In desperate times, the enemy of your enemy becomes your friend. During World War II, the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union would never have been three-way allies had they not shared a mortal enemy in Adolf Hitler. The Americans were isolationists, the Brits were imperialists and the Soviets were Communists—the unlikeliest of political bedfellows.
But once Germany made its plans for world domination painfully clear, the leaders of the “Big Three” nations—Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin—understood that the only way to defeat Nazism was to put their significant political and personal differences aside in the name of global security. The only question was, how much was each leader willing to sacrifice to make the uneasy alliance work?
Roosevelt, the progressive pragmatist
As WWII broke out in 1939, FDR was on the verge of being elected to a historic third term as a popular and progressive president. The U.S. Congress and the American people were hoping to sit WWII out. America felt it had already sacrificed more than enough young lives in WWI and didn’t want to be pulled into another blood-soaked European conflict.
After Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, in direct defiance of British and French demands, FDR refused to enter the fray, instead declaring the U.S. neutral. Even when the Nazis steamrolled into Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg the following spring, prompting Churchill to call for strong American support, FDR and Congress refused to do anything more than provide financial assistance andsome military equipment forthe Allied cause.
The relationship between FDR and Churchill echoed the strained alliance between the two greatest Western democracies. Socially, the two men were a perfect match—both gregarious and aristocratic, with a flair for conversation. But Churchill, a decorated soldier and officer, was a passionate defender of the British Empire, which still controlled vast territories from Africa to India to the Far East. FDR, on the other hand, was a harsh critic of what he saw as the evils of imperialism.
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There was no such easy social rapport between FDR and Stalin, a Communist dictator who actively purged all political opposition, even if it meant killing or imprisoning people in the highest ranks of the Soviet government and military. Yet Roosevelt recognized early the political benefits of a positive relationship between the U.S, and the USSR, particularly as a buffer against the Japanese. In fact, in his first year as president, FDR took action torecognize the existence of the Soviet Union and normalize diplomatic relationships with the Kremlin.
Through 1940 and most of 1941, the U.S. remained neutral even as German bombers pummeled British cities in nightly “blitz” attacks against both military and civilian targets. During that same period, Hitler reneged on his non-aggression pact with Stalin and invaded the USSR on June 22, 1941, rekindling war between the Nazi and Communist nations. FDR’s primary response in both cases was to extend lend-lease agreements to Churchill and Stalin for U.S.-built weapons and supplies.
Then, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, forcing the U.S. to declare war on Japan. Germany and Italy, the two other Axis powers, declared war on America on December 11. The U.S. had entered WWII, like it or not.
The Grand Alliance: a three-way shotgun marriage
On January 1, 1942, less than a month after Pearl Harbor, the U.S,, Great Britain and the USSR signed the “Declaration by United Nations,” a legally non-binding document that nevertheless yoked the Big Three in a grand alliance for their mutual survival. None of the three great powers could defeat Hitler on their own, but together they plotted to divide and weaken the seemingly unstoppable German forces.
Churchill deeply distrusted Stalin, and Stalin, famously paranoid, didn’t trust anyone. From the start, FDR found himself in the middle, assuaging Churchill’s fears of a Communist takeover of Europe while feeding Stalin’s aspirations for the Soviet Union’s entry into the upper echelons of political and economic power.
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“We are all in agreement...as to the necessity of having the USSR as a fully accepted and equal member of an association of the great powers formed for the purpose of preventing international war,” FDR wrote to Churchill in 1944, “It should be possible to accomplish this by adjusting our differences through compromise by all the parties concerned and this ought to tide things over for a few years until the child learns to toddle.”
How FDR won over ‘Uncle Joe’ at the Tehran Conference
FDR, Churchill and Stalin met together for the first time in November of 1943 during the historic Tehran Conference. From the moment the Americans entered the war, Stalin had been pushing for a joint British-American invasion of Western Europe to draw German soldiers from the Eastern front, where the Soviets were sustaining massive losses. In Tehran, the Americans and Brits committed to a massive 1944 invasion of coastal France (“Operation Overlord”) in return for Stalin’s promise to join the fight against Japan.
In Tehran, Roosevelt also met privately with Stalin to discuss the Soviet Union’s central role in a post-war United Nations. Roosevelt shared his vision with Stalin of a peaceful world governed by the “four policemen” of the United States—Britain, China and the Soviet Union—and showed “Uncle Joe” that America was willing to negotiate directly with the USSR to serve their mutual interests.
