The conferences

• The Tehran Conference was in November 1943 - it was to plan a winning strategy to end the war
• Agreements at Tehran

  • USA & Britain open a 'second front' by launching an attack on Germany in West Europe ( eased pressure Eastern Front)-germany would withdraw troops
  • Stalin declares war against Japan -> only once war in Europe ends
  • Aim of the war was for Germany to unconditionally surrender
  • Poland should receive land from Germany, but soviets could keep land they previously seized from Poland
  • An International body should be set up to settle disputes through discussion & negotiation not war (laid the foundation of the UN)
• The Yalta Conference was in February 1945 - to discuss winning the war and what will happen to Germany & Europe
• Agreements at Yalta:

  • Germany split into 4 zones, each controlled by a different superpower (USSR, USA, Britain, France)
  • Germany Pay $20 million in reparations
  • Nazi Party banned
  • United Nations set up
  • USSR agreed to help the USA with war against Japan
  • USSR would hold free elections in Eastern Europe
• Disagreements at Yalta:

  • Stalin expected the elections to turn out pro-communist
  • British supported the non-communist London Poles
• The Big Three included Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin
• The Potsdam conference was in August 1945
• Before the Potsdam conference Roosevelt died (april 1945) and was replaced by Harry S Truman

  Winston Churchill replaced by Clement Attlee
• Agreements at Potsdam:

  • Germany and Berlin divided into 4 zones
  • Germany pay reparations
  • Germany economy ran as a whole despite the different countries rule over the split zones
• Failed agreements at Potsdam:

  • An agreement over the Eastern europe gov. was not reached
  • Truman objected the control soviets had over the countries they liberated from Nazis
  • Truman objected to previous arrangements for Poland & the border
• The London Poles

  A group of politicians who left Poland after the German invasion in 1939 and formed a gov in exile
• Potsdam - due to the new personalities representing the big 3 countries, the relations between the three leaders was very different:

  • Truman and Attlee were new to diplomatic discussions, it was difficult for them to get their way with stalin
  • Truman was determined to take a 'get tough' approach on Stalin and deliberately delayed the the conference until the atomic bomb was ready
• Tehran conference - little tension at this time