1. Ideological Differences: The primary cause of the division was the ideological conflict between the Soviet Union and its communist allies, and the Western countries, primarily the United States, Britain, and France, which were capitalist and democratic. The Soviet Union, led by Joseph Stalin, wanted to spread communism throughout Eastern Europe, while the Western powers sought to contain the expansion of communism and support democratic governments.
2. Territorial Disputes: The end of the war left several unresolved territorial disputes in Europe. The most notable of these were the division of Germany into East and West Germany, the Soviet Union's annexation of parts of Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Romania, and the status of the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia), which were forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union.
3. The Yalta Conference: The division of Europe was largely influenced by the Yalta Conference in February 1945, where the leaders of the United States (President Franklin D. Roosevelt), the United Kingdom (Prime Minister Winston Churchill), and the Soviet Union (General Secretary Joseph Stalin) met to discuss the postwar order in Europe. The agreements made at Yalta, including spheres of influence and border changes, laid the groundwork for the division of Europe.
4. The Potsdam Conference: The Potsdam Conference in July-August 1945 further solidified the division of Europe. The conference confirmed the decisions made at Yalta, established the Allied Control Council to oversee Germany's occupation, and addressed issues such as war reparations and the treatment of German civilians.
5. The Cold War: The ideological conflict and unresolved territorial disputes led to the onset of the Cold War—a period of heightened tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, which lasted from the late 1940s until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Eastern Bloc countries were aligned with the Soviet Union and adopted communist governments, while the Western Bloc countries aligned with the United States and formed alliances like NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) to counter Soviet influence.