Tehran, Yalta & Potsdam Conferences Task: Highlight key features of the Tehran, and Potsdam Conferences Tehran Conference, November – December 1943 Aims Designed to make plans for the rebuilding of Europe when the War ended Who was there? Nicknamed ‘The Big Three’ (from left to right) Josef Stalin—USSR Franklin D Roosevelt—USA Winston Churchill—Britain What was agreed? ‘Sphere of Influence’ USSR was to have an area communism was respected, Eastern Europe so that it would not be threatened by its neighbours. USA was also to have a Sphere of Influence where capitalism was respected in Western Europe What was NOT agreed? What should happen to Germany Stalin wanted Germany punished for starting the Second World War - to lose land and to pay reparations. He believed this would reduce German power. Roosevelt and Churchill wanted to rebuild Germany. They argued a peaceful Europe would needed a prosperous Germany. Extension – How successful do you think the Tehran Conference was overall and why? Yalta Conference, 1945 Aims Designed for the rebuilding of Europe when the War ended. This meeting marked the HIGH POINT of the Grand Alliance. Stalin and FDR really liked each other. Who was there? Still ‘The Big Three’ (from left to right) Winston Churchill—Britain Franklin D Roosevelt—USA Josef Stalin—USSR What was agreed? To divide Germany into 4—one zone each for USA, USSR, Britain, France Berlin, although in the section of the USSR was also divided into 4 To hunt down Nazi war criminals Germany was to pay reparations, but how much was to be decided later The USSR agreed to help against Japan Once Germany was defeated, free elections were to be held in Eastern Europe Planned to established United Nations to maintain world peace What was NOT agreed? Democracy? There was confusion about the term ’democracy’ Stalin thought it meant a communist govt because only communists really represented the workers Roosevelt believed it different political parties being voted for in free elections Extension – How successful do you think the Tehran Conference was overall and why?
Potsdam Conference, 1945 Aims The question here was what to do with Germany now that it had surrendered. Who was there? · Truman—USA (Roosevelt had died) · Clement Attlee (Churchill defeated in 1945 election) · Stalin—USSR What was agreed? Re-instated the division of Germany and Berlin into 4 Each country was to take whatever reparations they wanted from their section The USA and Britain agreed the USSR could take equipment and goods from their zones What was NOT agreed? The atomic bomb had been used by the USA in July 1945, had been kept secret from Stalin, increasing his suspicions Stalin had not kept his word to hold free elections in Poland and had instead taken control of it The relationship between the USSR and the USA was therefore soured Extension – How successful do you think the Potsdam Conference was overall and why? One of the most important parts of the Yalta Conference was the division of Germany and Berlin. Germany was divided into four zones and allocated to France, Britain, America and the USSR. The USSR imposed heavy sanctions on their part, but the Allies tried to improve life in their zones. Even though Berlin was in the USSR’s zone, it was still divided into four. Task: Draw a map of rough Germany which is annotated to show the divisions Extension – Summarise why Berlin was also divided in 4 sections. Soviet Control
Russia’s new leader, Nikita Khrushchev, opens the way for a more Liberal leadership Khrushchev gives the ‘Secret Speech’ in 1956 which promises an end to Stalinism Following the ‘Secret Speech’ people in Hungary riot including violent demonstrations in its capital, Budapest In response to the Khrushchev agreed to appoint a new leader – Imre Nagy Nagy proposed an end to Communism, and that Hungary should leave the Warsaw Pact killed and after 2 weeks the government is crushed Nagy was now defeated and to escape but was arrested by Soviet troops Nagy was found guilty of treason and hung in June 1958 Khrushchev appoints Kadar as the new Hungarian leader Kadar publishes his 15-Point Programme that intended to re-establish the Communist government and remain in the Warsaw Pact Extension: Choose the stages of the event that you think had the biggest effect on relations between USSR and America and explain why (short paragraph for each) Task: Read through the consequences of the Hungarian Revolution and rank them in order. 1 = most important consequence, 6 = least important consequence The Hungarians were easily defeated by the USSR, which discouraged other countries from doing the same There was little that the USA and Britain could do, so they gave little help The developing arms race made nuclear war closer, which prevented action from the USA The USA did send some economic help though; $6 million by 1957 The USSR sent a warning to other satellite states thinking of breaking away The United Nations condemned the Soviet invasion but did nothing more
Extension – Explain why you have picked your most and least important consequence of the Hungarian Revolution below Most important Least important Task: Highlight the SFD of each of the four leaders during this time. Put them in the correct order Matyas Rakosi Hungary’s dictator from 1949-56. Described himself as ‘Stalin’s best pupil’. Nicknamed by Hungarians as ‘The Bald Butcher’. Developed salami tactics where he dealt with his opponents ‘slice by slice’ not all in on go. While he was in power 387,000 were imprisoned and he was responsible for over 2,000 deaths Nikita Khrushchev Became leader of Russia, 1953, after Stalin’s death. Opened the way for a more Liberal approach to governing USSR and Eastern Europe. Gave the ‘Secret Speech’ in 1956 which promised an end to Stalinism. Appointed Imre Nagy as leader of Hungary after riots in the capital – but disagreed with the policies he introduced so had him executed. Appointed Janos Kadar after Nagy’s death Imre Nagy Became leader of Hungary being appointed by Khrushchev. Proposed an end to Communism and the introduction of free elections in Hungary and to leave the Warsaw Pact. Found guilty of treason and hung in June 1958. Janos Kadar Appointed by Khrushchev the execution of Nagy as leader of Hungary. Set out the 15-point programme for Hungary’s government. Remain in the Warsaw Pact. Re-establish communist control. Withdraw Soviet troops from Hungary. KT2 – Cold War Crisis – 1958-70 Increased Tension over Berlin There was already a lot of tension over Berlin due to the divisions and the events over the Berlin Blockade. Between 1958-61 tensions increased further as Khrushchev issued his ultimatum. The Refugee Problem Between 1949-61 4 million East Germans fled to the West through Berlin as they were unhappy about economic and political conditions. People hated the collectivisation of agriculture, the end of private trading, and the shortage of consumer goods. In 1961, the refugee problem increased to more than 20,000 a month many of them Khrushchev’s Ultimatum In 1958, Khrushchev warned the Allies to leave Berlin within 6 months and suggested it should become a neutral free city. President Eisenhower of the USA did not want to go to war over Berlin and asked Khrushchev to visit the USA. In 1959, Khrushchev visited Eisenhower and seemed to have a successful meeting, a summit he held the following year.
