Conferences Flashcards
Tehran Conference: Date, Key Leaders
Date: November 1943
Leaders: Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt
Significance: First major Allied conference; symbolic unity against Nazi Germany.
Tehran: Key Agreements
Second Front: Operation Overlord agreed upon.
USSR & Japan: Negotiations began for USSR support against Japan.
Post-War Europe: Soviet interests in Eastern Europe emphasized.
Tehran: Buffer Zone Significance
Buffer Zone: Stalin wanted a buffer zone to prevent future invasions.
Soviet Liberation: Rhetoric of Soviet ‘liberation’ began in Eastern Europe.
Tehran: Overall Symbolism
Allied Cooperation: High point, but underlying tensions foreshadowed conflicts.
Post-War Arrangements: Marked beginning of Cold War political arrangements.
Yalta Conference: Date & Attendees
Date: February 1945
Attendees: Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt (‘Big Three’)
Focus: Post-war reorganization & military strategies.
Yalta: Germany’s Fate
Occupation Zones: Germany divided into four zones (US, UK, USSR, France).
Denazification: Allies agreed to eradicate German militarism and ideology.
Yalta: Eastern Europe & Poland
Poland: Reorganization on a democratic basis agreed upon.
Lublin Government: Stalin supported the pro-Soviet Lublin government.
Declaration of Liberated Europe: Promised free elections, but Soviet influence solidified.
Yalta: Soviet Role in Pacific War
War Against Japan: Stalin agreed to declare war in exchange for territorial concessions.
Impact: Increased Soviet influence in Asia, alarming the US.
Yalta: Formation of the United Nations
UN Structure: Security Council with 5 permanent members (US, UK, USSR, France, China) with veto power.
Yalta: Long-Term Impact
Allied Unity (Appearance): Seemed to maintain unity, but…
Soviet Influence (Reality): Compromises led to Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe.
Cold War Origins: Contributed to ideological tensions and the beginning of the Cold War.
Yalta: Key Cold War Factors
Germany: Division of Germany & Berlin became a Cold War focal point.
Poland: Stalin secured control via Curzon Line & broken election promises.
Mistrust: Grew as Stalin’s intentions became clearer.
Potsdam Conference: Date & Leaders
Date: July 1945
Leaders: Truman, Stalin, Attlee
Timing: After German defeat, before Japanese surrender.
Potsdam: Agreements
5 Ds: Demilitarisation, denazification, democratisation, decentralisation, deindustrialisation of Germany.
Potsdam: Disagreements over Reparations
USSR Demand: Heavy reparations to rebuild after war losses.
Western Fears: Destabilizing Germany and Europe, repeating Versailles mistakes.
Result: Deepened economic division of Germany.
Potsdam: Poland & Eastern Europe
Soviet Control: Communist governments installed without free elections.
Oder-Neisse Line: Poland’s borders shifted westward, Germans expelled.
Western Protests: Ineffective against Soviet control.
Potsdam: Atomic Bomb’s Impact
Truman’s Announcement: Signaled US strategic advantage.
Stalin’s Awareness: Didn’t prevent increased Soviet suspicion.
Heightened Tensions: Contributed to the emerging arms race.
Potsdam: Key Leadership Changes
Truman & Attlee: More suspicious, harder negotiating stance than predecessors.
Stalin’s Confidence: Soviet military occupation of Eastern Europe.
Atmosphere: Confrontational, diverging interests.
Potsdam: Overall Impact
Collapse of Trust: Revealed deep ideological rifts.
Division of Europe: Confirmed Soviet & Western spheres.
Emergence of Cold War: Unresolved disputes set the stage.
End of Grand Alliance: Dissolved due to competing ideologies.
August 1945: Key Events
August 6 & 9: US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
August 8: USSR declared war on Japan.
August 14–15: Japan surrendered.
Significance: US nuclear power & Soviet expansion in Manchuria.
Factors Leading to Mutual Suspicion
1917 Bolshevik Revolution: Threatened Western Society
1918-22 Western Intervention: Supported whites in Russian civil war
Limited Recognition: League of Nations/diplomatic recognition happened late.
Appeasement of Hitler: Fear of Communism.
Reasons for USA & USSR as Superpowers (1945)
Military: USA - Naval, USSR - Land
Economic: USA economy committed to open trade, USSR was strong
Political: Democracy and collaboration triumphed, communism gained influence.
Key Developments (1946-47)
Salami Tactics: Gradual elimination of non-Communists
Poland: Fixed elections and violence
Iran: USSR encouraged communist uprising
Greece & Turkey: Rebellions supported by USSR
Italy & France: Communist parties increased in membership.
Kennan’s Long Telegram (1946)
Key Idea: Soviet expansion was a threat to US, needing resistance.
Iron Curtain Speech
Soviet-dominated Communist governments were set up in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
Truman Doctrine (1947): Key Elements
Date: March 12, 1947
Commitment: Support free peoples resisting subjugation.
Change: From isolationism to intervention.
Truman Doctrine: Context
Unstable Conditions: Turkey and Greece facing instability.
British Withdrawal: Financial and military aid withdrawal.
Soviet Pressure: On Dardanelles Straits.
Truman Doctrine: Principle
Core Principle: Political, military, and economic assistance to threatened countries.
Truman Doctrine: Immediate Actions
$400 Million: Aid for Greece ($300M) and Turkey ($100M).
Truman Doctrine: Implications
Foundation: For US Cold War policy.
Domino Theory: The idea that the fall of one country to communism would lead to the fall of its neighbors.
Global Policeman: U.S became symbolic global policeman against communism.
Truman Doctrine: Soviet Reaction
US Expansion: Saw it as an effort to expand US influence & contain Soviet power.
Marshall Plan (1947): Purpose
Designed to provide massive economic aid to war-torn Europe to facilitate recovery after World War II and to stabilize economies to prevent the spread of communism.
