3. Potsdam conference

• What was the mood of cooperation in the final period of WW2?

  > Yalta (february 1945) = high point of cooperation

  > Final period of WW2 = mood of collaboration and partnership increasingly strained
• When did the war in Europe end during WW2?

  > May 1945 - The war in Europe ended with the surrender of Nazi Germany

  > 30th April 1945 - Suicide of Hitler

  BUT the war with Japan continued in the Far East
• As WW2 was ending, what did the Grand alliance need to do?


  Grand alliance needed to meet again to finalise agreements for the nations of Europe and wider world after WW2
• Where did the Grand Alliance meet to finalise agreements after Yalta and the end of WW2?

  Potsdam conference - 17th July - 1st August 1945
• How was Potsdam different to Yalta?

  > Change in leadership

  > Development of the first atomic bomb

  > Presence of Soviet Red Army in Eastern Europe

  > The government of Poland
• How did leadership change during Potsdam?

  > April 1945 : death if Franklin D. Roosevelt who was replaced with President Harry S. Truman

  > Churchill initially attended Potsdam until general election

  > 26th July 1945 : Churchill lost general election to the Labour Party and was replaced by Prime Minister Clement Attlee
• Why did the leadership of the USA change during Potsdam?

  April 1945 : Roosevelt died and was replaced with President Harry S. Truman
• Why did the leadership of Britain change during potsdam?

  Churchill only initially attended the Potsdam conference

  26th July 1945 : Churchill lost the general election to the Labour Party and Prime Minister Clement Attlee
• How did the development of the first atomic bomb affect Potsdam?

  > Day before Potsdam : USA successfully detonated first atomic bomb

  > USA = nuclear monopoly to intimidate Stalin

  > Atomic bomb completion first revealed to Stalin at the Potsdam conference

  > Potsdam was characterised by Truman's abrasive/get tough approach to communism and Stalin

  > Truman purposefully delayed Potsdam until after detonating the atomic bomb for a leverage in negotiations with Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov (foreign minister)
• When did the USA detonate their first atomic bomb?

  The day before the Potsdam conference
• When was the completion of the atomic bomb revealed to Stalin?

  The completion of the atomic bomb was only revealed and presented to Stalin at the Potsdam conference
• Why did Truman delay the Potsdam conference?

  Truman delayed the potsdam conference until after the USA had detonated their first atomic bomb to get a leverage on negotiations with Stalin
• What characterised the Potsdam conference?

  Truman's abrasive and 'get tough' approach to negotiation, Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov to intimidate the USSR with the USA's nuclear monopoly
• How did the presence of the soviet Red Army in Eastern Europe affect Potsdam?

  > USSR had liberated countries in Eastern Europe from Nazi occupation using the soviet Red Army

  > By potsdam, military presence not removed and soviet troops still occupied 8 countries in Eastern Europe

  > Concern for USA - what was Stalin's ambitions? Stalin's aims? why was Stalin deliberately doing this?
• What was the USSR's role in Eastern Europe during WW2?

  The USSR worked to liberate the majority of countries in Eastern Europe that were under Nazi Occupation
• How many countries was the USSR still occupying after liberating them from Nazi rule?

  8 - they did not remove military presence and soviet troops
• How did disagreements over the government of Poland affect Potsdam?

  > Despite Declaration on Liberated Europe, Stalin saw establishment of a pro-communist leaning government in Poland

  > Undermind wishes of allies, agreements at Yalta, Polish government in exile (London Poles)

  > Stalin justified this by insisting the USSR's security was necessary
• What kind of government did stalin establish in Poland?

  Pro-communist leaning government
• What did agreements at Potsdam focus on?

  Short-term plans for the future of Germany after surrender
• 1. Agreements at Potsdam - How was Germany's occupation handled?

  > Germany completely demilitarised

  > Uphold agreement at Yalta - Germany and Berlin split into four zones of occupation each occupied by allied power
• 2. Agreements at Potsdam - What would happen to the Nazi Party?

  > De-nazification

  1. Leading Nazi officials put on trial for war crimes
  2. Nazi members removed from public office role (Government and administration)
  3. Nazi influence in education removed
• 3. Agreements at Potsdam - what freedoms were restored to Germany?

  1. Freedom of speech
  2. Freedom of press
  3. Religious tolerance
• 4. Agreements at Potsdam - even though Germany was divided, what did it still work as?

  > Germany was divided into four zones of occupation led by an occupying power

  > Germany would work as a single economic unit with common policies on industry and finance across all zones under an Allied Control Commision/Council (ACC)

  > Commitment and willingness to cooperate continued
• 5. Agreements at Potsdam - What did each occupying power take from Germany to compensate for WW2?

  > Allies administering Germany could take reparations from their won zones in Germany to compensate for damages and losses

  > USSR/Soviet zone was the poorest zone/least industrially rich - USSR allowed to take additional 25% from all other zones of Germany
• Despite cooperation, what did Potsdam fail to do?

  > Failed to set up foundations for future cooperation between capitalist west and communist east

  > Failed to address suspicions and uncertainty between USA and USSR

  > Failed to secure long-term future plans for Germany - only established short-term temporary plans
• What were Truman's priorities at Potsdam?

  > Self-determination for all countries and international economic organisations (international monetary bank, world bank) for economic redevelopment of Europe after war damage

  > USA in strongest position to defend western zones in Germany against soviet zone - increasingly suspicious of Stalin's motives after not respecting Declaration on Liberated Europe (Poland)

  > Truman more wary of Stalin than Roosevelt - adopt abrasive approach at Potsdam as diplomatic solutions would not be agreed by stalin and nuclear threat may be noly way to secure US wishes
• What were Stalin's priorities at Potsdam?

  > Stalin convinced USA/western allies were potential rivals for power and dominance in Europe - USA held nuclear monopoly and had significant military power exceeding the USSR

  > Reinforced obsessions of security and maintain Red Army presence in Eastern Europe to increase commitment to establishing pro-communist regime in Eastern Europe

  > Commitment to ensure countries in Eastern Europe shared his political and economic system - establish long-term secuirty for USSR as Truman had anti-soviet agendas
• What were the priorities of Clement Attlee?

  > Primary concern = reconstruction of Britain after WW2

  > Concern over removal of anti-communist leaders and rise of pro-soviet governments

  > Britain close proximity to Germany - concern with future of Germany as he recognised failure to reach long-term agreements on the future of germany

  > Short-term agreements at Potsdam - Attlee still comfortable with weakening Germany