Topic 3.

2
The Grand Alliance
The Grand Alliance
 Prior to the Cold War, America and the USSR worked together as
members of the Grand Alliance: an alliance created in 1941 to
defeat the Nazis.
 The alliance was ‘a marriage of convenience’ between
communists and capitalists, united only in their opposition to
Hitler.
 After the defeat of Hitler, tensions grew although they did meet
between 1943 and 1945 at three international conferences:
Teheran, Yalta and Potsdam.
 Each leader wanted others to recognise that there were countries
that fell under their ‘spheres of influence’ whilst others did not.
The Tehran Conference
 At the Tehran Conference, Churchill, Stalin and
Roosevelt reached some definitive agreements and
others in principle.
 Stalin was annoyed that Britain and the USA had
delayed opening a second front in the war. He was
convinced that they were waiting for the USSR to
damage itself fatally in its battle with Germany
before they would intervene.*
 But there were points of disagreement where
Roosevelt often sided with Stalin e.g., Churchill
wanted to invade the Balkans. While this would
help the war effort, he mainly wanted to stop the Tehran Conference, November 28-December 1,
Soviet advance in Eastern Europe (i.e., the spread 1943.
The strategy meeting of Premier Joseph Stalin,
of Communism). Roosevelt did not support this as President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Prime Minister
it would have weakened the Allied forces. Winston Churchill at the Russian Embassy at Tehran,
 YALTA (in the USSR)
Date: February 1945
Present: Churchill, Roosevelt
and Stalin
The Yalta Conference
 The three leaders, known as the Big Three, met at Yalta in
Russia in February 1945.
 The Yalta conference is often thought of as the beginning of
the Cold War. The meeting took place at the former palace
of Tsar Nicholas II on the Crimean shore of the Black Sea.
 They met between 4 and 11 February 1945. Stalin’s army
had reached the River Oder and were poised to attack
Berlin. The Soviet army had been told to pause while the
conference took place. Stalin had occupied Poland and had
the largest army in Europe.
Key Agreements at Yalta *Who seems to have done best at the
conference?
 Stalin accepted France as one of the four powers.
 Germany was to be divided into four zones, each occupied by one of the
four allies (USA, USSR, Britain, France). Berlin was also to be divided
into four sectors.
 Poland would get land from Germany and would lose land to USSR in
the east.
 The USSR would declare war on Japan three months after the end of the
war with Germany.
 Stalin promised to allow free elections in the East European countries
the Soviet army was occupying.
 Germany was to pay reparations of $20 million, half of which was to go
The Problems of Yalta
The Yalta Conference was initially thought to be very successful. However,
problems were emerging between the superpowers.
The US thought the The Soviets’ idea of democracy
agreement to ‘democracy and was the communist one, where the
free elections’ meant that Communist Party represented the
Eastern Europe would have people, and all worked for the good
freedom of speech and proper Problems of the nation.
elections.

Whatever the reasons, these tensions at

Some suggest Roosevelt was Yalta were the beginnings of much
simply naive, others suggest he deeper mistrust and suspicion that led
was trying to keep the USSR in to the Cold War.
the war.
 POTSDAM (Germany)
Date: July 1945
Present: Churchill, Truman
and Stalin
The Potsdam Conference
 In May 1945, Germany surrendered. The war still continued in the
Pacific, but the Allies had to build on the decisions made at Yalta.
 From 17 July to 2 August 1945, the Allies held a conference in
Potsdam, a port 25 km south of Berlin.
 Roosevelt had died and was replaced by Truman during this time.
Truman felt Roosevelt had been too soft on the communist USSR.
 During the Potsdam Conference Churchill lost a general election
and was replaced by Atlee.
 The ‘new’ Big Three did not get on as well as the original Big
Three. In addition to changes in the leaders, there were other
tensions at Potsdam.
Tensions at Potsdam
 Truman was in the middle of trials for the new atomic bomb.
He didn’t reveal this, but Stalin secretly knew from his spies.
Stalin was furious that Truman kept the issue a ‘secret’.
 Stalin was determined to get what he felt the USSR deserved:
reparations from Germany and guaranteed future security.
 Truman was determined to force free elections in Eastern
Europe to encourage countries to recover. Stalin had other
ideas and wanted to keep the countries weak to act as a buffer
zone.
“Agreements” at Potsdam
 German reparations were agreed – each country was to take reparations from
its own area of occupation. The USSR was also to receive some industrial
equipment from the Western zones – little of this was handed over.
 The details of the German–Polish borders on the rivers Oder and Neisse were
agreed, although the British and Americans were unhappy with it.
 The German people were to be “re-educated,” and Nazism stamped out, and
war criminals tried and punished.
 Austria was also to be divided into four zones, like Germany. Independence
was regained in 1955.
 The USSR wanted to help run the rich German industrial area of the Ruhr, but
the USA rejected this.
 The USSR wanted a share in the occupation of Japan, but the USA also
rejected this.
Understanding Potsdam: Buffer Zone
What was the point of this buffer zone Stalin wanted?
 The USSR had suffered three invasions from the West (1914, 1918
and 1941). It believed the Western Allies were helping Germany
to rebuild, meaning Germany would be a threat yet again.
 Stalin decided the only way to be truly safe was to have a ‘buffer
zone’ of ‘friendly states’ between themselves and Germany.
 From 1945, the USSR made sure the countries of Eastern Europe
became communist.
The Atomic Bomb – Nuclear War
 President Truman had not mentioned the development of the
atomic bomb to Stalin at Potsdam. Stalin was furious about this.
 On 6 August 1945, the USA dropped the first atomic bomb on
Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, they dropped a different type
of atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Hundreds of thousands of people
died from radiation poisoning.
 Debate still rages today about the atomic bomb. Some suggest that
it ended the war against Japan, who would never have given up
otherwise. Others suggest it was simply the USA showing its
power to the world, especially to the USSR.
Conclusions
 Distrust and suspicion developed after the defeat of the ‘common
enemy’ – Nazi Germany.
 The change in leadership created greater distrust and rivalry.
 The USA and UK didn’t want to cripple Germany, whereas the
USSR did – Stalin was suspicious of why his ‘allies’ wanted to
help Germany rebuild.
 The USSR didn’t allow free elections in Eastern Europe – Stalin
was determined to create a ‘buffer’ protection zone.
 The USA didn’t tell the USSR they’d developed an atomic bomb
– was it dropped on Japan as a threat to the USSR?
Practice
1.What was agreed in connection
with Germany at Yalta and
Potsdam?
2.Why were there differences over
Poland?
3.Explain why Truman may have
distrusted Stalin.
4.Compare the two conferences at
Yalta and Potsdam. What are the
similarities and differences? THE EUROPEAN HOTCH-POCH Cartoon in Punch by
E.H. Shepard showing from left Roosevelt, Stalin and
Churchill at the Yalta Conference in February 1945