Churchill & international diplomacy Flashcards
(21 cards)
How did Churchill dramatize the war? What was the realistic position of Britain? What did Britain achieve from this until 1944?
He viewed it as a conflict between democracy, freedom, civilised and christian values with the dark forces of Nazism and a dictatorship.
Britain’s role was to maintain an Empire which used violent repression to maintain control.
Britain sustained an alliance with the USA/USSR and played a role in determining the way the war was fought. Had a world role as a moral leader.
What 4 things did Churchill persuade to occur?
- No need for Britain’s Empire to lend support.
- USA was persuaded, despite making a greater contribution, not to prioritise the Pacific War to follow Britain’s Mediterranean strat and not open a second front.
- The lossess of the USSR were not matched by Britain yet the Russain alliance was not maintained.
- Not forced to commit to ending Empire at the price of US support.
Churchill and Roosevelt.
- More of a natural ally than Stalin.
- On the surface he was charming and sympathetic but he had a reputation for not comitting to himself.
- Much more affection from Churchill than from Roosevelt.
- Roosevelt’s deliberate snubbing of Churchill at Tehran.
- Seen as ‘a partnership that saved the west’ and Churchill wanted to maintain it.
US support but non-intervention
- Neutrality net- allowed Britian to purchase American Arms. Nov 1939.
- Was along the Us coast and was patrolled to prevent the sinking of merchant ships by Germans.
- Sep 1940- Us destroyers exchanged for leases to naval bases.
- Roosevelt used ‘arsenal of democracy’ to justify selling arms to Britain.
- March 1941-Permitting the president to sell, transfer, exchange, lend or dispose defence articles.
- April 41- US troops occupied Greenland.
- The Atlantic Charter 1941 confirmed that Britain didn’t want territorial gains.
US concern
- Concerned that Britain was dispersing forces in NA.
- Concerned that Britain would want to gain territories.
- Concerned that the Empire stood in the way of World free Trade, likely to become a US arm.
- Thought it was morally wrong to rule over the subjects of the Empire.
- Destroyers were obsolete.
- USA took Britain’s gold reserves for security for the Lend Lease payments.
- USA made large profits from supplying arms.
USA entry- Churchill’s achievements
- Pearl Harbour- Churchill proved right and had to prepare ground meetings.
- Chur went to Washington and had made a positive impression.
- British policy prevailed- no invasion of Nothern France.
- USA supported the ‘Europe first’ strat of fighting in the Med.
- Member of the Grand Alliance of 26 nations.
- Invasion of France to take the pressure off Russains and promoted the idea for a joint campaign in NA.
- British strat of invading Sicily approved by US.
Roosevelt’s perspective
- Both disliked De Gaulle representing France.
- US pressure fprced the date for invading france in May 1943.
- Key element in US diplomacy to negotiate with Stalin and sideline Churchill because of USSR’s war effort.
4.Quebec & Cairo in Aug 1943- Splits apparent US-UK disagreements over french invasion. - Roosevelt refused to meet with Churchill privately.
- Roosevelt met with the Chinese leader Jiang jieshi without Churchill’s knowledge.
- Made it clear that he wanted British attacks in Burma (to maintain routes to China & split the Japanese army) at the expense f more attacks in the med.
- US abandonned ‘Europe First’ and focused on defeating Japan.
- Bitter exchanges about the invasion of Nothern France.
- Roosevelt favoured Stalin ovr Churchill at Tehran.
- Churchill’s plan of involving Turkey/ Balkan front were rejected.
- US would supply the supreme commander of ‘Operate overlord’.
- Post-war USSR expansion and economic committments.
- R/C agreed that there should be democracies in post-war Europe.
Churchill and Stalin
- C’s mother was US and believed in United Anglp-Saxon peoples.
- Bitter and outspoken critic of the Russain rev in 1917, trying to overturn Lenin’s regime.
- Expressed oppositon through writings.
- Put the ideology aside when Hitler invaded the USSR in June 1941.
Russia’s achievements
1.The resistamce was a turning point and showed Stalin becoming apart of the Grand Alliance in 1942-43.
