Chapter 3 - Churchill And International Diplomacy, 1939 - 1951 Flashcards
What were Churchill’s views on Brtiains world and imperial roles?
Churchill dramatised the war as a conflict between democracy, freedom, civilised/Christian values and dark forces of Nazism and dictatorship. However Britians role to maintain Empire which used violent repression to maintain control and didn’t allow most of its non white subjects the right to vote
- No need for Britains Empire to give its support and at the time of appeasement, not all certain that self governing dominions would support war
- USA persuaded, despite making greater contribution to war effort not to prioritise Pacific war - where main interests lay but to defeat Germany first and follow in Mediterranean
- Very great losses of the USSR not match by Britain and yet Russian alliance maintained. Soviet casualties around 9 million dead
- Despite agreeing Atlantic Charter 1941, affirming democracy and self government as a principle Britain wasn’t forced to make any commitment to ending her empire as the price of US support
How did Churchill manage his relations with wartime leader Roosevelt?
US Support but non intervention
USA enters the war
Meetings/Conferences
- Personal relationship has been seen as the partnership that saved the West - Churchill worked hard to maintain it
- Relationship started badly - Roosevelt met in 1918 and disliked Churchill thought him a stinker and Churchill made unfavourable remarks
US Support but non-intervention
- November 1939: USA repealed Neutrality Act allowed to purchase American arms
- October USA declared neutral zone along the entire coast of USA and South America
- September 1940 - 50 US destroyers exchanged for leases to 8 British naval bases
- December - Roosevelt used arsenal of democracy to defend sales of arms
- March 1941 - Lend-Lease Act passed permitting to sell transfer exchange lease lend defence articles to any country whose fedence deems vital to the defence of the USA
- April US troops occupied Greenland and 1 July 1941 Iceland to stop Germany using either as military base.
Churchill didn’t agree with US isolation…
- US military chiefs concerned Britain dispersing its forces fighting in North Africa
- State Department concern UK wanted to gain territory
- Secretary of State British Empire stood in way of world free trade
- Roosevelt thought morally wrong for UK to rule over subjects of British Empire and wanted colonial people to be free
- Destroyers provided by USA obsolete, USA took gold reserves, USA made large profits
USA enters the war
- December 1941 seemed likely Japan’s war in China lead to US conflict - America imposed embargo on oil.metal ore supplies to Japan
- Japan attacked US Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbour Hitler made mistake of declaring war on USA
- Roosevelt wanted to wait before meeting CHurchill the PM went to Washington and made positive impression
- America now inclined to see Churchill as heroic figure rather than imperialist warmonger
- USA supported Vhurchills Mediterranean strategy
Meetings
- June 194 met in New York and again in Washington and persuaded USA idea against Operation Sledgehammer and promote North Africa campaign - Casablanca meeting British strategy invading Sicily accepted
- Roosevelt disliked UK backing De Gaulle representing France - US forces in Britain building up and million US troops came to Britain in 1942 Jan
- Washington May 1943 - US pressure forced date for north France invasion - Roosevelt given Russia’s immense war effort the key element of diplomacy should be to negotiation with Stalin and sideline with Churchill
- Quebec 1943 - splits apparent - USA favoured southern France attack but Churchill favoured Balkan front
- Cairo November 1943 and moved to Tehran to meet Stalin - relations had changed because Roosevelt refused to meet Churchill privately, met Chinese leader with Churchill’s knowledge, wanted British attacks in Burma, USA abandoned Europe First, bitter exchanges, Tehran Roosevelt favoured Stalin
- Quebec 1944 - Churchill no commitment for post war financial assistance by 1944 clear that AMerica not concerned about post war Soviet expansion
- Yalta 1945 - Roosevelt/Churchill agreed on policy that there should be free elections and democracy in post war Europe
How did Churchill manage his relations with wartime leader Stalin?