“What Stalin wanted to do was to revive Russia as a great world power,” says Susan Butler, author of Roosevelt and Stalin: Portrait of a Partnership. “Stalin was perfectly happy to do what FDR wanted. Roosevelt was extending his hand—if you behave, you can be my equal.”
“In my personal view, I think that Roosevelt was the only person that Stalin did trust,” adds Butler. “I think that they had an understanding of the world. It has nothing to do with the fact that Stalin was a paranoid nut. If Stalin trusted anyone, he trusted Roosevelt, because Stalin fared very well at the hands of FDR.”
At Yalta, an alliance on the brink
The second and final time the three great leaders met was at the Yalta Conference in February of 1945. This meeting was very different from Tehran, with FDR visibly ill and an Allied victory over Germany in plain sight.
“At that point, FDR, Churchill and Stalin were more concerned about stopping World War Three,” says Butler. “They thought there was a great possibility that Germany was going to try once more to rule the world. [The post-war formation of] the United Nations was the primary concern of FDR, which is why he called for the conference at Yalta.”
READ MORE: As the Allies Closed in, They Jockeyed for World Power
At Yalta, the three men assumed that the War with Japan would rage on long after Hitler surrendered. In order to secure continued Soviet military support against the Japanese, and win Stalin’s full cooperation in the United Nations, FDR and Churchill agreed to a number of concessions with historic consequences. After the war, the Soviets would retain control over part of Germany and the USSR would also have free reign to influence the governments of its Eastern European and Asian neighbors.
There were bright hopes that the cooperative spirit of the Grand Alliance would persist after WWII, but with FDR’s death only two months after Yalta, the political dynamics changed dramatically. The U.S., now under the command of hardliner Harry Truman, reneged on FDR’s promise to loan money to the Soviets for rebuilding their damaged economy. Coupled with America and Britain’s fears over the spread of communism in Eastern Europe and Asia, the stage was set for the Cold War.
FAQs
At Yalta, the three men assumed that the War with Japan would rage on long after Hitler surrendered. In order to secure continued Soviet military support against the Japanese, and win Stalin's full cooperation in the United Nations, FDR and Churchill agreed to a number of concessions with historic consequences.
What did Roosevelt Churchill and Stalin agree to at the Yalta Conference? ›
Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin agreed not only to include France in the postwar governing of Germany, but also that Germany should assume some, but not all, responsibility for reparations following the war.
What were the most important reasons for the breakdown of the Grand Alliance? ›
The differences between the USA and the USSR started to re-emerge even before the end of the war. Both countries were worried about the other nation's aims and this worry led to an increase in fear and suspicion. This would lead to the breakdown of the wartime alliance and eventually turned into outright hostility.
What did Stalin and Churchill think of each other? ›
Nevertheless, unlike his relationship with Hitler, characterized by mutual loathing, Churchill's relationship with Stalin had the marks of respect. Churchill was fond of Stalin and enjoyed their interplay. These feelings were reciprocated.
What was the main point FDR and Churchill agreed on for the war? ›
Among the momentous results of these U.S.-Anglo meetings was a declaration issued by Churchill and Roosevelt that enjoined 26 signatory nations to use all resources at their disposal to defeat the Axis powers and not sue for a separate peace.
Why did Stalin want Roosevelt and Churchill to open up another front in Western Europe? ›
Churchill and Roosevelt argued that any attempt to land troops in Western Europe would result in heavy casualties. Until the Soviet's victory at Stalingrad in January, 1943, Stalin had feared that without a second front, Germany would defeat them.
Why did Churchill of Great Britain and Roosevelt of the United States not trust Stalin of the Soviet Union? ›
Why did Churchill of Great Britain and Roosevelt of the United States not trust Stalin of the Soviet Union? These western leaders believed that Stalin had another agenda to fulfill and was just using the war to fulfill this agenda.
What 3 things were decided at the Yalta Conference? ›
Each leader had an agenda for the Yalta Conference: Roosevelt wanted Soviet support in the U.S. Pacific War against Japan and Soviet participation in the UN; Churchill pressed for free elections and democratic governments in Eastern and Central Europe (specifically Poland); and Stalin demanded a Soviet sphere of ...
