US, British And USSR Relations In 1945 Flashcards
1
Q
When was the Yalta Conference?
A
-4th-11th February 1945
2
Q
Who were the leaders attending the Yalta conference?
A
- Uk : Churchill
- US : Roosevelt
- USSR : Stalin
3
Q
What was The Declaration On Liberated Europe?
A
- signed at Yalta, the leaders pledged to support democratic processes in the governments for each of Europe’s nations liberated from Nazi control in 1945
4
Q
What was a limitation of the Decleration On Liberated Europe?
A
- it was vague : Stalin did not consider it binding, however his agreement made Western leaders feel he was obliged to hold free elections in Eastern Europe
5
Q
What was Roosevelt’s attitude to USSR involvement in Europe?
A
- considered it a fait accompli (nothing he could do)
- primarily due to the fact that the Red Army still occupied Eastern Europe (had not left after defeating Nazis) - so unless the US and UK were willing to fight the Red Army themselves, there was not much that could be done
- in addition to this - strong pressure on USA for demobilisation, which FDR was aware of + intended to bring back American troops from Eastern Europe in two years - further meaning he felt USSR dominance in Eastern Europe was inevitable
- also felt as though the USSR were entitled to rewards for defeating Nazis with such little help
6
Q
What were Stalins aims at Yalta?
A
- the USSR to be in control of its own destiny
- cooperation with the Anglo-Americans
- the USSR’s security guaranteed through soviet spheres of influence in Europe
- Germany to remain weak for the indefinite future
- economic reconstruction for the USSR - mainly at Germany’s expense
7
Q
What were Roosevelt + Churchill’s aims at Yalta?
A
- collective security founded on the UN
- long term cooperation with the USSR
- the right to self determination and no spheres of influence
- Germany’s reconstruction and re-education as a democratic nation
- world economic reconstruction through the creation of the IMF and the World bank
8
Q
What was the issue of Poland’s government in 1945? And what was discussed about it at Yalta?
A
- Stalin had reiterated the importance of controlling Poland (for Soviet security)
- during WW2 - a government of Poles were exiled due to Nazi control - so they took refuge in London, where they hoped to get western recognition and return to Poland after Nazi control was over
- Churchill was committed to this being the central government in Poland - however this was incompatible with Stalin’s aims because the London government was made up of anti-soviet Polish nationalists + Stalin had already set up his own government in Lublin - acted as a soviet puppet government
- USA RESPONSE : FDR gave the impression that he was not interested in preventing Soviet hegemony in Poland
- compromise was therefore reached - Lublin government accepted, however Stalin had to involve few members from the London government
- Stalin also agreed to free and fair elections in Poland
9
Q
What was the issue of Poland’s borders? And what was discussed about it at Yalta?
A
- USSR wanted to annex land in Eastern Poland - Stalin proposed that Poland would be compensated by being allowed to annex territory in Eastern Germany
- this would’ve resulted in the expulsion of 6-9 million Germans living in east Germany
- Stalin was in desperate need of this - given the need for soviet security
10
Q
What German reparations were discussed at Yalta?
A
- west was heavily sceptical; they did not want another Versailles, therefore the focus was mainly on reconstructing and reeducating
- $20 billion was the agreed amount, where the USSR would receive $10 billion of this
- final agreement was to be decided - but Stalin believed this figure was agreed upon
- Germany was divided into 4 occupation zones between France, Britain, USA and USSR
11
Q
What were the final agreements at Yalta?
A
- Germany would be divided into 4 zones, + Berlin similarly divided
- the United Nations organisation would be formally ratified
- the USSR would gain land from Poland, and Poland would be expanded to the north and west
- the Decleration on liberated Europe should be created
= overall, Yalta demonstrated great optimism on surface level
12
Q
How many Soviets, on estimate, had died during WW2?
A
- 25 million
13
Q
What were Stalins aims in 1945?
A
- lasting security was a prime objective given WW2 destruction
- despite Stalin and his foreign minister (Molotov) viewing the Soviet Union’s grand alliance as anti USSR, he still wanted to keep open an avenue of cooperation with the west
- Poland was a crucial factor in terms of east-western relations
- Stalin’s priorities in Europe focused on ensuring that Eastern Europe lay within a soviet sphere of influence
- intention to turn the whole of Germany into a communist state at some point
-Germany to be kept economically weak until secured as a communist state
14
Q
What were Roosevelt’s aims in 1945?
