Post-War Europe and Cold War Foundations

📋 Course Outline

1. Yalta Conference
2. Post-War Decisions
3. Potsdam Conference
4. Germany and Austria Division
5. Cold War Ideologies
6. Soviet Take-over of Eastern Europe
7. The Iron Curtain
8. Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan
9. Berlin Blockade and Airlift
10. Korean War

📖 1. Yalta Conference

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

Big Three: an alliance of the major Allied powers consisting of the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom, who met to discuss post-war Europe and international arrangements.

Zones of Occupation: designated regions into which Germany was to be divided following its defeat, with each zone controlled by a different Allied power, including a French zone suggested by Churchill.

Demilitarization: the process agreed upon to reduce Germany’s military capabilities, involving disarmament and restrictions on its armed forces.

Denazification: measures aimed at removing Nazi influence from German society, including dismantling Nazi organizations and removing former Nazis from positions of power.

United Nations Creation: the establishment of an international organization intended to foster global cooperation and peace, inviting only countries that fought against the Axis Powers to participate.

📝 Essential Points