Download 3.3 Yalta and Potsdam Conferences

SECOND WORLD WAR
CONFERENCES:
YALTA - POTSDAM
The Yalta and Potsdam conferences were called to help the Allies decide
what would happen to Europe, and in particular Germany, at the end of the
Second World War.
The Allies
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Throughout this unit we have learned about the
Allies & how they became involved in WW2
 Great
Britain….went to war over Poland (Sept 1,
1939)
 USSR….Barbarossa (June 22, 1941)
 USA….attacked by Japan at Pearl Hr (Dec 7, 1941)
The Allies
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We also examined some of their battles which
allowed them to prevail over the Axis Powers
 Battle
of Britain
 Battle of Midway
 Battle of El Alamein
 Battle of Stalingrad
 D-DAY
 Pacific Advances
 Air assault….atomic weapons
Grand Alliance
Grand Alliance
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Ideologically & economically opposed, during the
War, Britain and the USA were allies of the Soviet
Union due to their hatred of Nazi Germany.
It is important to note that the differences between
Russia and the west stem from the communist
takeout of Russia in 1917 & the western
democracy’s support of Tsarist forces (whites)
against the Communists (Red) during the Russian
Civil War
Grand Alliance
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During the interwar period there were general
fears in the west that communism would spread
throughout Europe
Russia not invited to Versailles
USA didn’t recognize Communist Russia until 1933
Russia was invited to League of Nations until 1934
Grand Alliance
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During the war the Soviets suffered tremendous
losses in their battles against Germany along the
Eastern Front
For Stalin, he needed a ‘second front’ against
Germany & was upset that the D-day landings
were postponed from 1943 until June 1944 (DDay)
He suspected the Allies were delaying an invasion
of western Europe with the hopes that the Nazis and
the Soviets would destroy each other
Section Review
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Complete questions 1 – 5 of your handout using
page 128 of your textbook
Grand Alliance
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Through the devastation of war, the “The Big Three”
Allies met throughout 1945
The Yalta and Potsdam conferences were called to
help the Allies decide what would happen to
Europe, and in particular Germany, at the end of
the Second World War.
It was at these conferences that the tensions
between the two sides became obvious.
Yalta (Feb ‘45)
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Held during the war, on the surface, the Yalta
conference seemed successful.
a. divide Germany into four ‘zones’,
which Britain, France, the USA and
the USSR would occupy after the war.
Yalta (Feb ‘45)
b. bring Nazi war-criminals to trial.
c. set up a Polish Provisional Government of National
Unity 'pledged to the holding of free and unfettered
elections as soon as possible'.
Yalta (Feb ‘45)
d. help the freed peoples of Europe set up democratic
and self-governing countries by helping them to
- maintain law and order;
- carry out emergency relief measures;
- set up governments; and
- hold elections (this was called the 'Declaration of
Liberated Europe').
e. set up a commission to look into reparations.
Yalta (Feb ‘45)
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At Yalta, the negotiations went very much in Stalin's
favour, but this was because Roosevelt wanted
Russian help in the Pacific, & was prepared to
agree to almost anything as long as Stalin agreed
to go to war with Japan.
Therefore, Stalin promised that:
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Russia would join the war in the Pacific, in return for
occupation zones in North Korea and Manchuria.
Russia also agreed to join the United Nations.
Yalta (Feb ‘45)
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Although the Conference appeared successful,
however, behind the scenes, tension was growing,
particularly about reparations, & about Poland.
After the conference, Churchill wrote to Roosevelt
that ‘The Soviet Union has become a danger to the
free world.’
On their return home both he and Roosevelt were
criticised for giving away too much to the Soviets:
Section Review

Complete questions 6, 7, and 8 of your handout
using pages 128-130 of your textbook
Yalta….Quick Review
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When the Yalta Conference took place in February
1945, Germany was not yet defeated, so, although
there were tensions about Poland, the big three Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill - managed to agree
to
split Germany into four zones of occupation,
allow free elections in Eastern European countries.
The Soviet Union was invited to join the new United
Nations,
the USSR promised to join the war against Japan
when Germany was defeated.
Potsdam (July ‘45)
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At Potsdam, the Allies met after the surrender of
Germany (in May 1945) to finalise the principles of
the post-war peace – Potsdam was the Versailles of
World War II.
Relations between the superpowers had worsened
considerably since Yalta & several factors
influenced how the Potsdam Conference would go
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In March 1945, Stalin had invited the nonCommunist Polish leaders to meet him, and arrested
them. Things had got so bad that, in May 1945, the
British Joint Planning Group had drawn up plans for
'Operation Unthinkable' - a 'total war ... to impose
our will upon Russia'.
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Meanwhile, Rooevelt had died, and America had a
new president, Truman, who was inclined to ‘get
tough’ with the Russians.
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Also, soon after he had arrived at the Conference,
Truman learned (on 21 July) that America had
tested the first atomic bomb.
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It gave the Americans a huge military advantage
over everyone else.
It also meant that Truman didn't need Stalin's help in
Japan.
Instead, Truman's main aim at the conference was to
find out from Stalin what date the Russians intended
to enter the war in the Pacific - something which
(unlike Roosevelt) he did NOT want.
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So the arguments at Potsdam came out in the open
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to set up the four ‘zones of occupation’ in
Germany…..American, British, French, Soviet
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Denazification: The Nazi Party, government and
laws were to be destroyed, and 'German education
shall be so controlled as completely to eliminate
Nazi and militarist doctrines and to make possible
the successful development of democratic ideas.
Nuremburg Trials
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Nuremburg Trials: post war to bring Nazi warcriminals to trial. (Nuremburg Trials)
to recognize the Polish Provisional Government of
National Unity and hold 'free and unfettered
elections as soon as possible'.
Russia was allowed to take reparations from the
Soviet Zone, and also 10% of the industrial
equipment of the western zones as
reparations. America and Britain could take
reparations from their zones if they wished.
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President Truman presented it as a 'compromise',
but in fact the Allies had disagreed openly about:
 the
details of how to divide Germany.
 the size of reparations Germany ought to pay.
 Russian influence over the countries of eastern Europe.
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Section Review

Complete questions 9 and 10 of your handout using
pages 128-130 of your textbook