THE COLD WAR

The cold war was connected with attempts, taken by western countries, at stopping the expansion of the USSR. Stalin was going to make the communist governments dependent on the USSR, which countries (Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Albania and Czechoslovakia) were occupied by the Red Army in 1944-1945. Also he was planning to rebuilt united and independent Germany in the future, which would have been under the influence of the USSR. The civil war in Greece, free way to Black Sea's straits, support for the idea of Israel served political and military presence at the Mediterranean Sea.

Great Three

In Poczdam near Berlin there was a conference of leaders of Great Three (Harry Truman - president of the USA, Clement Attlee - prime minister of Great Britain and Jozef Stalin - leader of the USSR). In that time there was still a war between Japan and the USA. This event had a big influence on the negotiations. Decisions, which were taken in Poczdam, confirmed temporary division of Germany and Berlin into four occupied spheres (American, Russian, English and French) and obliged their authorities to carry out: demilitarization of German army, liquidation of NSDAP and government of the III Reich, also demonopolization - taking control of economy and democratization of political life of Germany. When it came to Poland, they made up their minds to create the west border at Odra and Nysa Luzycka. Stalin assured the president of the the USA that the USSR would take part in the war in the East.

After the conference in Poczdam the relations among the allies changed into an open conflict. It was impossible to call a conference, which would finish the second world war. The USSR broke every rule related to the rights of nations of Central Europe to selfdefine the governing form. In spring 1946 the prime minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill made a speech, which made people realize the fact of communism menace. The announcement of British politician marked the final decay of coalition of the Great Three. The world came into the stage of the cold war - open conflict between countries of West democracy and the USSR.

The USSR propaganda's purpose was to conquer new regions of Europe: in Italy and France there were its big communist parties, in Greece English people had to use their own army to liquidate prorussian guerilla warfare. In that situation, in 1947 the Unitet States decided to help West Europe to protect itself. According to the so-called Marshall plan Americans gave milliards of dollars to support European economy's development, which was in a large crisis. This plan involved Poland and other countries dominated by communist governments. However under pressure from Moscow western countries had to resign from their plan. The economy of Central Europe was going through the process of Sovietisation. In 1947 in Szklarska Poreba in Poland there was a conference of communist parties. Under Stalin's pressure Biuro Informacyjne (Kominform) was founded, whose purpose was to help all communist parties in building socialist societies according to the USSR model. As the result of it, communists intensified terror and propaganda. In communist countries in Central Europe people were living in different conditions from those of people from western countries.