- Churchill faced clever and relentless dictator supporting ideology which Churchill hated
- Churchill expected that communism had so weakened Russia that Hitler would be successful - resistance of Russia in the winter 1941-42 was one of the turning points as Stalin was clearly going to be one of the Big Three ALlied leaders and Churchill had to do business
- At first meeting in 1942 Churchill annoyed by scornful criticisms of failure of UK to invade Europe
- By 1943 - Stalin convinced USA it was him rather than Churchill as key figure in alliance and Churchill concerned about consequences of Russian advances into Eastern Europe
- Churvhill 1944 reverted to agreement about sphere of influences that had been common in Victorian diplomacy - no question of consulting people of countries that were dominated by USSR and West
- Churchill fears, warnings, deals he tried to do to stop it, successes of Red Army led to domination of Eastern Europe by Russia
- Yalta 1945 Churchill had to accept Poland would lose eastern territories - Churchill needed Stalin
- Found relations surprisingly good and shared capacity for drink as well as unwavering support for interests of his own century - both anxious to maintain empires and limited sympathy for view that the people who ruled outside their homelands should be allowed to govern themselves - weren’t fighting alongside Russian troops
What was Churchill’s relations like with wartime leader de Gaulle?
- Pro Nazi state known as Vichy France as its capital was Vichy - Churchill shocked at French surrender and coerced about French fleet falling into German hands
- French saw British retreat as a betrayal and symbol of French resistance came from de Gaulle who saw himself as spirit of a free France and led the forces known as Free French
- Churchill admired de Gaulle but found him difficult to deal with - de Gaulle uncompromising and unco-operative and disliked Americans
- De Gaulle not political leader saw himself as Natural leader of post war France - Churchill/Roosevelt didn’t agree - de Gaulle worked with Vichy leaders which annoyed Roosevelt - Churchill worked hard to restrain temper
What contributions did Churchill make to the wartime international conferences?
Churchill attended 16 meetings - Britian should be forefront of decision making
- first priority was to establish personal contact with Roosevelt to put pressure on entering the war, personal bond was created but Churchill had to accept the Atlantic Charter going against imperialistic views
- Churchill went to USA twice after Pearl Harbour and achieved successes in ensuring America wouldn’t prioritise Pacific war
- When Hitler invaded Russia, Churchill went to Moscow to meet Stalin and forge a bond but Britain was clearly the junior partner
- British ambassador in Moscow found Churchill difficult
- By 1943: Churchill contributions to conferences less important and accept Stalin/Roosevelt not easily influenced. Faced humiliating put downs at Tehran in 1943 and Roosevelt would joke with Stalin
- Deal with Stalin in Moscow 1944 was improvised as threatened friendship of the USA.
- By end of Yalta Churchill had to face decisions against his beliefs with regards to Poland
- Vital that alliance should remain and Salin join the war against Japan to bring that to an end
What happened at the Yalta conference? What was agreed?
Churchill had to face realities of UKs position
- Russian forces swept into Eastern Europe and on brink of final battle with Germany
- Russians determined to occupy eastern Polkand and London poles horrified
- Churchill not getting support for opposition to Stalins demands from USA and little that Britain could do to stop Stalin
- Had to accept dividing Germany, yield to Russia demand for return of Russian prisoners of war, revising frontiers of Poland
What were Churchils plans for post war Europe and his attitudes to post war Europe And Empire?
Talk about Zurich speech
- Hoped that solid Anglo-American friendship would be basis of peace and stability in post war Europe
- Didn’t see Britain abandoning Empire and supported worldwide association of nations to replace League of Nations
- Churchill thought relationship with Roosevelt and then Truman was strongest element in foreign policy to maintain peace
- Focus was special relationship with USA, maintain Empire, interest in the Balkans and eastern Mediterraneans as spheres of influence than in relations with Western Europe
- Changing circumstances saw USA involvement in EUrope continue
Attitude to post war Europe - Zurich
- Europe was central to defence of Empire and despised anyone who thought UK should stay out of affairs
- Part of three major non communist group sings - Anglo-American group, commonwealth and Empire group and Western Europe.
- Being part of groupings involved obligations and benefits, all three those who didn’t want UK to dominate, Britian struggling economically, United States of Europe, Churchill did establish view Europe was split with iron curtain, Churchill didn’t favour loose association of European nations with shared value
What was significant about the iron curtain speech in 1946?
March 1946 - speech in Fulton and seen as initiating the Cold War
- Others used the phrase more
- Image in minds of many in the West as real and permanent division between West andEast to create international tensions. Seen as a hostile speech by Stalin
- Seen as beginning of the Cold War as influencing opinion in USA towards policy of containing communism and hardening attitudes in both West and East
- Delivered at time when there was considerable approval for a return to peace and gratitude for sacrifices of the USSR. This was to change