How was the Yalta agreement related to the relationship between the United States and the USSR? ›
The Cold War was a struggle for world dominance between the capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union. At the Yalta Conference, the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France agreed to split Germany into four zones of occupation after the war.
What caused the alliance to fall apart? ›
Ongoing disputes between the Soviets and the democratic allies about how to organize the postwar world eventually killed the alliance. Stalin continued to expand Soviet influence in eastern Europe, while America and Britain were determined to stop him without provoking another war.
The alliance system began creating tension between the two sides from an early stage. Creating a defensive atmosphere and the reassurance that one country would be supported by their alliance if they were to engage in conflict.
What was the purpose of the alliance system? ›
The aim of forming alliances was to achieve collective security – having alliances with other powerful countries deterred your enemies from attacking you. If a country started a war with one nation it would have to fight all its allies as well.
How would you describe the relationship between FDR and Churchill? ›
A close friendship and the excellent working relations that developed between U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were crucial in the establishment of a unified effort to deal with the Axis powers.
On what issues did Stalin Roosevelt and Churchill disagree quizlet? ›
On what issues did Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill disagree? When they would start a second front in France. They also disagreed on when and how to defeat Germany.
What is Churchill's message about the Soviet Union after WWII? ›
Then, on March 5, 1946, at Westminster College in Fulton, Churchill's famous words “From Stettin in the Baltic, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent,” ushered in the Cold War and framed the geo-political landscape for the next 50 years.
What did Churchill say when the U.S. entered ww2? ›
He warned that many disappointments and unpleasant days would lie ahead. But he said the best war news of all had already occurred: “the United States, united as never before, have drawn the sword for freedom and cast away the scabbard.”
Why did Stalin want Roosevelt and Churchill to open a second front in Europe quizlet? ›
Stalin had asked his allies to relieve German pressure on his armies in the east. He wanted them to open a second front in the west. This would split the Germans' strength by forcing them to fight major battles in two regions instead of one. Churchill agreed with Stalin's strategy.
What two things did Churchill and FDR agree on in January 1943 when they met in Casablanca Morocco? ›
The Casablanca Conference, 1943
The most notable developments at the Conference were the finalization of Allied strategic plans against the Axis powers in 1943, and the promulgation of the policy of “unconditional surrender.”
What did Stalin mean when he kept asking FDR and Churchill for a second front '? ›
During these years, the Soviet Union single-handedly resisted a massive German invasion. Stalin demanded his allies strike at the heart of Hitler's empire in northwest Europe, establishing a "second front." FDR's military advisers favored an early assault on northwest Europe.
Why had Stalin been pressuring the Allies to open a second front? ›
Although he appreciated this support, the Soviet leader Josef Stalin constantly pressured his allies to start a Second Front in the war which would relieve pressure on his forces in the east.
Stalin pressed the Allies to open a second front against Hitler in Europe. Concluding that this action would be militarily unsound for them to attempt in 1942, England and the U.S. chose instead to invade North Africa.
Why did the Soviet Union distrust the US and Britain during ww2? ›
Explanation: The Soviet Union's proclaimed goal was worldwide communism. Due to this, there had been no trust from the start between the two countries.
Why was the Soviet Union upset with the Western Allies? ›
The Allies had ignored all of Stalin's appeals for a Second Front in 1942 and 1943, and had delayed invading France until 1944. This made Stalin very suspicious. He believed that they had wanted to destroy Russia by fighting Germany on its own.
What issues were the Big Three considering at Yalta? ›
The issues over which they 'argued freely' included: what to do with Germany after it was defeated; punishing war criminals; ensuring the swiftest possible defeat of Germany's ally Japan; the setting up of a United Nations Organisation; the future of countries liberated from Nazi rule, in particular the future of ...
How did the Soviet Union violate the Yalta agreement? ›
Bogomolov of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, implicitly acknowledged that the Kremlin had violated the Yalta agreement's promise of free elections in the six nations--Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria--that became Soviet buffers from the Baltic to the Aegean.
What was the fundamental disagreement between the United States and the Soviet Union? ›
The fundamental disagreement was the by now familiar East/West divide, with the Soviet Union and its allies preferring to view the covenant as a document fundamentally about economic and social rights, while the United States and its allies continued to view political and civil rights as the essential human rights.