3 – SALT I, 1972 4 – Yom Kippur War, 1973 5 – Nixon’s Second Visit to Moscow, 1974 6 – Space Link-up 7 – The Helsinki Agreements, 1974 8 – After Helsinki 9 – SALT II, 1974 10 – Effects of SALT II Mikhail Gorbachev’s New Thinking Between 1982-5 there were 4 different leaders of the Soviet Union and had been unsettled. Mikhail Gorbachev became the last leader of the Soviet Union, serving from 1985 until its collapse in 1991. However, it was never his intention to undermine communism and rather, he hoped to be Communism’s saviour. Gorbachev’s ‘new thinking’ Gorbachev himself recognised that communism in Russia many problems. The economy was not nearly as efficient as the American economy. While Americans in the 1980s enjoyed an excellent standard of living, everyday life in Russia was dominated by shortages. For example, it was not uncommon for housewives in Moscow to queue for up to five hours simply to get a packet of sausages.
Geneva Summit, Nov 1985 Discussed: For the time in eight years, the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States hold a summit conference USA and USSR engaged in long, personal talks and seemed to develop a sincere and close relationship But they produced no agreements, but spoke of making the world a ‘safer place’ Outcomes: They had decided to up arms talks, work towards abolishing chemical weapons and be more active on human rights issues Both superpowers were pleased with what had been agreed and planned to meet again soon Reykjavik Summit, Oct 1986 Discussed: The deal discussion included plans to: Limit weapons Reduce nuclear force Restrict USSR missile bases to USSR and US missile bases to the US Eliminate all nuclear missiles within 10 years Progress towards a test ban of nuclear weapons Outcomes: However, tension increased again as Reagan and Gorbachev failed to reach an agreement about disarmament The stalled over President Reagan's refusal to abandon his Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) Washington Summit, Dec 1987 (INF Treaty) Discussed: Continued to draft an treaty which would eliminate all nuclear weapons from the two super powers This would be checked to ensure both sides were sticking to the agreement Outcomes: The INF Nuclear Forces) This eliminated all nuclear missiles within a 500-5500 km radius It was significant because it reduced the amount of nuclear weapons that the superpowers possessed It went much further than just limiting them, as SALT 1 had done Task: Highlight the key features of the summit meetings and then answer the question below: How did the three summits impact on relations between the superpowers? Collapse of Détente Détente had intended to ease the relationship between the East and the West. However, despite their best efforts, some key events ended détente. Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan 1979 The Revolution of April 1978, was a communist revolution in Afghanistan The Afghan royal family was overthrown and a communist leader, Mohammed Taraki, created a new communist government
The 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games was also highly political. In retaliation for the 1980s boycott, the USSR and 14 communist countries refused to attend the Los Angeles Olympic Games. The USSR organised the Friendship Games as a communist alternative. Task: Highlight the key features in the information above. Then complete the sentences: Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan 1979 led to the collapse of Détente because… The American Reaction to Afghanistan 1980 led to the collapse of Détente because… SALT II 1979 led to the collapse of Détente because… The Olympic Boycott 1980 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan 1979 led to the collapse of Détente because… EXTENSION – The most important in leading to the collapse of Détente was _____________________ because… Reagan and the Second Cold War The Second Cold War is a phrase used to describe the period between 1979-1985. It marked a low point in relations between the superpowers. Détente had already fallen apart under the leadership of President Carter. The new president, Ronald Reagan, had no intention of putting it back together again. President Ronald Reagan The American media was not convinced that Reagan was suitable to president He had been famous for starring in low-budget 1950s movies
1988 - Strikes throughout the country. 1989 - Communist government defeated in free elections held, first non-Communist Prime Minister is elected. 1989 – Secret Police have to put down demonstrations. Huge protests against the President who is forced to flee. Army in and fights secret police, President is shot. 1990 – Democratic elections are won by a new political party. 1988 – Gorbachev allows Hungary to become a state. 1989 – Hungary opens borders with Austria. 1990 – Democratic elections won by an anti-Communist group. Bulgaria 1990 – Democratic elections won by a renamed party of choice. Czechoslovakia 1989 – Demonstrations against Communism begin and Communist government resigns. The first non-Communist President since 1948 is put in charge. 1990 – Democratic elections won by Anti-Communist groups. East Germany 1989 – Soviet troops do not put down East German demonstrations. 1 million people protest in East Berlin. The Berlin Wall is opened. 1990 – Germany reunified into one country. Task: Label the map using the information above to describe the break-down of the Eastern-bloc Fall of the Berlin Wall The East German government had been slow to adopt Gorbachev’s ‘New Thinking’. However, they were unable to ignore the desire of East Germans for freedom. East Germany was slow to adopt perestroika and glasnost. Indeed, the German government even banned Russian publications during the 1980s because they were too liberal. However the Communist government was unable to contain its citizens’ desire for freedom once neighbouring states had abandoned Communism.