ASSESS THE REASONS FOR THE BREAKDOWN OF WARTIME ALLIANCES BETWEEN THE USA, BRITAIN AND SOVIET UNION IN 1945

Another factor that proceeded to cause a problem in wartime alliances was the mutual fear between the two countries. As previously mentioned both America and the USSR were very aware of the threats the other held, they were the two most powerful countries after WW2 which led to a power vacuum in Europe. Former great powers were no longer capable of dominating the World, both countries wanted to fill this space and a collision was said to be inevitable, they were both striving for the source aim. The difference to the last factor is that regardless of their contrasting ideologies, the same situation would have appeared as both countries were trying to achieve the same thing. The mutual fear didn’t only stem from the power vacuum but actions before and after WW2. During WW2 the USSR had signed a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany therefore worrying the USA as they saw this as a threat to their power in Europe. On the other hand the USSR had suffered tremendously during the war (2.5 million killed, 1700 cities ruined) and Stalin believed they had been treated badly which led to a Soviet sense of entitlement that not everybody agreed to. Stalin and the USSR were also considerably known for a sense of paranoia and need for security due to Russia having being invaded twice already. Stalin’s paranoia caused problems in relationship due to the miscommunication, America saw Stalin’s need for security as a way of dominating Europe whereas Stalin was more concerned with protecting the USSR than World domination. This epitomised the lack of understanding the countries had for each other and led to long term problems such as the Berlin Crisis and Atomic Bomb.  The mutual fear between the countries was a bigger reason for the breakdown of the wartime alliances in 1945. This is because the mutual fear meant the countries weren’t able to establish and negotiate problems effectively which led to them trying to deceive each other.

The change in leaders during 1945 also affected the breakdown in wartime alliance. During WW2, Roosevelt had a working relationship with Stalin that relied on negotiation and compromise. However when Truman replaced Roosevelt he believed that there needed to be a much more hard-line approach. Truman was considered to be inexperienced especially when looking at foreign policy and many people pressured him in to making changes; because of this he approached the Soviet Union with an aggressive and hostile attitude. Truman pursued the policy of Containment which attempted to stop Communism spreading. New leaders also meant that the decisions previously made weren’t agreed on, such as for the USSR to take a part of Poland or the Eastern European boundaries. Atlee also replaced Churchill meaning that Stalin was the only original member remaining and believed he had the largest say at the Potsdam conference. A large contributing factor to the breakdown of the wartime alliance was Truman hiding the development of the Atomic bomb from Stalin. Stalin wasn’t included even though he technically should have been due to them being wartime alliances. Overall this was one of the largest causes of tension because Stalin didn’t understand why they had refused to include him and felt they were likely to use the atomic bomb against him as they now had the advantage. On the other hand, the USA and Britain saw the Iron Curtain as a way of isolating the West and felt they needed security too. This is the largest reason the wartime alliances broke down because the change in leaders were the catalysts of the Cold War. Truman’s attitude was the reason that the wartime alliances broke down because he was unwilling to communicate and involve the USSR meaning Stalin became less trusting and also started to work against the USA.  

Another factor that added to the breakdown of the wartime alliance was the difference in the actions at the Yalta and Potsdam conferences. During the Yalta conference, Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill decided on the unconditional surrender of Germany, they then divided in to four occupation zones. They introduced a Polish eastern border to follow the Curzon line and Stalin agreed to hold free elections throughout. USSR was to declare War on Japan and Germany was supposed to be demilitarised and denazified. However as shown at the Potsdam conference not all promises were fulfilled, such as, Stalin refused to allow exiled members of the Polish party in to the new government. Potsdam focused on the details of the boundaries between the zones and this caused conflict as new leader Truman didn’t believe Stalin was serious about working as a partnership and was more interested in looking after himself and the USSR. America and Britain were also alarmed as countries in Eastern Europe were becoming more and more communist. The Potsdam conference was important as it sowed the seeds for the future discontent between the free powers and the Russians. Stalin wanted the allied powers to recognise the governments of Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania which were then laboured under Russian Control. The Yalta and Potsdam conferences did add to the breakdown in wartime alliances because the Atomic bomb and breaking of promises made each country fear each other more so. However it is arguable that if Roosevelt had still been in power then there would have been no disagreement or breakdown because of the decisions already made and the working relationship.

In conclusion the main reason for the breakdown in the wartime alliance was the change in leaders. Truman felt that he needed to prove himself and therefore fought so hard for power that he no longer considered the consequences. This combined with Stalin’s paranoia meant the communication between the countries broke down even further and the already built up hostility therefore turned to fear.