Yalta

Question 1

When was the Yalta conference?

Answer 1

February 1945 - before WW2 ended, after it became clear that Nazi Germany would be defeated, the allies got together to consider the post-war world.

Question 2

What were the West’s aims for Yalta?

Answer 2

• East-West cooperation should continue
• Germany should be rebuilt as an independent, democratic country
• Countries in Eastern Europe should have the right to self-determination and be free from outside influence
• The United Nations (UN) should be formed to help avoid conflicts
• There should be economic cooperation through the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Question 3

What were the USSR’s aims for Yalta?

Answer 3

• East-West cooperation should continue
• Spheres of influence should be created to guarantee security
• Germany should remain weak
• German industry should pay for the rebuilding of the USSR
• The World Bank and the IMF should have no authority over the USSR, but the USSR would be willing to work within the United Nations (UN)

Question 4

Who was at Yalta?

Answer 4

GBR - Winston Churchill
USA - Franklin D Roosevelt
USSR - Joseph Stalin

Question 5

What were some discussions that took place prior to Yalta?

Answer 5

In December 1943, Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill met in Tehran. In October 1944, Stalin and Churchill met in Moscow. Churchill wrote his idea about how to split Eastern Europe after the war on a napkin, which Stalin ticked to show his approval. This became known as the ‘percentages agreement’.

Question 6

What were the key agreements made at Yalta?

Answer 6

• the UN would be formed to ensure future cooperation
• the liberated countries of Eastern Europe would be allowed to hold free elections
• ‘The Declaration of Liberated Europe’ was signed, although there were clear differences in how it was interpreted by the three leaders, particularly when in came to Poland.
• Germany was to be divided into four zones - one each for the USSR, the USA, Britain and France. Berlin, which was within the Soviet zone, would also be divided in the same way.