SP Potsdam conference July 1945

Question 1

Who attended?

Answer 1

Stalin, Truman and Attlee

Question 2

Background : Territorial

Answer 2

Soviet Union had defeated Germany and NOT taken their troops away from Eastern Europe

Question 3

Background : Political

Answer 3

Stalin had set up a communist government in Poland. he had previously promised not to. Churchill had just been replaced by Attlee which was major change for the Grand Alliance.

Question 4

Background : Military

Answer 4

Stalin refused to cut down and ‘demilitarise’ his soviet army at a time when the countries in the West had reduced theirs.

Question 5

Background : International Relationship

Answer 5

Roosevelt, who Stalin got on with, died and was replaced by Truman, who didn’t trust Stalin. Truman wanted to stand up to Stalin more.
The UN had now been created.

Question 6

Background : Technological

Answer 6

The Americans had tested another atomic bomb in the USA. Stalin was furious he hadn’t been told and wasn’t involved. He felt left out.

Question 7

Military consequence

Answer 7

Germany would be demilitarised.

Question 8

Territorial consequence

Answer 8

Germany and Berlin would be split into 4 zones as discussed at Yalta

Question 9

Social and political consequence

Answer 9

Democracy would be bought back to Germany so it was no longer a dictatorship.

Question 10

Economic consequence (2)

Answer 10

Germany would have to pay reparations, most would go to USSR

The Soviet Union would get 1/4 of goods made in Western Europe in return for supplying food and coal from Soviet Zones

Question 11

Importance - disagreement between the superpowers and lack of experience

Answer 11

• There were lots of important issues that The Grand Alliance could not agree on
• The 2 new leaders, Attlee and Truman, were not experienced enough and struggled to negotiate with Stalin. Russia wanted Germany weakened and broken up but Truman argued this is what caused the Nazis in the first place.

Question 12

Importance - Truman from this point on gets ‘tough’

Answer 12

• Stalin did not want democratic elections in the countries he freed from the Nazis, he wanted them under Soviet control.
• This angered Truman who from then on began a ‘get tough’ policy against Stalin and the Soviet Union. Truman saw Russias ‘red army’ as a threat to peace.
• Truman was not able to challenge Russia too much as it might cause conflict

Question 13

Importance - Clear differences between capitalism and communism

Answer 13

• It highlighted the differences between the leaders and their beliefs about how to run a country

Question 14

Summary -

Answer 14

to put into action the agreements made in Yalta