Yalta conference Flashcards
When was the Yalta conference?
February 1945
What was happening around this time?
- It was clear that Germany was losing the European war.
- Stalin’s Red Army liberated most of Eastern European.
- However, the Pacific War was not nearing an end.
Who was at Yalta?
- British Prime minister Winston Churchill
- Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin
- US President Franklin D Roosevelt
What was the aim of Yalta?
The three Western leaders met to make important decisions regarding the future progress of the war and what would happen to Europe after Germany’s defeat.
What were the main agreements at Yalta?
S- Eastern Europe should be seen as ‘a Soviet sphere of influence’
E- Enter war against Japan once Germany had surrendered.
C- Criminals (Nazis who were responsible for the genocide in concentration camps) to be hunted down and punished.
U - UN set up. This organization aims to keep peace after the war.
R - Reparations agreed. A commission was set up to look into reparations.
E - Elections to be held in countries liberated from occupation by the German army.
D - Divisions of Germany and Berlin. Germany would be divided into four zones: American, French, British and Soviet.
Berlin itself would also be divided into four zones.
Why did the Big Three think that Eastern European should be seen as ‘a Soviet sphere of influence’?
The Soviet Union had suffered terribly in the war. An estimated 20 million Soviet people had died and Stalin was concerned about the future security of the USSR.
What did Stalin ask for in return of USSR joining the Pacific War?
Occupation zones in North Korea and Manchuria.
What was the discord over Poland?
Stalin wanted the border of USSR to move westwards into Poland. He argued that Poland, in return, could move its border westwards into Germany. FDR and Churchill were not happy with this.
Why did Churchill and FDR end up agreeing about Stalin’s plan for Poland?
- Churchill knew there was nothing much he could do about it as Stalin’s Red Army was in control of both Poland and eastern Germany.
- Churchill persuaded FDR to accept the plan, as long as the USSR agreed not to interfere with Greece where the British were attempting to prevent the Communists taking over.
What was the discord over Germany’s reparations?
- Agreement on Germany having to pay reparations but discord on the type and extent of reparations.
- Stalin wanted to cripple Germany completely but the Allies wanted it as a trading partner.
- Stalin wanted Germany to pay reparations in coal, while the US didn’t want to take coal as it wanted Germany’s economy to recover.