How did the relationship between the US and Soviet Union change after ww2? ›
As World War II transformed both the United States and the USSR, turning the nations into formidable world powers, competition between the two increased. Following the defeat of the Axis powers, an ideological and political rivalry between the United States and the USSR gave way to the start of the Cold War.
Why did the US and the USSR become angry with each other at the Yalta Conference? ›
At the Yalta Conference (Feb 1945), tension was growing. At Potsdam (Jul 1945) Russia and America openly disagreed about how to divide Germany, the size of reparations, and Poland. Russia's salami tactics in eastern Europe (1945–48) caused great suspicion – it seemed as if Stalin was building a Russian empire.
Why was the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union strained after the Yalta Conference? ›
While a number of important agreements were reached at the conference, tensions over European issues—particularly the fate of Poland—foreshadowed the crumbling of the Grand Alliance that had developed between the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union during World War II and hinted at the Cold War to come.
What were the most important reasons for the breakup of the Grand Alliance? ›
The differences between the USA and the USSR started to re-emerge even before the end of the war. Both countries were worried about the other nation's aims and this worry led to an increase in fear and suspicion. This would lead to the breakdown of the wartime alliance and eventually turned into outright hostility.
Reasons for alliance failure
- Differences in culture.
- Incompatible objectives.
- Lack of executive commitment.
- Ineffective governance structure.
- Poor alliance leadership.
- Overestimated market potential.
The Cold War began after the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945, when the uneasy alliance between the United States and Great Britain on the one hand and the Soviet Union on the other started to fall apart.
Do alliances make war more likely? ›
Summary: Even nations can have friends of friends, a new study has found. Results suggest these indirect relationships have a surprisingly strong ability to prevent major conflicts, and that international military alliances may matter more than we typically expect.
Do alliances encourage war? ›
Alliances Deter War and Promote Peace
A number of important studies examining the relationship between alliances and war found that military alliances are actually more often associated with peace in the system (e.g. Singer and Small 1968; Levy 1981).
How do alliances affect war? ›
Alliances are typically reciprocal, in that countries promise to defend each other in the event of attack. Countries and their citizens profit from having allies, for example, because alliances deter foreign aggression.
Was the alliance system successful? ›
During Bismarck's time in office, the alliance system that resulted from his policy successfully preserved the peace between the major European powers and prevented Germany's neighbors from drawing up alliances against it.
Did the alliance system help prevent war? ›
Alliances provided European states with a measure of protection. They served as a means of guarding or advancing national interests while acting as a deterrent to war. They were particularly important for Europe's smaller or less powerful states.
What are the benefits of an alliance system? ›
Alliances help firms strengthen their competitive position by enhancing market power, increasing efficiencies, accessing new or critical resources or capabilities, and entering new markets.
Did Roosevelt and Churchill agree with Stalin? ›
The Yalta Conference ended in a compromise. Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to Stalin's demands regarding Poland and the United Nations. Stalin, in return, agreed to hold elections in Poland so its people could choose their own government. He also agreed to declare war against Japan shortly after the German surrender.
What were the differences of opinion among Churchill Roosevelt and Stalin regarding future? ›
What were the differences of opinion among Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin regarding Poland's future? Roosevelt+Churchill wanted the Poles to be free to choose own gov. What compromises about Poland's new gov. did Stalin agree to make at the end of the war?
The three battles: (1) What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. (2) I expect that the battle of Britain is about to begin. (3) Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilisation.
What is the main message of Churchill's speech? ›
The title of his speech was “The Sinews of Peace," but its primary message was that the United States and Great Britain needed to confront an increasingly aggressive Soviet Union.
What was FDR Churchill and Stalin's plan for Germany after ww2? ›
Division of Germany
At Yalta, the Big Three agreed that after Germany's unconditional surrender, it would be divided into four post-war occupation zones, controlled by U.S., British, French and Soviet military forces. The city of Berlin would also be divided into similar occupation zones.
How did FDR feel about ww2? ›
Franklin Roosevelt gave a radio address to Americans on the same day, deploring the commencement of war while laying the blame on Nazi aggression. In a careful balancing act, he tried to arouse American indignation at Hitler's effort to dominate Europe while pledging his adherence to the Neutrality Act passed in 1937.
