 

3. Why was Roosevelt anxious to make concessions to Stalin concerning the fate of postwar Germany?        
 Roosevelt was anxious to make concessions to Stalin because he wanted to create the United Nations before World War Two ended he wanted a democratic world.


 

4. What decisions did Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin make at the Yalta Conference?      
 The decisions that Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin made were that the U.S gets the Soviets to promise to declare war against Japan 90 days after the Germans were defeated. They also agreed on the basics for the United Nations. Also they decided on that Germany would temporarily be divided into four zones. Lastly Stalin promised fee elections in Poland and Eastern Europe.

Nuclear Arms Race Since 1945

1. Explain how Dragonfire's report on October 11, 2001 highlighted a new threat from nuclear weapons.                 
 The dragonfire report was a report which claimed that Al Queda had brought a nuclear bomb into NYC. This event had brought this new threat of nuclear weapons that terrorist may use the nuclear weapons against the US and its allies. Also this caused a new danger of nuclear weapons complicating nation’s foreign affairs with one another

2. Why is proliferation such a strong concern for the United States?              
     Proliferation was a strong concern for the United States because the USSR might spread nuclear weapons to their communist allies who were not capable or did not yet have the technology which could bring the capitalist and communist world against one another in a full out end of the world nuclear war. 

3. What is deterrence?                   
   Deterrence was an idea that US air force strategist came up with saying that if one side were to launch a nuclear weapon at the other, and in retaliation the other nation would fire one back to devastate the initial attacker, both nations would fear total annihilation, and both sides would deterred from attacking.


4. Explain the importance of the Cuban Missile Crisis.                   
     
The importance of the Cuban Missile crisis is that this was the closest the US and the Soviet Union were to having a nuclear war and turning the Cold War into nothing but a humanity war. Also this ended the connection between the Cuban nation and the US, when JFK placed a trade embargo on Cuba which is still in existence today. 

5. President John F. Kennedy worried that twenty-five nations would have nuclear weapons by the 1970s. Why do you think his worry did not come to pass?                           
Kennedy's worry of the twenty-five nations having nuclear weapons by the 1970's did not come true because the US and the USSR agreed not to spread nuclear weapons or materials to their allies which without many nations would/will not be able to develop these weapons                          


6. What was the Cold War? How long did it last?                      
 The Cold War was the war which was never fought on a battlefield between the Capitalist US and the communist USSR. Although the two never fought head to head on the battlefield, both nations fought like the US in Korea and in Vietnam against the spreading of communism around the world.The Cold War raged from 1945 at the end of WWII to 1991 when the USSR collapsed

Works Cited

Chevalier, Tracy. Burning Bright. New York, Penguin Group, 2007
Canfield, Jack and Hansen, Mark V. and Kirberger, Kimberly. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul 3. Deerfield Beach, FL, Health Communications, Inc, 2000.
Pinker, Steven. How The Mind Works: with a new forward. New York: W.W Norton and Company, Inc.,2009

Mobilizing for Defense

1. How did the American response to the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor differ from Japanese expectations?        The Americans response to the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor differed from the Japanese expectations because the Japanese thought that once the Americans experienced the Japanese power that they would shrink into further conflict. But instead the Americans filled with rage and not fear they wanted to start to attack the Japanese.  2. What difficulties did women and minorities face in the wartime work force?          Difficulties that women and minorities faced in the wartime work force was that they tried to make the WAAC which was that women would serve in noncombat positions. Even though hundreds of women signed up for this duty it was denied and the women served as nurses, ambulance drivers, radio operators, electricions and pilots. 3. Why did President Roosevelt create the OSRD, and what did it do?              President Roosevelt created the OSRD because it brought scientists into war effort. It showed improvement in sonar and radar. 4. What basic problems were the OPA and WPB created to solve?              The basic problems that the OPA and the WPB were able to get money to buy the items that they needed to win the war. 5. What type of items were rationed and why were they limited?           The types of items that were rationed were rationed books with coupons inside them, and also gas ration they were limited because the country could not afford to buy a lot of it they had to put all of their money towards the war. 6. What is the message of the World War II poster on this assignment's blog posting? Why was this message important?     The message of the World War two poster is a man driving alone with Hitler sitting next to him. This message conveyed to people that when they did not carpool with other people and save gas they were helping Hitler win the war by wasting their gas

War in the Pacific

1. In what ways were the American victory at Midway and the Japanese triumph at Pearl Harbor alike?    The American victory at Midway and the Japanese triumph at Pearl Harbor were alike because they both bombed each other from the sky also they both attacked and ruined each others aircraft carriers, cruisers and planes 2. Why was the Battle of Leyte Gulf so crucial to the Allies?         The Battle of Leyte Gulf was so crucial to the Allies because the Japanese would not surrender because they chose death over surrendering. This made it crucial to the Allies because it was easier for them to beat the Japanese and take there land. 3. Why was Okinawa a significant island in the war in the Pacific?        Okinawa was a significant island in the war in the pacific because it was another victory for the Allies and they were getting closer and closer to the Japanese Islands. 4. What was the Manhattan Project? And who was J. Robert Oppenheimer?            The Manhattan Project was the making of the atomic bomb. J. Robert Oppenheimer is the American scientist who made the bomb. 5. Why was Roosevelt anxious to make concessions to Stalin concerning the fate of postwar Germany?        Roosevelt was anxious to make the concessions to Stalin concerning the fate of postwar Germany because he wanted to make sure that if the Japanese decided to attack Japan again that the Soviet Union would stand by America and Britain and he also wanted his approval of a world peace keeping organization called the United Nations. 6. What decisions did Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin make at the Yalta Conference?          The decisions that Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin made at the Yalta Conference was that Roosevelt convinced Churchill to agree to dividing the Germany into four zones one for America one for the Soviet Union one for France and one for Britain. Also Stalin promised free and unfettered elections in Poland and other Soviet-occupied European countries. Lastly Stalin also agreed to join the war against Japan and to participate in the international conference that would make the United Nations become an reality. 7. At the trials, many Nazis defended themselves by saying they were only following orders. What does this rationale tell you about the German military? Why was it important to negate this justification?   This tells you that even many of the Nazis themselves were scared of Hitler and that they were brainwashed so much by Hitler that they believed that they were doing the right thing.