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Why was Poland's fate important to the US and Soviet Union at the end of WWII?
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Poland's fate was crucial to the US and Soviet Union post-WWII due to emerging Cold War tensions. The Soviet Union sought control over Poland to spread communism and establish a buffer against the West. Conversely, the US wanted Poland to remain democratic to counterbalance Soviet influence and rectify past injustices against Poland. These conflicting interests highlighted the broader ideological struggle between the US and USSR, marking the onset of the Cold War.
The fate of Poland was very important to both the United States and the Soviet Union, though the Soviet Union managed to maintain control of Poland. The war against the Nazis had left Stalin's army quite weak, and he was aware of Western hostility against his regime. Stalin desired a buffer state between the Soviet Union and the West. Stalin even envisioned this as early as 1939, when the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland at the same time the Nazis invaded the western side. Stalin ordered many captured Polish officers killed in the Katyn Forest, as these people would form the leadership of any new Polish state. Stalin did not back the Polish government in exile in London, but rather a puppet state which he appointed after the Red army "liberated" the country. Stalin's desire for a weak Poland may have also stemmed from a small war fought between Poland...
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the newly formed Soviet Union from 1919–1921.
Roosevelt, while enjoying the support during the war of a very vocal Polish lobby, delayed any action on the future of Poland. At Yalta, Roosevelt acknowledged the Soviet Union occupied Eastern Europe, but he hoped that the end of the war would bring free elections to the region. Roosevelt wanted the Soviets to help in a potential fight against Japan, which is why he did not antagonize Stalin. Roosevelt's plan was to negotiate with Stalin personally after the war, but the president died before war's end. Some Americans viewed the occupation of Poland as a sign of Stalin's aggression. When the Soviet Union began to clamp down on religious freedom and freedom of expression, more people started to speak out against Stalin's regime. Poland became one of the early contentious areas in what would be called the Cold War.
The fate of Poland was important to the US and the USSR because of the looming Cold War.
By the end of WWII, it was clear that relations between the US and the Soviets would not be very friendly. Because of this, Poland became an important issue. The Soviets wanted to control Poland for at least two reasons. Partly, they wanted to spread communism. In addition, they wanted a buffer between them and the West to help protect them from invasion.
The US, by contrast, was suspicious of the Soviet Union. It felt that Poland should be democratic. It wanted this partly because it wanted to prevent the Soviets from getting too much power. It also felt that Poland had been abused by the major powers before WWII and it wanted to treat Poland more fairly.