The Conferences - Tehran, Yalta, Potsdam

Tehran: When did it happen?

November 1943

Tehran: What was the main military result?

The UK and USA committed to D-Day in May 1944.

Tehran: What did Stalin promise regarding Japan?

To join the war against Japan once Germany was defeated.

Tehran: What was agrreed about the UN

That a new international peace-keeping body should be created.

Tehran: What was the "Big Three" mood?

Generally cooperative; Roosevelt and Stalin got along well.

Yalta: When did it happen?

February 1945

Yalta: How was Germany to be divided?

Into 4 zones: US, UK, French, and Soviet.

Yalta: What was the "Declaration on Liberated Europe"?

A promise to hold free elections in countries freed from the Nazis.

Yalta: What was the Polish compromise?

The Lublin government would be "reorganized" to include some London Poles.

Yalta: What was the reparations figure?

$20 billion total; 50% for the USSR.

Yalta: What happened to Berlin?

Divided into 4 sectors (located in the Soviet zone).

Yalta: What was the UN Security Council deal?

The USA, USSR, UK, China, and France would have the Veto power.

Yalta: Why is it called a "betrayal" in the West?

Because the West "gave away" Eastern Europe to Stalin.

Potsdam: When did it happen?

July-August 1945

Potsdam: Who were the new leaders?

Harry S. Truman (USA) and Clement Attlee (UK).

Potsdam: What was Truman's 'Big Secret'?

The successful testing of the Atomic Bomb.

Potsdam: How did the reparations deal change?

Each power would take reparations from their own zone of ocupation

Potsdam: What was the disagreement over Poland?

Truman was angry that Stalin had not allowed free elections.

Potsdam: What was the "Council of Foreign Ministers" role?

To manage the administration of occupied Germany.

Potsdam: Why was the mood so much worse?

Germany was defeated; the "Atomic" threat; Truman was much "tougher."

Why did Truman want to limit Soviet reparations?

He didn't want Germany to be so poor it turned to Communism.

What was the "Potsdam Declaration"?

An ultimatum to Japan: "surrender or face prompt and utter destruction."

How did Stalin know about the A-bomb before Truman told him?

Soviet spies (like Klaus Fuchs) had infiltrated the Manhattan Project.

Define "De-Nazification."

The Allied policy of removing Nazis from positions of influence in Germany.

Define "Demilitarization."

The Allied policy of destroying Germany's military capacity.

What was the "Agreement on the Polish Border"?

The Oder-Neisse Line was accepted as the temporary western border.

Why did France get a zone in Germany?

Churchill wanted another Western ally to help manage Germany.

What was the "ACC" (Allied Control Council)?

The group of 4 military governors who were supposed to rule Germany together.

Why did the ACC fail?

The 4 zones had different economic policies and political goals.

What was the significance of the "V-E Day" (May 1945)?

It ended the war in Europe and triggered the immediate breakdown of the alliance.

How did Truman view the Yalta agreements at Potsdam?

He felt Stalin was breaking them and refused to be "bullied."

What was "Atomic Diplomacy"?

Using the threat of nuclear weapons to get one's way in negotiations.

How did the A-bomb affect the war in Japan?

It ended the war quickly, meaning the USA didn't need Soviet help in Japan.

Why did this anger Stalin?

He was denied a say in how Japan was governed after the war.

What was the "Iron Curtain" speech (1946)

Churchill's declaration that Europe was divided by a Soviet-imposed barrier.

Where was the "Iron Curtain" speech given?

Fulton, Missouri (with Truman standing next to him).

What was Stalin's response to the speech?

He called Churchill a "warmonger" and compared him to Hitler. |

Define "Containment."

The US policy of preventing the further spread of Communism.

What was the "Long Telegram" (1946)?

George Kennan's report that the USSR was aggressive and only respected force.

What was the "Novikov Telegram" (1946)

The Soviet report that the USA was striving for world domination.