The Grand Alliance and Yalta Conference

When was the ‘Grand Alliance’ formed? Which countries was it comprised of? Why was it formed?

The Grand Alliance was a military and political coalition of countries fighting against the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan. it was comprised of the USA, UK, and USSR.

When was the Yalta Conference held?

February 1945

When was the Potsdam Conference held?

July 1945

Summit meeting

A meeting of the leaders of state governments which discusses issues of major concern

When did Nazi Germany conquer most of Europe?

Between 1939 and 1941

When did the invasion of France begin? Who invaded France?

The invasion of France began in 1944. The USA and UK invaded France.

When did the invasion of Italy begin? Who invaded Italy?

The invasion of Italy began in 1943. The USA and UK invaded Italy.

When did the counter-offensive begin? Who was involved in this?

It began in December 1941 and continued to 1945. The USSR was involved in this. The Red Army (the Soviet army) repelled the Nazi invasion and liberates Eastern Europe.

What was the financial cost of defeating Germany for the USA?

• 13 million men mobilised

• No loss of industry

• No homes destroyed

• $341 billion dollars spent

• 407,000 military deaths

• 12,000 civilian deaths

What was the financial cost of defeating Germany for the USSR?

• 34 million men mobilised

• 25% of all industry destroyed

• 25 million homes destroyed

• $192 billion dollars spent

• 10 million military deaths

• 17 million civilian deaths

What did ‘security’ mean to the USSR?

The USSR wanted to establish a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. All of these states would be friendly to the USSR and help protect it from future invasion.

What did ‘security’ mean to the USA and UK?

The USA and UK wanted democracy and free trade, which would ensure prosperity and peace across the globe. They wanted to prevent any state from enhancing its power and becoming a threat to global peace.

What were Joseph Stalin’s motives?

• Demilitarise and weaken Germany so it would not be a future threat to the USSR

• Extract reparations from Germany to rebuild damage in USSR

• Establish a Communist sphere of influence over Eastern Europe - this would create a ‘buffer zone’ against future invasions

Sphere of influence

A region which is of special interest to a power, where it exercises sole power. The power will exert control through trade, alliances, and military systems

What were Stalin’s suspicions surrounding the war against Nazi Germany?

• In the first 3 years of the Grand Alliance, 80% of Nazi Germany’s military resources were thrown against the USSR

• Stalin believed his English and American allies deliberately stalled - giving Nazi Germany time to weaken the USSR

What were Winston Churchill’s motives?

• Long-time opponent of Communism, and distrustful of Stalin

  • After the Russian Revolution of 1917, he convinced the British government to send aid to anti-Communist groups in Russia, saying that it was best to ‘strangle communism in its cradle’

• Wanted the governments of Europe to be democratic and free of Communist influence

• Especially concerned about future of Poland:

  • UK had declared war on Germany in 1939 in an effort to protect Poland’s independence

  • After Poland fell to the Nazis, the Polish government-in-exile fled to London

Who was Winston Churchill?

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1940-1945 and 1950-1955)

What were Franklin Roosevelt’s motives?

• Secure the cooperation of the USSR in defeating Imperial Japan, and rebuilding the post-war world

  • The USA had essentially been fighting the war against Imperial Japan alone - UK focused on Germany, while USSR remained neutral

• De-Nazify. stabilise and rebuild Germany in order to create order and prosperity in Europe

• Democracy and self-determination for all states liberated from Nazi rule

What was the Yalta Conference also known as?

The Crimea Conference

When, where, and why did the Yalta Conference take place?

Yalta in Crimea (southern USSR), February 1945. It took place to decide upon priorities for post-war Europe after Germany was defeated

What did the leaders agree on at Yalta?

• Germany to be divided into several occupation zones, occupied by the armies of UK, France, USA, and the USSR until a peace treaty was written

• Germany to be demilitarised and de-Nazified

• Territory to be taken from Poland and given to the USSR

• USSR to organise democratic elections for new Polish government as soon as possible

• Council to be created to decide how reparations would be paid

• The USSR to declare war on Japan 3 months after Germany surrendered

Why did the negotiations at Yalta go in Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s favour?

