Yalta and potsdam history

• The 'Big Three'


  USA, Britain, and the USSR
• The USA and the USSR had very Different Ideologies
• The USA and the USSR were also rivals during the Second World War


  They had very different ideologies
• Communism


  Seen by Americans as a danger to their democracy and influence, but the communists also feared worldwide American influence as they believed capitalism led to the exploitation of non-capitalist countries and the unequal distribution of wealth
• The 'Big Three' discussed Europe's Future at Yalta


  1. In February 1945, the Grand Alliance held a conference at Yalta in the Soviet Union

  2. The Allied leaders attended the conference with different aims

  3. Many key decisions were made, including that Eastern Europe would be the Soviet Union's sphere of influence, liberated Eastern European countries would hold free elections, Germany and Berlin would be divided into four zones shared between the 'big three' plus France, and the United Nations would replace the failed League of Nations
• At Yalta, Stalin agreed to allow free elections in Eastern Europe


  But he later installed pro-communist governments in these countries, going against the Yalta agreement
• Potsdam revealed the First Cracks in the Grand Alliance


  1. After Germany surrendered in May 1945, the Allied leaders met again at Potsdam over July and August

  2. Some agreements were finalised, like the new boundaries of Poland and that Germany and Berlin would be divided into zones

  3. But relations between the 'big three' became much more hostile, with disagreements over Eastern Europe and the future of Germany
• Britain and the US were alarmed by Stalin's actions in Poland


  He was installing a government made up of only pro-communist members, which they felt went against the Yalta agreement
• Truman was more suspicious of the USSR


  He wanted to limit Soviet influence in Eastern Europe and stop the spread of communism
• The Allies had differing views over Germany

  They disagreed over the boundaries of their zones, when the zones could join and form a country again, and whether Germany should be kept weak to prevent Soviet expansion