POL101Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Nikita Khrushchev, Totalitarianism, Jan Masaryk
Document Summary
Entrenched ideological opposition between the soviet union and the united states during which both sides did everything short of military conflict to destroy each other. Fear throughout the 80s that everyone would be incinerated by atomic bombs. Cold war was about preventing nuclear destruction. Potsdam july 17-august 2 1945: the big three soviet leader joseph stalin, british prime minister winston. Churchill (replaced on july 26 by prime minister clement attlee), and u. s. President harry truman met in potsdam, germany, from july 17 to august 2, German currency reform: 1 dm=1 rm for essential currency (wages and rents) 1 dm= 10 rm for the remainder in private non-bank credit balance; everyone got 60 dm. Deeply rooted in russian history and authoritarianism. Had to treat the outside world as hostile, Used their aggression against the west to justify their totalitarianism in russia. Driving force to american politics is the desire to open markets for american goods.
