The Law of War

In June 1940, the Soviet Union forcibly annexed Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and the
disputed Romanian regions of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina and Hertza. But after the
German Army invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941 and the Japanese bombed Pearl
Harbor in December 1941, the Soviet Union and the Allied powers formed an alliance of
convenience. Britain signed a formal alliance and the United States made an informal
agreement. In wartime, the United States supplied Britain, the Soviet Union and other
Allied nations through its Lend-Lease Program. However, Stalin remained highly
suspicious, and he believed that the British and the Americans had conspired to ensure
that the Soviets bore the brunt of the fighting against Nazi Germany. According to this
view, the Western Allies had deliberately delayed opening a second anti-German front
in order to step in at the last minute and shape the peace settlement. Thus, Soviet
perceptions of the West left a strong undercurrent of tension and hostility between the
Allied powers.
End of World War II (1945–1947)
Wartime Conferences Regarding Post-War Europe
The Allies disagreed about how the European map should look, and how borders would
be drawn, following the war. Each side held dissimilar ideas regarding the establishment
and maintenance of post-war security. Some scholars contend that all the Western
Allies desired a security system in which democratic governments were established as
widely as possible, permitting countries to peacefully resolve differences through
international organizations. Others note that the Atlantic powers were divided in their
vision of the new post-war world. Roosevelt's goals—military victory in both Europe and
Asia, the achievement of global American economic supremacy over the British Empire,
and the creation of a world peace organization—were more global than Churchill's,
which were mainly centered on securing control over the Mediterranean, ensuring the
survival of the British Empire, and the independence of Central and Eastern European
countries as a buffer between the Soviets and the United Kingdom.
The Soviet Union sought to dominate the internal affairs of countries in its border
regions. During the war, Stalin had created special training centers for communists from
different countries so that they could set up secret police forces loyal to Moscow as
soon as the Red Army took control. Soviet agents took control of the media, especially
radio; they quickly harassed and then banned all independent civic institutions, from
youth groups to schools, churches and rival political parties. Stalin also sought
continued peace with Britain and the United States, hoping to focus on internal
reconstruction and economic growth.
In the American view, Stalin seemed a potential ally in accomplishing their goals,
whereas in the British approach Stalin appeared as the greatest threat to the fulfillment
of their agenda. With the Soviets already occupying most of Central and Eastern
Europe, Stalin was at an advantage, and the two western leaders vied for his favors.
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