Why did the Grand Alliance fall apart so soon after the victory in Europe and Japan?
[Listen to Owen talk about choosing his topic]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The three great allies of the Second World War, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia together destroyed the Axis powers and shattered their imperial ambitions. Their "shotgun marriage" 1 was always unlikely, given the history of antagonism between them. The union was to be short lived, with the ideological and political differences leading to the collapse of the Grand Alliance within five years of the end of the war. Despite wartime hopes that the great allies may be able to continue in their relationship in peace and provide stability to the world community, the diplomatic and military relationship between the two dominant powers, the United States and Russia, quickly degenerated into the so-called 'Cold War' which was to dominate world politics for the next half a century.

[Listen to Owen talk about presenting an argument]
[Listen to Owen talk about writing intros]
During the war the allied leaders were aware that victory in Europe and the Pacific meant much more than just the abolition of an intolerable political regime. Talking in 1944, Stalin said: "This war is not as in the past; whoever occupies a territory also imposes on it his own social system. Everyone imposes his own system as far as his army has power to do so. It cannot be otherwise." 2 Consequently, as the threat of Nazism in Europe was clearly destined for defeat, the attention of the allies turned to post-war Europe. With fear of a Communist dominated Eastern and Central Europe in mind, British army chiefs even went so far as to advocate spearhead assaults on Berlin, Prague and Vienna in order to stop them falling into Soviet hands.

[Listen to Owen talk about using