Because US President Franklin Roosevelt wanted Soviet help in fighting Imperial Japan. Stalin would only agree to this in exchange for concessions from the USA and UK:

• The USSR would create the new Polish government and adjust Poland’s borders

• The USSR would get reparations from Germany

• The USSR would be given occupation zones in northern China and northern Korea after Japan was defeated

What were some disagreements at Yalta?

Poland:

The Soviet demands - The Polish Committee of National Salvation (made up of Communists) should govern Poland

The British and American demands - The Polish government-in-exile (located in London) should govern Poland

Soviet influence:

The Soviet demands - Eastern Europe should be recognised as a Soviet sphere of influence

The British and American demands - All Europeans should have the right to self-determination, free elections, and independence from great powers

What were some key changes that occurred after the Yalta Conference?

• Soviet forces occupied Eastern Europe and installed a Communist government in Poland - breaking the Yalta agreement (instead of including members of the Polish government-in-exile in the new Polish government, he created a ‘Committee of National Liberation’ which was composed entirely of Polish Communists)

• Nazi Germany surrendered

• President Roosevelt was replaced by President Truman (who was much less willing to work with the Soviets). He knew that the USA had a powerful new weapon - the atomic bomb.

When did President Roosevelt die?

12 April, 1945

When did US scientists successfully test an atomic bomb?

16 July, 1945

Why did Truman order for the atomic bomb to be used as soon as possible against Japan?

• To force Japan to surrender before the USSR could get involved - and prevent the Soviets from spreading Communism to Asia

• To intimidate the USSR by demonstrating the bomb’s power

When was the Potsdam Conference? Where did the leaders meet?

17 July, 1945. They met in Potsdam, a suburb of Berlin.

What happened several days into the Potsdam Conference?

Winston Churchill’s Conservative party lost the election, and Churchill was replaced by Labour leader Clement Attlee as Prime Minister of the UK

What was agreed on at Potsdam?

• Germany and Austria were each to be divided into four zones, occupied by the armies of the USA, UK, France and USSR

• German territory was to be handed over to Poland, and ethnic Germans expelled from this land

• Nazi war criminals would be put on trial by an international court with American, British and Soviet judges

• USA and UK would recognise the USSR-created ‘Polish Provisional Government of National Unity’, in exchange for Stalin holding ‘free and unfettered elections as soon as possible’

• USSR was allowed to take reparations from the Soviet occupied zones of Germany and Austria, as well as 10% of the industrial equipment from the Western zones

What were some disagreements at Potsdam?

Reparations:

Soviet demands - Germany should pay reparations to the USSR and be economically crippled.

British and American demands - Germany should be rebuilt, as this will help all of Europe recover.

Poland:

Soviet demands - Polish Communists had the best interests of Poland at heart and should be permitted to govern Poland.

British and American demands - Polish government should be democratic. Elections must be called as soon as possible.

Soviet influence:

Soviet demands - Eastern Europe should be recognised as a Soviet sphere of influence.

British and American demands - East Europeans should get democracy, self-determination and independence.

What was the significance of Yalta and Potsdam?

• The USSR was trying to increase its influence over the post-war world. Stalin argued that this was purely defensive, but American and British leaders interpreted this as Communist expansion.

• The allied leaders could not agree about how Germany should be rebuilt and reunified. As a result, Germany would remain divided until 1990.

• Fear and mistrust were becoming the main elements of the relationship between Western and Soviet leaders.

What did they ultimately agree on?

To demilitarise and de-Nazify Germany, and divide Germany into occupation zones

What did they ultimately disagree on?

The future Polish government, the amount of reparations that should be paid to the USSR, and whether the USSR should establish a sphere of influence over Eastern Europe