Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam Conferences Flashcards
What countries were in the grand alliance
USA, USSR and Britain
When was the Tehran conference
1943
What was agreed at the Tehran conference
-USA and Britain would open a second front and launch an attack on Germany from the West.
-Stalin would declare war on Japan
What impact did the Tehran conference have on international relations
-Stalin was pleased with the USA and Britain who were opening a second front against Germany
-But Britain was annoyed, they wanted the second front in the Balkans
-Improved relations between the USA and USSR and developments of the two superpowers
Which leaders met at the Yalta conference, February 1945
Roosevelt (USA), Churchill (GB) and Stalin (USSR)
What was agreed at Yalta
-Germany and Berlin would be divided into zones of occupation under the control of the USA, USSR, GB and FR
-USSR would join the war against JAP
-United Nations to be set up after WWII
-Eastern European countries could hold free elections after the end of the war
What did the allied leaders disagree on at Yalta
-Stalin wanted to move the border of Poland westwards into German territory
-Roosevelt was unhappy but agreed since Stalin promised not to help communist rebels in Greece.
-The British supported the London Poles.
Which leaders met at the Potsdam conference, July 1945
Truman (USA), Attlee (GB) and Stalin (USSR)
What was agreed at the Potsdam conference
-Germany would be divided as agreed at Yalta
-Poland’s eastern border moved west- this would give the USSR more territory
-Nazi leaders to be tried as war criminals
What were the disagreements at Potsdam
-Truman wouldn’t punish Germany the way Stalin wanted
-Truman refused to let the USSR occupy Japan once it was defeated
-Truman and Atlee opposed Stalin’s demand that he establish pro-Soviet governments in Eastern Europe. Stalin’s Red Army looked like an army of occupation.
Why was Potsdam less successful
-Stalin’s troops remained in Eastern Europe- hopes of free elections seemed very distant now
-Truman informed Stalin that the USA now possessed the atom bomb- Stalin feared that the USA might use this weapon in the future against the USSR
-Truman adopted a far more hard-line approach to Stalin that Roosevelt had
-GB and USA were far more suspicious of Stalin who had now set up a pro-communist government in Poland
-Stalin was suspicious as to why the USA wanted GMY to ‘recover’ economically
When was the Potsdam conference?
June 1945
When was the Yalta conference?
February 1945
Where was the Potsdam conference held?
Just outside of Berlin
Where was the Yalta conference held?
In the Crimea region of the USSR
Who was at the Potsdam conference?
Attlee, Truman and Stalin
Who was at the Yalta conference?
Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin
What was the main purpose of the Potsdam conference?
To finalise and put into action the post-war settlement agreed at Yalta.
What was the main purpose of the Yalta conference?
To agree on a post-war settlement and decide what to do with Germany once it had been defeated.
What were the disagreements about at the Potsdam conference?
-USA’s new president
-Nuclear threat
-Expansion of communism
How did Truman becoming the president affect the Potsdam conference?
Truman replaced Roosevelt as president of the USA. He openly had different views on communism and Stalin. He ended the economic support that the Americans had been giving the Soviets. He became impatient with the Soviets after the news of the atomic bomb emerged.
Why was a nuclear threat a disagreement at the Potsdam conference?
Just before the conference the USA successfully exploded an atomic bomb. Truman is said to have remarked, “if it works… I’ll sure have a hammer on those boys.”
Why was there a disagreement about the expansion of communism at the Potsdam conference?
There was little evidence that Stalin was going to go through with his original agreement at Yalta that free elections would be held in Eastern Europe after the defeat of Nazi Germany.
The Red Army was in control of Poland, where the USSR was in the process of setting up a communist government.
What was the outcome of the Potsdam conference?
Little real progress was made beyond agreement to put into action the commitments made at Yalta.
