Yalta

Question 1

When was the Yalta agreement?

Answer 1

Poland April 1945

Question 2

What was formed?

Answer 2

A new Polish provisional govt of national unity

Question 3

What were Roosevelt’s concerns about the agreement?

Answer 3

That Stalin saw the new govt as a continuation of the Warsaw govt

Question 4

What was agreed by the Grand Alliance?

Answer 4

Democratic elections would take plae in Europe

Question 5

Did Stalin allow democratic elections to happen?

Answer 5

No he turned to salami tactics to defeat political powers in E Europe so that communists could rule

Question 6

Where were British interests concentrated and where were Stalins’?

Answer 6

Greece. Churchill wanted to secure 90% of British interests there in return he granted the Soviets 90% interest in Bulgaria, Romania and Poland
70% in Hangary and Czech
50/50% control over Yugoslavia

Question 7

What did Britain recognise?

Answer 7

That Stalin needed security on his borders, but 7 years later Eastern Europe was ran by regimes founded on and controlled by the Soviet Union

Question 8

How did the WEst respond to Stalin’s expansionism

Answer 8

They thought that Marxism was expansionist with the aim of revolution
Stalin though needed to secure his borders to legitimise his regime.
Eastern Europe provided an important shield

Question 9

What was the war alliance between the US, USSR and UK called?

Answer 9

The grand alliance

Question 10

When was the Yalta conference?

Answer 10

4 - 11 February 1945

Question 11

Where is Yalta?

Answer 11

In the Crimea

Question 12

What were the outcomes of Yalta?

Answer 12

Reaffirmed that the Grand Alliance was alive and well and that Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin had a consensus in international relations in the post war world
However the objectives of the key players were not aligned

Question 13

What were Roosevelt’s/Churchill’s interests at Yalta?

Answer 13

Collective security founded on the United Nations
Long term cooperation with USSR
the right to self detrmination and no spheres of inflluence
Reconstruction and reeducation of Germany as a democratic nation
World economic reconstruction through the creation of the IMF and world bank

Question 14

What were Stalin’s aims at Yalta?

Answer 14

The USSR to control its own destiny
Cooperation with the Anglo Americans
Security for the USSR guaranteed through Soveit spheres of influence
Germany to remain weak for the indefinite future
Economic reconstruction of the USSR at Germany’s expense

Question 15

What was agreed at Yalta?

Answer 15

At Yalta it was agreed Germany would be divided into 4 zones - USA, UK, France, USSR
Berlin divided into 4 zones
United Nations to be formed
USSR would gain land from Poland and Poland would be expanded to North and West
A declaration of a liberated Europe

Question 16

What did the Declaration of Liberated Europe state?

Answer 16

The 3 govts of UK, US and USSR would assist aby formee Axis or liberated state with help to
Create peace
Carry out relief
Form interim govts representative of all democratic elements and est free elections

Question 17

All seemed optimistic, but relations deteriorated. Why?

Answer 17

Stalin and his foreign minister Molotov viewed the Grand alliance as anti USSR
Stalin felt the states that the USSR had liberated from Nazi occupation would fall within a Soviet sphere of influence
Despite this Stalin was a pragmatist and wanted to cooperate
Poland was a crucial issue for East /west rekations
Poland had always been a corrior of attack into Russia
Polnd ws weak so it was in the USSR interest to make it strong and independent

Question 18

What misconception did Roosevelt make at Yalta?

Answer 18

He though that Stalin shared the same values
He thought he could secure a democratic and non communist future for the states of e Europe
He thought international affairs could be managed through international peacekeeping organisations
He underestimated the security needs of the SOviet Union in terms of E Europe

Question 19

What was Churchill’s view of Stalin?

Answer 19

Thought that Stalin wanted to expand Soviet power in post war Europe
1944 wrote to Foreign secrtary Anthony Eden and said “I have tried to put myself in sympathy with communist leaders. Force are their only relaities”
Churchill thought the Soviets would threaten Britains imperial interests
He wanted a close alliance with the US to counter this
To protect British interests he arrived at the percentage agreements to control Soviet expansion

Question 20

How did relationships deteriorate after Yalta?

Answer 20

The Declaration of Independent Europe was interprestated in different ways especially over Poland.
Stalin wanted the communist govt to stay in place whereas Roosevelt wanted democracy.
Roosevelt wrote a letter to Stalin in April 1945 to say that the provisional govt seeme dto be a continuation of the Warsaw govt
He said the US viewed Yalta as having failed