The Grand Alliance Flashcards
Who was in the grand alliance?
Britain, the USA, the USSR
When was the Tehran conference?
November 1943
What was discussed in the Tehran conference?
- Plans to defeat the Nazis
- What would happen to Europe and Germany after the war
What happened to the political difference between USA/Britain and the USSR during the war?
It was held aside as they were allies.
What was the Soviet ‘sphere of influence’?
The Eastern European nations where the Soviet Union was given significant authority to govern the political and economic policies of those respective countries.
Which two leaders agreed that the USSR could claim the Soviet sphere of influence?
Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt
When was the Yalta conference?
February 1945
What was decided at the Yalta conference?
- Free elections would be held in previously occupied countries in Eastern Europe
- The ‘big three’ plus France would divide Germany and Berlin between them
- The United Nations would replace the failed League of Nations
What was Stalins view of a ‘free election’ compared to the USA and Britain?
To the USA and Britain, it meant lots of political parties competing for votes whereas Stalin believed only communist parties should run in elections as they were the only parties that truly represented the people.
When was the Potsdam conference?
July 1945
What agreements were made at Potsdam?
- The exact division of Germany and Berlin was determined
- The new boundaries of Poland were agreed
- Nazi Leaders would be tried for war crimes at Nuremberg
- Democracy was to be established in Germany
What remained undecided at the Potsdam conference?
- Germany would be decided into four zones but the allies couldn’t decide if or when the zones could rejoin and
form a country again - Stalin preferred Germany to suffer more severe reparations, in order to cripple their economy, whereas the Western Powers wanted to be more lenient, fearing another German uprising
How was Harry Truman different to Roosevelt at the Potsdam conference?
Truman was more suspicious of the USSR and less willing to compromise.
What was Stalin doing that Britain and USA felt went against the agreements made in Yalta?
Stalin was slowly installing a communist government in Poland.
Rules of USSR communism:
- single party state
- economy was controlled by the state; no private ownership of property
- atheism was promoted and the practise of religion was discouraged
