The Yalta And Potsdam Conference and reasons for the breakdown of the wartime alliance

Question 1

What was the wartime alliance and who was in it?

Answer 1

The three wartime alliance leaders were Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill. In 1943 they met up in Tehran to discuss what would happen post-war Europe if they won the war.

Question 2

What happened in January 1945 an who was in charge of Poland?

Answer 2

The Red army had taken over Poland and the USSR issued a statement that the Lublin Poles were now the official government.

Question 3

What did the three war time leaders do in February 1945 and where did they meet?

Answer 3

Between 4th -11th February, the 3 wartime alliance leaders mat again at Yalta to discuss the post-war Europe. It was clear that the allies would win the war so they began to draw up plans of how it should be governed. Poland was high on the agenda as it was the largest Eastern European country.

Question 4

What was promised at the Yalta conference?

Answer 4

At the Yalta conference Stalin seemed to back down and promised to hold elections in Poland to allow some of the London Poles into Lublin government so it would be a mixture of a communist and non-communist government.

Question 5

What was clear in March 1945 and what had Stalin done?

Answer 5

It was clear to theWets that Stalin had paid lip service to the Yalta agreement and not allowed any of the London Poles in tonthe liblin Government.

Question 6

Who died in April 1945 and how is this affect the other leaders?

Answer 6

Roosevelt does of Polio and was replaced by Vice President Harry Truman. Truman was different to Roosevelt and much tougher. He was suspicious of Stalin and promised to take tougher action with the USSR.

Question 7

When did Atlee replace Churchill?

Answer 7

In July 1945 there was another change in the ‘Big Three’ Clement Atlee replaced Churchill as prime minister. This meant that only Stalin was the only original me ever of the wartime alliance which made his suspicious and weary.

Question 8

When did the the Potsdam conference take place?

Answer 8

The USA, UK, USSR met at Potsdam in Germany to begin drawing up plans for post war Europe now that the war in Europe had ended. They met in July 1945 and the Potsdam agreement was signed in August 1945.

Question 9

What caused mistrust between the USA and USSR?

Answer 9

The differing values of capitalism and communism caused a sense of mistrust. Communist believed the capitalist way was evil because it encouraged a divide between the poor and rich through profit making. Capitalism believed communism didn’t work because it did not allow individuals to experience freedoms and rights.

Question 10

Why did the USA mistrust Stalin?

Answer 10

The USA became suspicious of Stalin’s dictatorship and the brutal inhumane methods of he used. Stalin caused many deaths among his own people and ran his regime through terror and fear.

Question 11

What was the Treaty of Versailles and how did cause tension?

Answer 11

This caused tension between USA and USSR in 1919. The main powers of Versailles negotiations were France, Britain, USA. Russia had pulled out in 1917 because they were facing a revolution back home and was not included in the gains of of the Treaty. They had made their own peace with Germany and therefore did not get any befits when the war ended. They felt bitter about this because they had given some of their land to Germany and it was not returned after.

Question 12

What happened during WW2 between the USSR and USA?

Answer 12

The hostility was suspended during the war because they ended up fighting on the same side. However when the war initially broke out in 1939 Stalin fought with Germany due to the Nazi-Soviet pact but Hitler ended up invading Russia through Poland in June 1941 and broke the pact.

Question 13

What was decided at Yalta conference in 1945 for the USSR?

Answer 13

It was decided to…

• Protect the USSR from future invasions
• to ensure that the USSR retained some of their polish territory that it gained in 1939
• to ensure that the polish government was friendly to the USSR.
• to set up a buffer zone of communist friendly countries around the USSR.

Question 14

What was decided at Yalta in 1945 the USA?

Answer 14

It was decided that they would…

• Ensure the democratic rule is introduced to Eastern Europe.
• ensure Poland was democratic
• ensure Eastern Europe is a capitalist zone of influence
• Roosevelt trusts Stalin
• wants to ensure USA and USSR remain in good terms after war.

Question 15

What was decided at Yalta in 1945 Britain?

Answer 15

It was decided that they would…

• ensure Eastern European countries are liberated
• ensure Eastern Europe is a capitalist zone of influence
• ensue Eastern Europe is ruled in a democratic way.
• he does not trust Stalin
• had gone to war to help Poland so did not want give Poland unto the Russians.

Question 16

What was decided at Potsdam in 1945 for the USSR?

Answer 16

• Stalin was convinced that the USA was a rival for power and the influence in Europe and was determined to ensure soviet security long term.
• with the war now won he was much less willing to compromise; with the red army in Eastern Europe he didn’t need to.
• Stalin trusted Truman less than Roosevelt and the America atomic weapons programme only strengthened the mistrust.

Question 17

What was decided at Potsdam in 1945 for the USA?

Answer 17

Truman argued…

• he argued for the counties of Europe and a world in which countries cooperated politically and economically.
• unlike Roosevelt he and Stalin didn’t trust each other and were unfriendly.
• he was concerned about the growth of soviet power in Eastern Europe.
• Truman quickly realised Stalin was not interested in cooperating and was willing to use force to achieve his aims.
• The USA held the first atomic bomb and Truman used it as a way to ensure he got what he wanted at the conference.

Question 18

What was decided at Potsdam in 1945 for Britain?

Answer 18

Clement Atlee…

• was concerned by the USSRs expansion of power in Eastern Europe.
• he believed the key to a peaceful Europe lay in making sure Germany stayed safe from attack.
• the Labour government wanted to focus of improving the lives of people post-war. Britain’s large scale social reform was their priory.
• he recognised Britain’s new position in 1945. It was no longer the dominant country it had once been and saw it vital to stay close the America to face the USSR.

Question 19

What decisions were Stalin unhappy about regarding declaration on liberated at Yalta?

Answer 19

• emerging governments were set up with non-fascist groups from liberated countries.
• free elections were held to set up democratic governments.

Question 20

What decisions were Stalin unhappy/happy about regarding Poland at Yalta?

Answer 20

Happy about the new borders as USSR gained a huge amount of land from Eastern Poland.
He was unhappy about Lublin government including London Poles and that free elections were to be held as soon as possible.

Question 21

What had Stalin done to the prisoners of war when returned home?

Answer 21

The POWs held by British and Americans from German occupies soviet territory were sent back. The POWs had been circled to join the German army when their land was occupied so Stalin executed 10,000 of them and imprisoned the rest as he didn’t trust them.

Question 22

What did all countries decide about Germany at Potsdam?

Answer 22

They would all take a reparation from the people living in their occupied zone. These zones would also send extra industrial equipment to the USSR fighting a war in Japan.
Each zone would also follow a policy of de-nazification. They decided they would stamp out the rest of the nazis and educate against Hitler and get rid of racism. If people were a threat they were imprisoned.

Question 23

What zones were Germany split into?

Answer 23

The final boundaries of the occupational zones of Germany were agreed. - USSR, USA, Britain and France. (France only got a small bit) they would govern these zones in the way their own countries were governed.

Question 24

What decision were the USA and USSR not happy about at Potsdam regarding territory?

Answer 24

The Germany Poland border was decided to be along the The river Oder,niece. Britain and the USA did not agree with this territorial arrangement. But there was not much they could do and understood why the ussr wanted this area. They unwillingly allowed Stalin to have it.

Question 25

What did the USA not allow USSR regarding Japan?

Answer 25

They USSR wanted more control over the Japan but the USSR rejected their attempt for power.

Question 26

What increased tension at Potsdam?

Answer 26

• the new of the USAs first atomic bomb. Stalin was scared of this.
• change in the big three (Stalin was the only original member so was weary and suspicious)
• the decisions