HTST 458 Yalta

What were the three dominant concerns of Allied leaders during WWII?

Security, Empire, and Ideology.

What did “Security” mean for the Allied leaders?

Preventing another devastating world war.

What did “Empire” refer to among Allied concerns?

Managing the decline and transformation of colonial power.

What did “Ideology” mean for the Allies?

Reconciling capitalist democracy with communist socialism.

Which conferences were precursors to the Yalta Conference?

The Tehran (1943) and Moscow (1944) Conferences.

At Tehran, what did Stalin push the Allies to do?

Open a “second front” in Western Europe.

What was the outcome of Churchill and Stalin’s “percentage agreement”?

They informally divided influence in Eastern Europe.

Which major issue dominated the Tehran Conference?

The future government of Poland.

Who formed the Polish government-in-exile?

Polish leaders who fled to London after the 1939 invasion.

What happened at Katyn Forest in 1943?

Germans revealed a mass grave of Polish officers near Smolensk.

How did Stalin react to Poland’s call for a Red Cross investigation into Katyn?

He was angered and cut diplomatic ties with the Polish government-in-exile.

When did World War I begin?

1914.

What major events occurred in 1917?

The U.S. entered WWI and the Bolshevik Revolution created the Soviet Union.

What did President Wilson announce in 1918?

The Fourteen Points for peace.

What ended WWI in 1918?

Germany’s surrender and the Armistice.

What treaty officially ended World War I?

The Treaty of Versailles (1919).

What did the U.S. Senate do in 1920 regarding the Versailles Treaty?

Refused to ratify it.

Who became leader of the Soviet Union in 1922?

Joseph Stalin.

What was Stalin’s First Five-Year Plan focused on?

Rapid industrialization of the USSR.

When was FDR elected U.S. president?

1932.

What was the Munich Agreement of 1938?

Britain and France allowed Germany to take the Sudetenland.

What did the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact do?

It was a Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact dividing Eastern Europe.

What event began World War II?

Germany’s invasion of Poland in September 1939.

What marked the Battle of Britain in 1940?

Britain’s air defense against German attacks.

When did Germany invade the Soviet Union?

June 1941.

What event brought the U.S. into WWII?

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 1941.

What was the significance of the Battle of El Alamein?

It was a British victory over German forces in North Africa.

What was declared by the Allies in January 1943?

The goal of unconditional surrender of Axis powers.

What was the outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad (Feb 1943)?

German Sixth Army surrendered; Soviet victory.

What was discussed at the Tehran Conference in November 1943?

Opening the second front and postwar Europe.

Who did Stalin recognize as Poland’s government in 1944?

The Communist-led Lublin Committee.

What major uprising occurred in August 1944?

The Warsaw Uprising.

What was Germany’s last major offensive in 1944?

The Battle of the Bulge.

What major conference took place in February 1945?

The Yalta Conference.

Who led Communist partisans in Yugoslavia during WWII?

Josip Broz Tito.

What was the Tito-Subasic Agreement?

A temporary compromise between Tito’s partisans and the royal government-in-exile.

What did the agreement promise for Yugoslavia’s future?

A plebiscite to decide between monarchy or republic.

In Greece, which two major resistance groups existed?

ELAS (Communist) and EDES (non-Communist).

What happened in Athens in December 1944?

Fighting between British troops and Communist ELAS forces.

What battle did Churchill describe as a great American victory?

The Battle of the Bulge.

What did Churchill emphasize in his late 1944 speech?

Moral war aims and unconditional surrender.

How did Churchill describe Britain’s role in WWII?

Fighting for freedom and moral principle, not for gain.

What was the main theme of Stalin’s November 1944 speech?

Soviet strength and unity with Allies.

What did Stalin credit for joint Allied victories?

Coordination from the Tehran Conference.

What was Stalin’s goal for future peace?

Continued Allied unity and German weakness.

What global threat did Roosevelt warn against?

Dictatorships threatening democracy.

What were the Four Freedoms?

Speech, Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear.

What did “Freedom from Fear” mean?

Worldwide reduction of armaments and aggression.

What was Stalin’s main focus after the war?

Reconstruction and internal recovery.

What was Britain’s main strategic goal postwar?

Prevent domination of Europe by any one power.

What alliance did Britain see as essential for postwar peace?

The Anglo-Soviet Alliance.

What did Stalin want for postwar Germany?

Permanent division and weakness.

What border line did Stalin support for Poland’s east?

The Curzon Line.

What did Roosevelt’s Germany plan propose?

Five regional states and two international zones.