yalta conference

when was the yalta conference?

february 1945

who attended?

• britain- churchill

• usa- roosevelt

• ussr- stalin

what were the issues with the personalities?

• Churchill and Stalin didn’t get on well

• They were very suspicious of each other

• Churchill thought that Stalin was trying to establish an empire in Eastern Europe following liberation from Nazi control

• Churchill did not share his knowledge of the enigma codes with the USSR and Stalin’s secretive nature prevented him from sharing battle plans with Britain or USA

what were the issues with the beliefs/ideologies?

• the Capitalist US and UK, and the Communist USSR had differing ideas on how countries should be run

• the ideologies disagreed on personal rights, freedoms and how economies should be managed

what were the issues with Poland?

• Churchill was suspicious of Soviet interest in Poland

• USSR murdered 10,000 Polish army officers during the war and didn’t support the Polish resistance in Warsaw in 1944

• Churchill wanted the London Polish Government in Exile (anti-Communist) to govern Poland

• Stalin had his own group of Communists (the Lublin poles) made up of the KGB and Red army that he wanted to rule

what were the agreements?

• B - Berlin divided into four zones.

• I - Influence in Eastern Europe for the USSR.

• G - Germany divided into four zones.

• F - Free Elections in liberated countries.

• U - USSR enters war against Japan.

• D - Decision for all to join the UN.

what were the disagreements?

• 1. Poland - Stalin wanted to draw the Polish border further West and to ensure a “friendly” Polish government on his border. Churchill and Roosevelt later agreed to draw the Polish borders as Stalin wanted. Stalin agreed to hold free elections in Poland

• 2. Stalin wanted Germany to pay large reparations – Roosevelt and Churchill disagreed realising this had been a cause for German frustration after WW1

what had changed between Yalta and Potsdam?

• Atlee replaced Churchill

• Truman replaced Roosevelt

• USSR liberated Eastern Europe starting to install governments, yet no free elections had been held

Is it surprising that the USA and GB agreed at Yalta that the Soviet Union was allowed to have a sphere of influence? (10)

1. USSR needed to join war with Japan

2. Influence of the Red Army by 1945- occupying large parts of Eastern Europe so they needed these withdrawn by complying

3. USSR had agreed to free elections? Sphere of influence and free elections can’t co-exist

4. Poland- supported the Polish Government in Exile but Stalin didn’t