Iron Curtain Separates Europe

1. 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 impression of Source 26 is that is was an overreaction to Stalin's actions based on fear of and prejudice towards the USSR. They are fearing the worst outcome, which is Stalin taking over the world, to scare people and make them even more anti-communist then they already are. They are exaggerating communist power by saying that because Stalin has taken control of Eastern Europe, he will eventually be able to take control of the whole world. 

  
2. Source 26 is a British source. Does it seem likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government?      

     It seems likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government because the United States and Britain shared similar views on communism and Stalin. They both believed communism was wrong and didn't trust Stalin. Also, the United States and Britain were very close allies, therefore, it would seem likely that their documents being produced about communism would hold similar views. 

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

1. In Czechoslovakia, Communists banned any other party except Communism in 1948, making Czechoslovakia a Communist one-party state. This helped Communists achieve power in Eastern Europe because Czechoslovakia was now completely under Communist control. 

2. In Romania, Communists abolished the monarchy in 1947.This left Romania under Communist control with a Communist prime minister adding to their power in eastern Europe. 

3.  Communists imprisoned opposition politicians, and attack Church leaders in Hungary. This ensured Communist power in eastern Europe as Communism was able to become the largest single party.  

Origins of the Cold War: Yalta Conference

1. Choose two points of agreement from the list and explain why they were significant for the future peace of Europe.      

First Point:     During the Yalta Conference, Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill agreed that as countries were liberated from the German Army, they would be allowed to hold free elections to choose the government they wanted. This was very significant for the future peace of Europe, because it ensured democracy in Europe and set to prevent the rise of any totalitarian government or dictators. 



Second Point: The Big Three also agreed to hunt down and punish war criminals who were responsible for the genocide during the holocaust. This was significant because it ensured Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill were serious in working together to ensure the end of Nazism in Europe, and to provide protection and keep the peace in Europe against war criminals.   

2. Read Sources 2 - 11 on pages 320 and 321. What is your overall impression of the Yalta Conference based on these sources?

My overall impression of the Yalta Conference was that all three leaders wanted to work together and had a genuine alliance with each other, however, neither of them fully trusted each other. It seemed Britain and the United States had a stronger alliance with each other on behalf of their hatred for Communism. It seems that Stalin thought Roosevelt and Churchill especially could be easily taken advantage of and looked down upon him. Overall, the Big Three seemed to have a genuine alliance while keeping a distance from each other.  

America Enters World War II

1. What impact did the outbreak of war in Europe have on U.S. foreign and defense policy?   

     When the war broke out in Europe, President Roosevelt asked Congress to increase spending for national defense. Although the United States wanted to stay out of the war, Nazi victories changed U.S thinking, and there was a boost for defense spending. Congress passed the nation's first peacetime military draft, called the Selective Training and Service Act. Under this law, 16 million men were registered. Of these, 1 million were to be drafted only to serve in the Western Hemisphere.
 
2. Why did Roosevelt take one “unneutral” step after another to assist Britain and the Soviet Union in 1941?    

     Roosevelt took one "unneutral" step after another to assist Britain and the Soviet Union in 1941 because he wanted to lend support to any country whose defense was vital to the United States. By late 1940, Britain had no more cash to spend. Roosevelt responded by suggesting a new plan that he called the lend-lease policy. Roosevelt thought this was the only sensible thing to do to prevent U.S involvement in the war. Roosevelt also began sending lend-lease supplies to the Soviet Union when Hitler broke his agreement with Stalin and invaded the Soviet Union.

3. Why was the Atlantic Charter important?   

     The Atlantic Charter was so important because it gave the United States and Britain collective security, disarmament, self-determination, economic cooperation, and freedom of the seas. The Atlantic Charter became the basis of the "Declaration of the United Nations." The United Nations consisted of 26 nations who fought the Axis powers.
     

4. Why did the United States enter into an undeclared shooting war with Germany in fall 1941?   

     The United States entered into an undeclared shooting war with Germany in fall of 1941 because a German submarine fired on the U.S destroyer Greer in the Atlantic. Roosevelt quickly responded by ordering the navy to shoot the German submarines on sight. Weeks later, an American merchant ship was sunk and a U-boat torpedoed the U.S. destroyer Kearny. Days later, German U-boats sank another U.S. destroyer, killing more than 100 sailors. As the death toll continued to rise, the Senate repealed the ban against arming merchant ships and a formal declaration of a full-scale war was inevitable.
 
5. How was oil a source of conflict between Japan and the United States?   

     Oil was such a source of conflict between Japan and the United States because Japan needed oil and the United States cut off trade with Japan. One Japan started taking over French military bases, The U.S protested a new act of aggression by cutting off trade with Japan. This included embargoed goods such as oil, which Japan could not live without. Without oil, Japan could not fuel their war machines. The leaders declared that Japan must either persuade the U.S to end its oil embargo or go to war.  
  
6. What problem would the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor solve for Roosevelt? What new problems would it create?  

   The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor solved the problem of isolationism for Roosevelt. Many who had formally been isolationists now supported an all-out American effort. After the surprise attack, many isolationists believed the only thing left to do was go to war. The attack on Pearl Harbor, however, created several new problems for the United States. The Japanese had killed 2,403 Americans with their surprise attack. The raid had sunk or damaged 21 ships, including 8 battleships, which was nearly the whole U.S Pacific fleet. More than 300 air crafts were severely damaged or destroyed which constituted greater damage than the U.S Navy suffered in World War 1. The surprise attack at Pearl Harbor sent the United States to war with Japan. After Congress approved of Roosevelt's request to rage war with Japan, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, officially bringing the U.S into World War 2.