The Cold War origins, 1941-1948 - AQAThe world after WWII and before the Cold War
The USA entered World War Two against Germany and Japan in 1941, creating an uneasy alliance of the USA, Britain and the USSR. This alliance would ultimately fail and break down into the Cold War.
The state of the world after World War Two and before the Cold War
The USA entered World War Two against Germany and Japan in 1941, creating the Grand Alliance of the USA, Britain and the USSRUnion of Soviet Socialist Republics - collection of states, also known as the Soviet Union.. This alliance brought together great powers that had fundamentally different views of the world, but they did co-operate for four years against the Germans and Japanese. The Grand Alliance would ultimately fail and break down into the Cold War.
The alliance of the USA and the USSR brought together two sides that were divided by their political and economic ideologicalA set of beliefs or ideas that someone follows or believes in.. The USA and Britain were capitalismAn economic system based on privately owned, as opposed to state-controlled, businesses and the creation of profit. countries, while since its foundation after the 1917 Russian Revolution the USSR had been communismA classless society where all property is owned publicly..
However, the actions of Nazi GermanyNazi Germany is a common name of a period of history in Germany between 1933 to 1945, under the control of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. and its ally, Japan, in World War Two had driven these two political enemies together.
Britain had been at war with Germany since Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939.
The USSR allied itself with Britain in 1941 when Germany began to invade its territories.
In December 1941, Germany’s ally, Japan, launched a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. This action brought the USA into World War Two on the same side as Britain and the USSR.
Revision tip
It's important to know the difference between:
Politics
Democracy
Dictatorship
Several political parties representing different sectors of society
One-party state
Governments are chosen by democratic elections
No democratic elections and no opportunity to change the government by election
Democracy
Several political parties representing different sectors of society
Dictatorship
One-party state
Democracy
Governments are chosen by democratic elections
Dictatorship
No democratic elections and no opportunity to change the government by election
Economics
Capitalism
Communism
People are free to set up private businesses and make money for themselves
All businesses and factories are owned by the state
Individual rights and freedoms are important
Individual rights and freedoms are less important than obedience to the state
Capitalism
People are free to set up private businesses and make money for themselves
Communism
All businesses and factories are owned by the state
Capitalism
Individual rights and freedoms are important
Communism
Individual rights and freedoms are less important than obedience to the state