To what extent was the Potsdam Coference in 1945 responsible for the start Cold War?

Many would argue that the Potsdam Conference in July to August 1945 acted as the catalyst in the initiation of the Cold War. The main two objectives of the conference were to end of war with Japan and the restructuring of Germany and Eastern European, which caused major tensions. This was due to conflict of post-war interests between the allied countries of the West and the USSR, with territorial threats and demilitarisation acting as the main concerns. Additionally, this was fuelled by differences in politically ideologies of Capitalism vs. Communism, and the threat that Communism brought to Truman and Churchill. Tensions also raised from the Yalta Conference in February 1945 due to the change in US Presidents, as Roosevelt's death led to the replacement with Harry Truman. Roosevelt possessed a more liberal diplomatic approach, whereas Truman was much more hardline and aggressive when it came to agreements and trade.

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Answered by Honor O. History tutor

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