2. Popular and shwed that state planning and socialism could produce success.
3. Yet, C not to allow sympaty for the huge sacrifices made in Leningrad and Stalingrad (nearly 3 mil deaths in both) and in the counter attacks of 1943 to lead Britain towards an early invasion of Europe.
Role reversal
- Scale of the Russain war effort convinced the Us that Stalin was the key figure in the alliance.
- C concerned about Russian advancements in Europe.
- After Hitler is defeated, feared Stalin would threaten to dominate Europe with an equally repungent regime.
Percentages Agreement
1944, Secret meeting between C and S that gave the percentage division of control of countries in Eastern Europe, sphere of influence.
Russia’s actions
- Yalta ‘45 Poland would lose Eastern territories to Russia and be dominated by a pre- Russia government.
- Successes of the Red Army led to the domination of East Europe by Communist Russia.
- C needed S far more than S needed C.
Churchill’s relationship w/ Stalin
1.Shared S’ capacity for drink.
2. Unwavering intrests for own country, empires, limited sympathy.
3. Br not fighting alongside S’s forces like Br with the US- Br’s war contribution seemed inferior to that of the USSR.
Churchill’s feelings and actions towards France
- C loved France and spoke French.
- Offered forces and resources/union to keep Fr in the war. He was shocked/ devastated at the surrender of Vichy France.
- Br (with intents of preventing a german surrender) attacked the french fleet as apart of “Operation Catapult” in 1940 actions taken were brutal and 1297 French servicemen were killed when the ships sank.
- French saw the attack as a betrayal and this fueled the long-lasting distrust betwee the leaders.
De Gaulle’s character
- Admired but difficult to work with.
- Uncompromising and often uncooperative, disliked by US.
- Would not work closely with Vichy France leaders in NA which annoyed R and embarrased C as it created tensions within the Allied forces and undermined C’s efforts to consolidate support for the war
- Despite being dependant on British goodwill, he felt no obligation.
What contribution did Churchill make to the wartime international conferences?
His first priority was to establish personal contact with R and pressure the US to join the war, in which a personal bond was created.
However, his contributions to the conferences became less important.
He must be given credit for maintaining the anti-Hitler alliance and accepting demands that went against British interests.
Churchill’s aims
Anglo-American friendship as the basis of peace.
Supported League of Nations.
Did not see Br abandonning its Empire.
1944- established spheres of influence with Stalin.
Churchill’s attitudes to post-war Europe
Attitudes
warmly supported Fr. statesman Briand’s idea of E.U. - 1930
reflected on his rep. in Europe
Offered Unions to Fr. declaring a Franco-Br. nation
reduce barriers of trade/barriers
good for Br. security
Aims
Tried to accommodate USSR by making concessions to Stalin’s demands. = most of his thinking on maintaining peace depended on relations outside of Europe.
Felt US relationship was key to maintaining peace.
1944 stalin estab. spheres of influence.
C committed to an atlantic policy => close relationship w/ USA & committed to opposing Communism.
Initially favoured harsh measures against Germany, yet old fears of building resentments i.e. 1919 were present.
Expressed concern abt loss of german land to russia
Not guaranteed:
US would cont. involvement in europe or that the US & Br. relationship was strong
USSR Stalin would stick to his agreement at Yalta for free elections
Communist support growing in Italy & Fr. causing concern
What was the significance of the ‘Iron Curtain Speech’ 1946
Seen as the beginning of the Cold war as it rallied an anti-Soviet sentiment.
Delievered at a time when there was approval for a return of peace and gratitude for the sacrifices of the USSR, called poisonous by the Chicago Sun, build up of anti-communist pressures in the USA.
C perceived as “irresponsible”
What was C’s view of Br’s role
Br. & empire were in a unique position
unity in the groups = strengthen position
Europe = central to defence of empire
Problems with C’s view of Britain’s role
Post-war Br. = struggling economically = defence costs of being such a key player are v high
all groups resentful/fearful as didn’t want Br to dominate.
C. established view that Europe divided ‘by an Iron curtain’
would involve obligations as well as benefits => Br. didn’t want to be tied down.
