Churchill and International Diplomacy, 1939–1951 Flashcards
(29 cards)
1
Q
What was Churchill’s approach to diplomacy during WWII?
A
- Saw himself as a key global leader
- believed in personal diplomacy, especially with Stalin
- maintained formal arrangements with Roosevelt (e.g., Lend-Lease)
- actively involved in grand strategy and post-war planning.
2
Q
what was the Repeal of Neutrality Act
A
- November 1939
- allowed Britain to purchase American arms
3
Q
what was the Lend-Lease Act
A
- 1941
- permitted the President to sell weapons to any country whose defence the President deems vital to the defence of the USA.”
- Lent to $31.6 billion of assistance going to Britain by 1945.
4
Q
what was the Atlantic Charter
A
- 1941
- Pledge signed by US president FDR and British prime minister Winston Churchill not to acquire new territory as a result of WWII and to work for peace after the war
5
Q
what was the percentages agreement?
A
- 1944
- agreed on post-war spheres of influence in eastern Europe.
- Spheres of influence meant that a region or country would be dominated by a greater power who did not necessarily rule it directly.
6
Q
Roosevelt’s first reaction and opinion of Churchill
A
- First met Churchill in 1918
- took a dislike to him.
- Thought him a “stinker”
7
Q
What was Churchill’s view of his relationship with Roosevelt?
A
- Valued a close ‘special relationship’ with the USA
- wrote frequent personal letters
- relied heavily on American economic and military support.
8
Q
What has Roosevelt’s and Churchill’s relationship been seen as?
A
‘The partnership that saved the West’
9
Q
What made the Churchill-Roosevelt relationship successful?
A
- Shared belief in defeating Nazism and protecting democracy
- Close personal rapport: over 1,700 letters and 11 face-to-face meetings
- Lend Lease Act: The USA helped GB financially when no-one else would,
10
Q
What challenges existed in the Churchill-Roosevelt relationship?
A
- US support for decolonisation clashed with Churchill’s views
- Roosevelt prioritised US–USSR cooperation, while Churchill feared Soviet expansion
11
Q
How did Churchill view Stalin and the USSR?
A
- Suspicious of Soviet communism but willing to cooperate during wartime
- balanced diplomacy with strength
- feared Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe.
12
Q
What was the significance of the Tehran Conference and when was it?
A
- 1943
- first major meeting of Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin
- included opening a Second Front in Western Europe (D-Day in 1944)
- Churchill pushed for a Balkans campaign to limit Soviet influence, but Roosevelt and Stalin rejected it, showing early tensions.
13
Q
What happened at the Yalta Conference?
A
- 1945
- Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin discussed post-war Europe
- agreed on dividing Germany into occupation zones
- Churchill pushed for free elections in Eastern Europe but had little success.
14
Q
How did Churchill try to limit Soviet influence?
A
- Giving the Iron Curtain speech (1946) warning of Soviet control over Eastern Europe
- Proposed the 1944 ‘Percentages Agreement’ dividing Eastern Europe
- Supporting free elections in Eastern Europe, especially Poland
15
Q
Why was Churchill concerned about postwar Europe?
A
- Feared Soviet expansion and loss of democracy in the East
- The weakening of British global power as the USSR and USA became dominant
- A divided Europe becoming unstable and triggering future conflict
16
Q
What was the Iron Curtain Speech and when was it delivered?
A
- 1946, Fulton, Missouri
- Churchill warned that an ‘Iron Curtain’ had fallen across Europe
- public call for Western unity against Soviet expansion.
17
Q
How was the Iron Curtain speech received?
A
- Welcomed by some Western leaders as a warning
- Stalin described Churchill as a ‘war mongerer’ for the speech
- marked growing Cold War tensions.
18
Q
What was Churchill’s view on the British Empire after WWII?
A
- Committed to preserving the Empire
- opposed rapid decolonisation fearing it weakened Britain
- clashed with US which supported independence movements.
19
Q
How did Churchill react to Indian independence in 1947?
A
- Deeply opposed
- saw it as betrayal of imperial duty
- feared chaos (Partition partially confirmed fears).
20
Q
What was Churchill’s view on a united Europe?
A
- Supported European cooperation (especially Franco-German reconciliation) but not British membership
- Britain’s role was global, linking Empire and USA.
21
Q
Why did Churchill oppose Britain joining a united Europe?
A
- Believed Britain’s destiny was global, not continental
- wanted to maintain sovereignty and Empire/US ties
- feared European entanglement weakened independence.
22
Q
How did Churchill contribute to international conferences during WWII?
A
- Actively shaped grand strategy
- negotiated with Roosevelt and Stalin
- pushed for British interests
- tried to limit Soviet expansion.
23
Q
How did Churchill manage his relationship with Charles de Gaulle?
A
- Churchill supported de Gaulle as leader of Free France from 1940, but their relationship was tense and difficult.
- Churchill admired his resistance to Germany but found him arrogant and uncooperative.
- Their worst clashes came during the liberation of France in 1944, when Churchill had to limit de Gaulle’s role to appease Roosevelt.
24
Q
What was the ‘Europe First’ strategy and its impact?
A
- Churchill and Roosevelt prioritised defeating Germany first
- delayed invasion of France until 1944
- focused Allied resources on Europe before Japan.
25
How did the Lend-Lease Act impact Churchill’s diplomacy?
- Allowed US to provide military and economic aid starting 1941
- strengthened ‘special relationship’
- helped Britain sustain the war effort financially.
26
What was Churchill’s reaction to the 1944 ‘Percentages Agreement’?
- Agreed to Soviet control over parts of Eastern Europe in exchange for stability
- balanced maintaining British influence with accommodating Soviet interests.
27
What did Churchill expect from the US post-war economically?
- Hoped for financial aid to stabilise Britain’s economy
- expected US leadership in European reconstruction
- frustrated by Roosevelt’s reluctance to commit immediately.
28
What was Churchill’s stance on the post-war division of Germany?
- Churchill wanted Germany weakened, but not permanently divided.
- He supported temporary occupation zones after WWII, but feared a long-term split would increase Soviet influence in Eastern Europe.
29
How did Churchill respond to the cancellation of Operation Sledgehammer (1942)?
- Persuaded Roosevelt to abandon the 1942 France invasion
- supported delaying D-Day until 1944 for better preparations
- shifted Allied strategy to caution.
