1. Assess the impact of WW2 on the USA as a world power

2. US involvement in key political discussions

3. Key Words
Spheres of influence
Realpolitik
Superpower

4. Review Wilsonianism The impact of the Russian Revolution
The Riga Axioms
The changing relationship between the US and USSR between 1917 and 1939

5. 1941 Atlantic Charter

6. 1944 Bretton Woods

7. 1944 Bretton Woods

8. The Conferences I. Tehran 1943 II. Yalta- Feb. 1945
III. Potsdam- July/Aug. 1945

9. Tehran Conference 28 November to 1 December 1943

10. I. Tehran 1943 Mostly focused on war aims:
The Normandy landings were confirmed and, shortly after the conference, Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery were appointed as commanders.

11. I. Tehran 1943 However… Stalin got Baltic States, E. Poland
Polish frontier moved west
(The London poles were not informed)

12. The Percentages Agreement
October 1944, Churchill flew to Moscow to ‘do business’.
After dinner he proposed to divide up E. Europe into spheres of influence…

14. US failure to supply the Soviets with credit
Soviet requests for credit throughout the war were continually put off or ultimately refused.
In January 1945 the Soviets requested a 6 billion dollar credit, in July Congress said they could only apply for 1 billion dollars. They did so in August but then their request was ‘mislaid’.

15. II. Yalta Conference 4 February 1945 (till 11 February).
Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin

16. II. Yalta Conference 4 February 1945 (till 11 February).

17. The photograph is but a moment in time…The truth about Yalta?

18. Yalta-The leaders and their agendas
Roosevelt- USA
Democracy and self-determination in E. Europe
USA/USSR on good terms
Open Door policy
Churchill- Britain
Democracy and self-determination in Eastern Europe
Maintain British empire and imperial trading system
Didn’t trust Stalin
Stalin-USSR
Eastern Europe already liberated by USSR so in a position of power
Buffer zone needed so not attacked again
Stalin had his allies’ rooms bugged!

19. The Agreement at Yalta
A) Declaration on a Liberated Europe Each liberated country gets emergency gov’t with reps from all parties Free elections in Eastern Europe B) Germany divided into occupied zones C) Poland moved west. Land from Germany to Poland D) UN set up E) USSR would join war against Japan after Germany defeated

20. Poland’s borders

21. Why did Yalta focus on Poland?
Soviets needed a friendly Poland but Poland hated Soviet Union
Britain went to war over Poland
Katyn Forest Massacre
April ,000 Polish officers discovered in mass grave
Polish government in exile in London (London Poles) demanded an enquiry
July 44 Soviets broke off relations.
Soviets set up rival Polish communist govt (Lublin Poles)

22. Warsaw uprising Aug 1944-
Polish Underground Army rose against the Germans
Soviet Army refused to help.
Warsaw devastated. 300,000 Poles killed
If it had succeeded, non-communist Poles would have liberated Warsaw
in the name if the London Poles

23. Remains of the Warsaw Ghetto

24. No solutions on German reparations
USSR wanted large reparations, but no final agreement was made.
Memories of Versailles were still fresh.

25. Why were Britain and the US reluctant to give Stalin the reparations he wanted?
Churchill – Concerned that massive reparations would strengthen the USSR
Roosevelt- wanted Germany as trading partner
and didn’t want to have to pay for Germany’s survival

26. The problems of Yalta Problems
The Yalta Conference was initially thought to be very successful. However, problems were emerging between the superpowers.
The US thought the agreement to ‘democracy and free elections’ meant that Eastern Europe would have freedom of speech and proper elections.
The Soviets’ idea of democracy was the communist one, where the Communist Party represented the people, and all worked for the good of the nation.
Problems
Whatever the reasons, these tensions at Yalta were the beginnings of much deeper mistrust and suspicion that led to the Cold War.
Some suggest Roosevelt was simply naive, others suggest he was trying to keep the USSR in the war.

27. Between Yalta and Potsdam (Feb.45-Aug.45)
February- Soviets increased control in Poland
Soviets ‘liberated’ Poland. The Lublin Poles formed a government
5 million Germans expelled from east of Oder Neisse line
Leaders of Polish resistance summoned to Warsaw, never seen again
2. February- Soviets increased power in Romania
USSR put communists in to dominate coalition govts
Feb. 45 King of Romania ordered to appoint prime minister chosen by Stalin
April- Roosevelt died. Truman became president  
May-Germany surrendered
5. July- A-bomb tested

28. The Red Army in a new light…
2nd line and reserve soldiers in the Red Army gave in to murder of civilians and especially mass rape.
Estimates as high as 2 million German women raped(as young as 8 as old as 80) have been reported.
These sorts of atrocities helped to support the Riga Axioms.

29. 17 July 1945, (till 2 August). The Potsdam Conference.
Attlee, Truman, Stalin

30. “A bad tempered conference”
Main issues- German reparations, Japanese war
Some agreement over Germany
No Nazi Party – Trials to be held
German /Polish borders.
USSR was to send more food to the west in exchange for goods
Not much agreement in general
Reparations -each country do what it wants with own area
USSR wanted to share occupation of Japan. NO
US/ UK wanted more say in E. Europe. NO
USSR-wanted to play a part in running the Ruhr. NO