There were many good reasons to explain the tough approach that Truman took against Stalin in the period following the Second World War. These were put forward by ‘orthodox’ historians in the 1950s and 1960s, before other historians began to focus on the actions of the USA instead.
Although it is true that Truman never fully appreciated the Soviets’ need for security following their heavy losses during the war, Stalin did little to dismiss the notion that he was the leader of a brutal and potentially hostile regime. Following his pact with Hitler and subsequent invasion of Poland in 1939, the Soviet secret police organised the massacre of over 20,000 Polish army officers and members of the ‘intelligentsia’ in the Katyn Forest in 1940. This massacre was approved by Stalin.
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
