Why did the ‘Grand Alliance’ Breakdown?
Formation of the Grand Alliance
Wartime Disagreements
The Tehran Conference
How did the Yalta Conference affect Superpower Relations?
The Polish Question
- In 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union and along with Japan, declared war on the USA
- Despite their long-term differences, the USSR, UK and USA formed a military alliance – the ‘Grand Alliance’
- Suspicions remained throughout the war. They met a three conference during the war: Tehran in 1943, and Yalta and Potsdam in 1945
- Disagreements emerged over Germany, Poland and Eastern Europe, Economic reconstruction – after the war, these problems remained unresolved
- By 1946, the Grand Alliance had broken down completely
Formation of the Grand Alliance
- In June 1941, Nazi Germany launched ‘Operation Barbarossa’ – the invasion of the Soviet Union. Britain and the USA immediately began supplying the USSR
- However the USA was not involved in the war at this time. In August 1941, Winston Churchill secretly met with US President Franklin Roosevelt. Churchill was hoping to persuade the USA to join the war.
- Instead, they agreed on the policy statement than became known as the ‘Atlantic Charter’
- By Jan 1942, the Allies issued a joint ‘Declaration by United Nations’ – this military union between the USA, UK and USSR became known as the ‘Grand Alliance’
- It was essentially a marriage of convenience’ as all three had a common enemy. But it had shaky foundations – it united the world’s greatest capitalist state, the greatest communist state and the greatest colonial power’
- Churchill retained his dislike of Stalin, remarking: ‘If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons’
Wartime Disagreements
- The Second Front
- Stalin demanded that the Allies open a ‘second front’ in Western Europe to relieve pressure of the Soviet Union. The USSR faced over 80% of all Nazi military resources
- In 1942 and 1943, the UK and USA decided to invade North Africa and Italy first. These delays made Stalin suspicious
- He thought that the Allies wanted to USSR to be weakened
- Second Front opened with D-Day Landings in France in June 1944
- There were 228 Axis divisions on the eastern front
- Only 61 divisions in Western Europe
- Ideological Suspicions
- Despite agreeing to the principles of the Atlantic Chatter with the West, Stalin had concerns over Roosevelt’s foreign policy
- Roosevelt’s ‘Open Door’ policy was based on ‘free’ world trade and ‘equal’ access to raw materials
- Stalin feared this would only benefit capitalist countries like the USA
- Allies attempted to resolve their differences at three wartime conferences
- The failure of these conferences would lead to the Cold War
The Tehran Conference
- November 1943
- Held in Tehran, Iran
- Attended by Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt
- The conference was a fair success
- Roosevelt and Stalin worked reasonably well together
- As the war progressed, a gap emerged between Stalin’s post-war aims and those of Western powers
- Debates
- State of the War
- By 1943, Allies were winning
- Germans in retreat on the Eastern Front, the UK and USA had invaded North Africa and Italy and the Pacific War had entered its ‘island hopping’ phase
- Stalin still demanded the creation of a Second Front in Western Europe
- Germany
- Dates over what to do with Germany
- Differences were
- Wartime experiences
- ‘Lessons’ from the failure of the ToV
- differing ideologies
- They agreed that ‘unconditional surrender’ was the objective
- Date was set for Second Front – June 1944
- Poland
- Stalin demanded territory from Poland and a pro-Soviet government
- They agreed that the USSR could keep the territory seized in 1939 as Poland would be compensated with Land from Germany
- Eastern Europe
- Soviets demanded the right to keep territory they had seized between 1939-40 – The Baltic States, Finland & Romania
- USA and UK reluctantly agreed, despite this being against the Atlantic Charter
- Japan
- USA and UK tried to convince Stalin to open up a Soviet ‘second front’ in Asia
- Stalin refused until the war with Germany was won
- The UN
- British and Soviets agreed in principle to the US idea of a new international organization to be established after the war
- It would settle international disputes through collective security
- Conclusions
- Main positive outcomes
- Agreement on the UN
- On the need for a weak post-war Germany
- Main positive outcomes
- State of the War
- Held on the Black Sea in the USSR
- Stalin’s position was strengthened by the fact that the Red Army occupied most of Eastern Europe
- He seemed more willing to be assertive
- By the time of the conference it was clear Stalin was already going back against his word
- He began supporting communist groups across Eastern Europe
- Debates of the Yalta Conference
- State of the War
- Germany was on the verge of being defeated
- Second Front had begun with the Normandy Landings in 1944
- The Allies were ready to invade Germany itself
- Japanese were preparing for the invasion of their homeland
- Germany
- Decided that Germany would be disarmed, demilitarized, de-Nazified and divided into four zones
- Division would be temporary as Germany was to be run as ‘one country’
- An Allied Control Commission (ACC) would govern Germany
- Stalin demanded reparations – agreed $20 billion, 50% to USSR
- Poland
- New Frontiers of Poland decided
- Eastern border was drawn at the ‘Curzon Line’ it’s pre-Russo-Polish War (1921) border
- Poland gained territory in the West from Germany along the ‘Oder-Neisse Line’
- Stalin, now satisfied, agreed to promise ‘free elections’ for Poland
- Eastern Europe
- Stalin agreed that Eastern Europe would be able to have ‘free elections’
- This was seen as a major victory for USA/UK
- Japan
- Stalin now promised to enter the war against Japan but demanded territory in return from Japan as ‘reward’
- South Sakhalin
- Kurile Islands
- Stalin now promised to enter the war against Japan but demanded territory in return from Japan as ‘reward’
- United Nations
- Stalin agreed that the USSR would join the UN
- They would be a 5-permanent member Security Council, each with the power of veto
- Conclusions
- Main outcomes were the agreement of the United Nations
- Soviet agreed to join the Pacific War
- And the ‘Declaration for Liberated Europe’ pledging democratic government and free elections in all European countries
- State of the War
How did the Yalta Conference affect Superpower Relations?
The Polish Question
- London Poles
- Thousands of Poles escaped from Poland in 1939 when invaded
- Members of the government, armed forces and over 100,000 refugees fled to France
- Moved to London after the fall of France in 1940
- They were opposed to any deals with the Soviets
- They were against the proposal at Yalta to move the borders of their country
- They demanded that if they were to sacrifice land, they must have cast-iron guarantees Poland’s government would be ‘free’ after the war
- They played a key role in the 1944 Warsaw Rising
- When the Red Army reached Warsaw, Polish Underground Forces, commanded by the London Poles, rose up against the Germans
- Instead of assisting, Stalin ordered the Red Army to stop
- Nazis brutally put down the rebellion, killing almost 200,000 resistance fighters
- The Soviets then moved in and ‘liberated’ Warsaw and Poland, putting their own government in place – The Lublin Poles