Wartime Conferences T H E E A R L Y C O L D W A R

Wartime Conferences T H E E A R L Y C O L D W A R

Wartime Conferences Allies anxious to avoid mistakes of Versailles Treaty Did not want peace settlement s of WWII to cause another war Allied leaders had met throughout the war to plan strategy and discuss postwar policy The most important meeting involved the Big Three: Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin See Page 110 in Textbook

Atlantic Charter August, 1941 Churchill and Roosevelt meet aboard a British Warship of the coast off Newfoundland A document was issued known as the Atlantic Charter. It: Supported the right of all people to choose the form of government under which they would live Urged economic cooperation and a permanent system of general security that would protect nations from aggression outside their frontiers

Teheran Conference November/December, 1943, Teheran, Iran Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin Main topic was invasion of France Also discussed: Setting up of United nations Russian help against Japan Tentative plans for dealing with Poland and Germany after war

Yalta Conference February, 1945, Yalta, Southern Russia Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin War nearing end in Europe and decisions had to be made about the future of Europe Many decisions were made at this conference which led to many fronts of the Cold War, most notably, Germany

The goal of the conference was to discuss many aspects crucial to world peace and what Europe (especially Eastern Europe) would look like after the war. The main issues were: The division of Germany The formation of the United Nations German war reparations Entry of USSR into war against Japan And the most difficult, the state of Eastern Europe, specifically Poland Yalta Conference

Division of Germany There was dissention among the allies but they did tentatively agree that Germany would be defeated and then disarmed Split into 4 zones of occupation American, British, Soviet, and French This would prove to be a major flashpoint of the Cold War

Division of Berlin Berlin, deep within the Soviet zone, would also be divided into 4 zones

Formation of United Nations A United Nations Organization was to be set up Was to serve as an international peacekeeping organization Roosevelt wanted a Security Council with 4 permanent members: The United States, Great Britain, China, and the Soviet Union. Each member would have a veto Stalin wanted all soviet republics occupied at end of war to have a seat, but finally settled on the two main ones, Ukraine and Belorussia

German War Reparations Stalin wanted Germany to pay $20 billion, half to Soviet Union Britain did not want any reparations Topic eventually abandoned and sent to a reparations commissions

Entry of USSR Into War Against Japan To avoid a long and costly war in Pacific, Britain and USA wanted Russia s help in fight against Japan Talks almost exclusively between Roosevelt and Stalin Roosevelt did not want more involvement of Britain for fear they would demand more colonies Needed Russia because Atomic Bomb had not been tested Stalin agreed to enter war on side of allies within three months of defeat of Germany In return, he was promised certain strategic lands In end, Stalin entered EXACTLY 3 months after fall of Germany, two days after first atomic bomb was dropped He waited so as to gain the most with least amount of expenditure

Eastern Europe Future of Eastern Europe became a crucial issue Axis nations of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania had surrendered to Soviets as Nazis moved out (Moscow Agreement, 1944) Poland and Czechoslovakia were also under Soviet control (see map) Stalin promised free elections, but wanted pro-soviet governments in the region Long standing tradition of establishing a buffer Zone along its borders Stalin viewed that countries recaptured from Germany should remain under their control

Poland Twice within 30 years, Russia had been attacked through Poland Once Poland had been liberated, Stalin established pro-soviet government Roosevelt and Churchill did not want this; they had gone to war to guarantee Poland s independence Poland would be a test case American and British recognition of a Soviet Poland would signal Stalin s right to establish a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe

Poland Roosevelt wanted spheres of influence established globally with China, Soviet Union, USA and Britain acting as international enforcers within their sphere Soviets interpreted this to mean that they would police Eastern Europe Stalin agrees to hold free elections in Eastern European states ASAP However, as left conference believed that soviet domination in Eastern Europe would not be challenged

Moscow Conference October, 1944 Churchill, Stalin Agreement on division of Balkans Soviet Union would control 90% of Rumania and 75% of Bulgaria Britain would control 90% of Greece Yugoslavia and Hungary would be divided 50-50 Agreement unknown to Roosevelt

Things had changed since Yalta NEW LEADERS Harry S. Truman (VP) replaced Roosevelt (after his sudden death) as President of USA Truman, a relative unknown internationally takes a hard line stance on USSR. Much more anti-communist and very suspicious of Stalin Clement Attlee replaced Churchill during the conference after winning election in Britain Clement Attlee, Harry Truman and Joseph Stalin Potsdam Conference July 16 August 2, 1945

Potsdam Conference At Yalta, agreed that USSR would join war against Japan, but on July 16, 1945, atomic bomb tested successfully in New Mexico July 21, Churchill and Truman agree that weapon should be used but do not tell Stalin until July 25 July 26, Potsdam Declaration issued threatening total destruction unless Japan surrendered unconditionally With Germany defeated and USA holding bomb, Russian help no longer needed But his armies now occupied most of Eastern Europe

Potsdam Conference Germany Denazification and demilitarization all Nazi institutions would be dismantled and Nazi war criminals would be tried and punished (Nuremburg Trials) Reparations would be pain in machinery and equipment with Soviets taking what they wanted from the eastern zone of Germany and 35% from western zones USA, Britain and France helped rebuild the economy of their zones feeling that a stronger Germany would lead to a democratic one and act as a buffer against Soviet expansion The division of Germany was meant to be temporary 1949 western powers combined their zones into one nation German Federal Republic or West Germany (Bonn Capital) Soviet Zone became the German Democratic Republic or East Germany with Berlin divided between East and West