A
- commitment to cooperation as the basis for a lasting post-war settlement - but should reflect the American concept of democracy
- willing to cooperate with Stalin - FDR was certain that he could secure a democratic + non communist future for the states of Eastern Europe
15
Q
What were Churchill’s aims in 1945?
A
- convinced that Stalin’s intentions were to expand Soviet influence in post war Europe
- believed that the USSE would threaten Britains imperial interests + therefore it was essential for the UK to establish a close alliance with the US in order to counter this potential threat
16
Q
What was the 1944 Percentages Agreement?
A
- between Churchill and Stalin
- basis of the agreement was to establish the percentage of predominance Britain and the USSR would each have in Eastern European states - for example ; in Romania the USSR would have 90% and in Greece the UK would have 90% - Hungary both had 50%
17
Q
When was the Potsdam Conference?
A
- July 17th - August 1st 1945
18
Q
Who were the leaders at the Potsdam conference?
A
- USSR : Stalin
- USA : Truman
- UK : Initially Churchill, then replaced by Attlee on the 26th of July
19
Q
When was the first successful detonation of the atomic bomb?
A
-16th July 1945 in New Mexico
- tested by the US a day before Potsdam
- Truman hoped that his would provide him with enough diplomatic leverage to ensure that Stalin stayed within his agreements at Yalta
20
Q
What was decided on the issue of the German-Polish border at Potsdam?
A
- as part of the USSR’s annexation of parts of Poland - Stalin proposed compensating Poland with territory in east Germany
- this would involve ethnically cleaning millions of Germans from the East : by 1950, over 3 million Germans were expelled, while just over 1 million remained and were given polish citizenship
- while Truman and Churchill recognised these expulsions - they still recognised the new Polish and German borders, as well as the government established by Stalin in Lublin
- despite this recognition, they would not accept soviet control any where else in Eastern Europe
21
Q
What were the discussions in regards to Germany at Potsdam?
A
- Germany was to be completely disarmed and demilitarised
- de-nazification was to be carried out
- war crimes would be judged + all former Nazi party members were to be removed from public office
- USSR was to receive reparations from its own controlled zone in Germany, with an additional 25% from the western zones
= overall, the Potsdam conference did nothing to reinforce the notion of international cooperation + failed to address the growing mistrust between the US and the USSR
22
Q
What was the importance of US possessing the Atomic bomb in 1945?
A
- provided diplomatic leverage to the US
- June 1945 - Byrnes argued it would make the USSR “more manageable in Europe”, especially given the possibility of the Red army marching into the west
- initially appeared to be godsend to the Americans - felt as though they could impose their will at any moment
- however this was not necessarily true - atomic bombs between 1945-49 were not as strong + the red army could simply counteract this threat
- the justification of using an atomic bomb was hard to achieve given the immense psychological and military impact - it was easy for the US to simply threaten to use it rather than to truly impose it
- overall - US possession of the atomic bomb had no hold over Stalin.
23
Q
What were Truman’s aims in 1945?
A
- similarly to Roosevelt, Truman wanted a post war world based on national self determination , an open world trading system based on international economic cooperation etc
- minimise the likelihood of the US returning to conditions faced during the 1929 depression
- ensuring USA’s geo strategic interests by limiting the expansion of territorial influence of other states, particularly the USSR
- Truman came to heard confrontation rather than cooperation with Stalin + hoped that the USA’s possession of the nuclear technology would ensure stalins cooperation
24
Q
Wh
A
25
What were Stalin’s aims by Potsdam?
- Stalin was convinced that the USA + allies were potential rivals for dominance in Europe
- this reinforced his obsession with soviet security - which necessitated the Red Army’s continued presence in Eastern Europe + the intensification of the programme of installing pro-communist regimes in these liberated states
- what was agreed on in regards to Germany was acceptable for Stalin — but he still had an unspoken agenda for the rest of Europe
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