Cold War Revision Cards

The 'big three' allied leaders - British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Roosevelt and USSR leader Stalin - met for the Yalta Conference in February 1945 - to plan what they wanted to happen after the war.

The Three Major Decisions

- Germany was to be split into four zones of occupation.

- Free elections for new goverments would be held in countries previously occupied in Eastern           Europe.

- The United Nations would replace the failed League of Nations.

However, this situation changed when:

- Roosevelt died and was succeeded by Harry Truman, who was suspicious of the USSR.

- In Britain, the Conservative PM Winston Churchill was replaced by Labour's Clement Attlee.

- The USSR expanded westwards into the Baltic states and parts of Finland, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania.

Germany surrendered in May 1945. The allies made more decisions about post-war Europe:

- The new boundaries of Poland were agreed.

- The allies decided to divide Germany and Berlin between them.

- They agreed to legal trials at Nuremberg of Nazi leaders for war crimes.