In 1938 , Tadeusz Brzeziński was posted to Montreal as a consul general . In 1939 , the Molotov – Ribbentrop Pact was agreed to by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union ; subsequently the two powers invaded Poland . The 1945 Yalta Conference among the Allies allotted Poland to the Soviet sphere of influence . The Second World War had a profound effect on Brzezinski , who stated in an interview : " The extraordinary violence that was perpetrated against Poland did affect my perception of the world , and made me much more sensitive to the fact that a great deal of world politics is a fundamental struggle . " After attending Loyola High School in Montreal , Brzezinski entered McGill University in 1945 to obtain both his Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees ( received in 1949 and 1950 respectively ) . His Master 's thesis focused on the various nationalities within the Soviet Union . Brzezinski 's plan for pursuing further studies in the United Kingdom in preparation for a diplomatic career in Canada fell through , principally because he was ruled ineligible for a scholarship he had won that was open to British subjects . Brzezinski then attended Harvard University to work on a doctorate with Merle Fainsod , focusing on the Soviet Union and the relationship between the October Revolution , Vladimir Lenin 's state , and the actions of Joseph Stalin . He received his Ph.D. in 1953 ; the same year , he traveled to Munich and met Jan Nowak-Jezioranski , head of the Polish desk of Radio Free Europe . He later collaborated with Carl J. Friedrich to develop the concept of totalitarianism as a way to more accurately and powerfully characterize and criticize the Soviets in 1956
Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference
Zbigniew Brzezinski