Boardworks Ltd of 9 Icons key: For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation Teachers notes (in Notes Page)Accompanying worksheetFlash activity (not editable) Sound Web links Video 20 th Century International Relations The Beginnings of the Cold War Part 3 Boardworks Ltd of 9 Learning objectives What we will learn in this presentation: Why did Stalin want a buffer zone for the Soviet Union and how did he create it? What was the Iron Curtain? What were the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan and what were the consequences of these policies? How did these short-term factors cause the Cold War? Boardworks Ltd of 9 Stalin believed that the only way to be truly safe was to have a buffer zone of friendly states between the USSR and Germany. What was the point of the buffer zone Stalin wanted? The Soviet Union had suffered three previous invasions from the West (1914, 1918 and 1941). It believed the Western Allies were helping Germany to rebuild, meaning Germany would be a threat yet again. From 1945, the USSR made sure the countries of Eastern Europe became communist. These satellite states were controlled by the Soviet Union and formed the Eastern Bloc. Soviet buffer zone Boardworks Ltd of 9 The Eastern Bloc Boardworks Ltd of 9 In March 1946, Winston Churchill gave a speech in Fulton, Missouri. In his speech he was the first to use the term Iron Curtain in its Cold War context. The Iron Curtain What did Churchill mean by an Iron Curtain? Boardworks Ltd of 9 The Iron Curtain soon became a thousand mile divide between East and West, the division between communism and capitalism. The Soviets were furious. Not only had they acted without agreement from the Soviets, but they also appeared to be rebuilding Germany, when Stalin wanted to keep it weak. Increased tensions In December 1946, Britain and the USA agreed to unite their German zones for economic purposes. Boardworks Ltd of 9 The Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan What problems could arise from the Truman Doctrine? Boardworks Ltd of 9 Conclusions Distrust and suspicion developed between the Soviet Union and USA after the defeat of the Nazi Germany, the common enemy in World War II. Boardworks Ltd of 9 Want to see more? This is only a sample of one of hundreds of Boardworks History presentations. To see more of what Boardworks can offer, order a full presentation completely free: