1. Stalin and the Cold war

2. The ‘Big Three’ Stalin met with Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt at Tehran in 1943, to discuss the war. Stalin demanded that the USSR should have an influence over Eastern Europe after the war: this made Churchill and Roosevelt rather nervous

3. End of World War Two Victory over Hitler was almost certain in 1944, so the ‘Big Three’ met again, at Yalta. They decided that the German capital of Berlin should be divided into four zones, administered by USSR, USA, Britain and France

4. The Red Army reached Berlin two weeks before the British and American forces. Germany officially surrendered on 30 April 1945 Stalin became more determined to create a buffer zone between the USSR and capitalist countries

5. Another 5 year plan! Stalin set new targets for the production of oil, coal, electricity, iron and steel. He told the Russian people they needed to be prepared to resist attack the capitalist countries. By 1948, industrial production had recovered to pre-war levels

6. Eastern Europe Communist governments were set up in East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria Industralisation and collectivisation were put into place in these countries, to make sure they produced goods that were needed in the Soviet Union

7. The Iron Curtain There was a fear that Communist rule might spread beyond Eastern Europe. The intense grip Stalin held on this area was known as ‘The Iron Curtain’ Restrictions in the USSR became even harder: 1.Foreign visitors were refused entry into the USSR, and Soviet Citizens were not allowed out

8. 2. Cultural and Sporting exchanges ended 3. The frequencies of foreign radio stations were jammed 4. Soviet scholars were forbidden to use Western work in their studies 5. All important inventions were claimed to be Russian!!!

9. The Berlin Blockade West Berlin had become a ‘capitalist island’ in a Soviet held territory In 1948, Stalin blocked all the roads and rail links with the west, hoping to starve the people of West Berlin into submission For nearly a year, the USA flew in all food and supplies The Cold war had started….

10. Nuclear Weapons When Truman ordered the Atom Bomb to be dropped on Hiroshima, it prevented Stalin from having any post-war influence in Japan. It also signaled the strength of America: they had the ultimate weapon so the world better watch out

11. Within four years, The USSR had developed their own Atom Bomb: officially beginning the nuclear arms race

12. The Domino Theory Stalin encouraged communist movements in Malaya, Indochina, India and Indonesia, but he didn’t know how to react to the Communist Government in China Stalin was worried that China might be a future rival to the USSR Stalin appeared to put on a united front with Chinese leader, Mao Zedong

13. The Korean War In 1950, Communist North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations voted to drive the communists out Stalin didn’t get a chance to use his power of veto at the UN council meeting, as the Soviet Union refused to attend in protest to the west’s refusal to recognise Communist China

14. Stalin dies! On 5 March 1953, Joseph Stalin died of a stroke. His body was placed next to Lenin’s, in the Mausoleum in the Red Square. Hundreds of thousands of people filed past his body.

15. In 1961, Stalin’s body was removed from the Mausoleum. It was cremated and the ashes were buried in the Kremlin wall. The simple inscription on the gravestone says: J V Stalin 1879-1953