US+vs+Soviets+1st+Period

====The United Nations which was created after WW2 was created to help with peace. The peace between the United States, The Soviet Union, and Britain was not as planned. The representatives of of these countries were known as the "Big Three". They held conferences, two of them being the Yalta and the Potsdam Conferences. During these Conferences they split Germany. The Iron Curtain was created to split Europe. The United States and Soviet Union clashed but they tried to to create Peace through the United Nations.==== =US vs Soviets 1st Period=

[|**Yalta and Potsdam Conferences**] The Yalta and Potsdam Conferences were the two most important peace conferences during the World War 2 time Period. The cause of the Yalta Conference is that they were trying to decide what to do with Europe after Germany's defeat. Germany and Berlin were divided in to four zones: American, French, British, and Soviet. The Potsdam Conference was called to discuss yet again what to do about a dying Germany. The [|Yalta Conference] representative for the United States was Franklin Roosevelt. Harry Truman was the representative for the United states for the Potsdam Conference. Poland was the main debating point. Stalin wanted to conquer Poland and Winston Churchill was against him, this caused a lot of fighting within the Yalta Conference. These Conferences set the foundation for the end of the World War. The Yalta Conference was held at the Yalta in the Soviet Union.

[[image:http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSyalta.JPG width="433" height="192" align="left" caption="Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin at Yalta"]]
http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/cur/Baker_00/2002-p3/baker_p3_12-01_sn/index.htm http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWyalta.htm __**Truman, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin**__

__Truman:__
Competitive when it came to place and power. He was a people pleaser. He was tough and direct but also playful.

__Roosevelt:__
The only American president elected to more than two terms, he forged a durable coalition that realigned American politics for decades. He brought hope as he promised prompt, vigorous action, and asserted in his Inaugural Address, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

__Churchill:__

 * Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill** was a British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the great wartime leaders.

__Stalin:__

 * Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin** was the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee from 1922 until his death in 1953. After Vladimir Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin managed to consolidate more and more power in his hands, gradually putting down all opposition groups within the party.

**__The Creation of The United Nations__**
The United Nations was created after World War 2, due to the need for a world peace organization. They wanted to stop wars between countries and provide a peaceful way for countries to communicate. The League of Nations and due to its failure, the United Nations was put into action. The plan of this organization was brought up by the great powers. These powers included The Soviet Union, Great Britain and The United States. France and China were asked to sponsor and support this organization at a meeting on April 25, 1945 in San Francisco. At this meeting fifty nations negotiated and signed the United Nations Charter. Their primary purpose was to establish and maintain peace. Along with maintaining peace, they worked towards respect and justice for citizens, the initiation of advancements in society and creating better living conditions. This establishment went into effect on October 24, 1945 after the ratification of many nations. The headquarters of The United Nations is in New York City while many of the specialized agencies are in other countries.

__Iron Curtain:__
· The iron curtain was a term that described the dividing line between the two separate parts of Europe after WWII, and remained until after the Cold War. The term was used famously in a speech given by Winston Churchill, the former British prime minister; He said, “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.” The border lost strength after the death of Joseph Stalin, but was solidified when the Berlin wall was built. Some of the things that led up to the Cold War were…. -America’s fear of a communist attack -Truman’s dislike of Stalin - Russia’s fear of the atomic bomb - Russia’s desire to spread communism The allies became enemies after a slow buildup of all of these factors, even though it was ironically Europe’s longest period of peace in recorded history.

The wall was both ideological and physical, stretching across hundreds of miles separating East and West Europe. In some places it was highly guarded with armed security; only high-ranking officers and politicians could pass. However, in some places it was just a chain link fence. Either way, the separation of Europe was obviously apparent.

The wall was still in place until the end of 1991, with the end of the Cold War. There are still two monuments standing today; one is located in Czech Republic, having an original guard tower and signs explaining its meaning. The other is located in Slovakia, which contains a simple tribute with a few signs.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-was-the-iron-curtain.htm

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 * __NEW EUROPEAN BOUNDARIES:__**



During the Yalta Conference in the Soviet Union, it was decided between Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt that Germany should be divided into four zones of control. Each zone would be controlled by a different country. One to France, Great Britain, the U.S, and the Soviet Union. the four zones were controlled in Berlin. In the above map, purple was controlled by the U.S, green was controlled by Great Britain, orange was controlled by France, and yellow was controlled by the Soviet Union.

__Conclusion__ In the end, the cold war was nothing but a mutual fear of each other between the US and the Soviets. It was Europes longest period of peace, and it was all just growing tensions between the two groups. There were more problems in Europe, like the iron curtain, which isolated the two separate sides and divided a continent. All in all, it was a dark time in the world's history.