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SECOND WORLD WAR

CONFERENCES:

YALTA - POTSDAM

The Yalta and Potsdam conferences were called to help the Allies decidewhat would happen to Europe, and in particular Germany, at the end of theSecond World War.

The Allies

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

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

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

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

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 (D-Day)

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

Complete questions 1 – 5 of your handout using

page 128 of your textbook

Grand Alliance

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)

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)

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:

– 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)

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

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)

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

In March 1945, Stalin had invited the non-

Communist 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'.

Meanwhile, Rooevelt had died, and America had a

new president, Truman, who was inclined to ‘get

tough’ with the Russians.

Also, soon after he had arrived at the Conference,

Truman learned (on 21 July) that America had

tested the first atomic bomb.

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.

So the arguments at Potsdam came out in the open

to set up the four ‘zones of occupation’ in

Germany…..American, British, French, Soviet

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

Nuremburg Trials: post war to bring Nazi war-

criminals 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.

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.

Section Review

Complete questions 9 and 10 of your handout using

pages 128-130 of your textbook