The US and the Conference at Tehran

On November 28, 1943 through December 1, 1943, there was a meeting between three of the world’s most powerful countries (Yale, n.d.). The leaders of the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union met in Tehran, Iran to strengthen relations between these countries during World War II. Also during this conference the three countries discussed the timing on plans of operations against Germany. But there could have been some incidents from this conference that contributed to the Cold War. Situations that might contribute include economic decisions, change in leadership, and the split of Germany between the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union.

Aiding Iran’s Economy

At the Tehran Conference, the countries of the leaders from the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and Iran. Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin agree to reduce some economic stress, since the war had created a strain in Iran’s economy. The resources taken from each country to help Iran could have created a tension that contributes to the Cold War. One way to prevent this could have been to give Iran surplus resources after military operations were complete.

Change In Leadership

After the three major powers had met in Tehran, new leaders were appointed in Great Britain and the United States. These different leaders, would have different views and agreements than their predecessors. These different opinions would create tension with Stalin, through the misunderstanding of previous obligations. In order to prevent this kind of tension that possibly lead to the Cold War, the United States and Great Britain should have appointed leaders who understood or agreed with Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.

Division of Germany

After some time, Harry Truman believed it to be in the best interest of every part involved, to divide Germany into divisions. The thought behind this action was to keep Germany from starting another war, while each country received its rightful compensation (Emayzine.com Lectures, n.d.). Each country had settled on giving the Soviet Union some earnings, since they had suffered the heaviest losses during World War II. Suspicions by the United States thought the Soviet Union was trying to make the east section of Germany communist, which in turn the United States stopped money transfers. One preventative to this problem could have been to possibly just let the Soviet Union collect revenue from their portion of Germany.

Conclusion

Economic deprivation, leadership change, and the division of Germany were some of the bigger catalysts from the Tehran Conference that affected the Cold War. Perhaps the biggest factor that added to the tension was the division of Germany in order to repay the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. These are some of the contributions from the United States that created strain with the Soviet Union from the Tehran Conference.

References

Information on the Cold War. (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2008, from www.emayzine.com/lectures/coldw.htm

The Avalon Project : The Tehran Conference. (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2008, from http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/tehran.htm