Superpower Relations and the Cold War

FLASHPOINT REVISION

Event: Tehran, Yalta Potsdam Date: Nov 1943, Feb 1943, July/August 1943

People: Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill, Attlee, Truman

Exemplar answer: 8 marks

Cause:
Write a narrative account of the Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam conferences
 1941- Grand Alliance formed between USA and USSR and GB to defeat Germany. USA and GB suspicious of
The first key event between 1943-45 was the Tehran meeting. This was a meeting between Roosevelt, Stalin
Stalin
and Churchill at Tehran in Iran in November 1943. Roosevelt tended to side with Stalin rather than Churchill
 Leaderswas
and the meeting of Grand
seenAlliance met three
as a success times aThe
for Stalin. yearmain
during war
agreements were that: Britain and the USA agreed
to open a second front by invading France; the USSR agreed to wage war against Japan once Germany was
defeated; a United Nations was to be set up and eastern Poland would become part of the USSR.
Narrative:

The second
The Grand key event
Alliance was
first metatinYalta.
TehranThis wasathe
to plan last meeting
winning between
strategy to end thethe
war.big
Thethree. Churchill
following apparently
agreements were felt
alienated
made by how well Roosevelt and Stalin got on. Stalin wanted Germany to pay huge reparations but
Roosevelt and Churchill disagreed and did not want Germany punished too harshly. At Yalta it was agreed: that
he USSR would
The main agreements
enter were that:
the war against Britain
Japan andand
thisthe USA
was agreed
similar totowhat
openwas
a second
agreedfront by invading
at Tehran. France;
What was the
different to Tehran was that it was decided that Germany (and Berlin) would be divided into four zonesup
USSR agreed to wage war against Japan once Germany was defeated; a United Nations was to be set (US,
and
British, French andPoland
eastern Soviet) andbecome
would that there
partwould
of the be free elections for countries liberated from Germany and the
USSR.
right to join the United Nations and that Eastern Europe would be a Soviet ‘sphere of influence’.
Two years later the big three held a second meeting to discuss winning the war and the government of post war
The last key
Europe. event
Stalin wasof the peacetoconferences
determined was athePotsdam.
keep the territory had won. Between Yaltaagreements
The following and Potsdam wereamade:
lot had changed.
For example, Soviet troops had liberated Eastern Europe but had not removed their presence; a communist
 At Yalta
government it wasset
had been agreed:
up inthe USSRby
Poland would enter
Stalin; thethe
Redwar against
Army wasJapan; Germany
the biggest in(and Berlin) and
the world would
thebeUSA
divided
had
into four zones (US, British, French and Soviet); free elections for countries liberated
secretly tested a nuclear bomb in the USA. When Truman told Stalin about this he was furious. The meeting from Germany; the
was between rightAttlee,
to join Truman
the United
andNations
Stalin.and that Eastern
At Potsdam Europe
it was wouldGermany
agreed: be a Soviet ‘sphere
would beofdivided
influence’.
into four zones
as previously agreed; Germany would be demilitarised; democracy was to be re-established in Germany;
Betweenhad
Germany Yalta
toand
payPotsdam a lot had
reparations andchanged.
the USSRFor example,
would Sovieta troops
be given quarterhad
ofliberated
goods madeEastern Europe
in the but had
Western not of
zone
removed the
Germany; theirNazi
presence; a communist
party was banned;government had been
full participation set up
in the in Poland
League by Stalin;
of Nations thePoland's
and Red Armyfrontier
was thetobiggest
be
in the world and the USA had
moved to the Oder and Neisse rivers.secretly tested a nuclear bomb in the USA. When Truman told Stalin about this he was
furious. The meeting was between Attlee, Truman and Stalin. At Potsdam it was agreed:
Between 1943-45 there were three main peace conferences. The most events that occurred were probably the
 ofGermany
creation would
the United be divided
Nations into four
at Tehran zones as
because previously
this became agreed; Germany would
a key institution whenbe demilitarised;
trying to resolve world
democracy
conflicts. Another keywas to bewas
event re-established
the dividinginof
Germany;
Germany Germany hadzones
into four to payatreparations and the
Yalta because thisUSSR would
became anbearea
of mutual given
distrust that led
a quarter of into
goodsthe ColdinWar.
made the Western zone of Germany; the Nazi party was banned; full
participation in the League of Nations and Poland's frontier to be moved to the Oder and Neisse rivers.

Consequence:

 Poland in Soviet Sphere of influence

 Establishment of United Nations
 Germany divided into four zones
 Berlin divided into zones of occupation
 Lead to increased tension between USA and Soviet Union

Importance:

 While Britain, the USA and the Soviet Union were able to work together to defeat Germany, tension was
increasing between the wartime alliances. Differences were beginning to emerge over the future of
Germany and Eastern Europe. Roosevelt’s death had led to Truman becoming president and he was much
more distrustful of the Soviet Union increasing tensions between the USA and the Soviet Union