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History Cold War Speech
History Cold War Speech
When World War Two ended in 1945, there was hope that the wartime allies - the
UK, America and Soviet Union - could work together to build a peaceful future.
Deteriorated
In February 1945, the leaders of the UK, America and the Soviet Union met in Yalta
in the Crimean region of the Soviet Union. After winning World War Two, these
powers became known as the Big Three. They met to discuss what would happen in
Europe after Nazi Germany was defeated.
Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union), Franklin Roosevelt (USA) and Winston Churchill (UK)
decided that Germany would be split into four zones. The Soviet Union, USA, UK
and France would each control a zone. The German capital Berlin, which was in the
Soviet zone, would also be divided into four.
The Big Three met again five months later in Potsdam, just outside of Berlin, in July
1945. Things had changed a lot since the Yalta Conference. The British Prime
Minister, Winston Churchill, had lost a general election and had been replaced by
Clement Attlee. The American President Franklin Roosevelt had died and was
replaced with Harry Truman. This change in leadership meant that a lot of the
personal relationships were lost.