大象传媒

The Cold War origins 1941-1948 - OCR ABackground to 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.

Part of HistoryThe Cold War and Vietnam

Background to the Cold War

The alliance of the USA and the during World War Two brought together two sides that were divided by their political . The USA and Britain were countries, while since its foundation after the 1917 Russian Revolution the USSR had been .

The 1941 alliance formed between USSR, USA and Britain, on the left, and the German/Japanase allied together on the right

However, the actions of and its ally, Japan, in World War Two had driven these two political enemies together.

  • Britain had been at war with Germany since Germany鈥檚 invasion of Poland in 1939.
  • The USSR allied itself with Britain in 1941 when Germany began to invade its territories.
  • In December 1941, Germany鈥檚 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.

Revison tip

Understanding the differences between capitalism and communism:

CapitalismCommunism
Several political parties representing different sectors of societyOne-party state
Governments are chosen by democratic electionsNo democratic elections and no opportunity to change the government by election
People are free to set up private businesses and make money for themselvesAll businesses and factories are owned by the state
Individual rights and freedoms are importantIndividual rights and freedoms are less important than obedience to the state
CapitalismSeveral political parties representing different sectors of society
CommunismOne-party state
CapitalismGovernments are chosen by democratic elections
CommunismNo democratic elections and no opportunity to change the government by election
CapitalismPeople are free to set up private businesses and make money for themselves
CommunismAll businesses and factories are owned by the state
CapitalismIndividual rights and freedoms are important
CommunismIndividual rights and freedoms are less important than obedience to the state