However, the three countries could not have been more contrasted in their ideology. USSR, as a communist state, had no free elections, no freedom of speech with the entire population working under the state. Britain and USA were Capitalist countries, and so believed in freedom of vote and right to run ones own business and spend money how they saw fit. The complete contrasts led to great hostilities between the two ideologies, especially USSR and USA as is shown in the Cold War. Both were weary of each others beliefs and sometimes openly aggressive in speech towards each other, especially Stalin and Churchill, who, as previous mentioned, had hoped to persuade the House of Commons to launch an attack on USSR at the start of the war for their attack against Finland.
Despite both being Capitalist countries, there was also contrasts in ideology and much tension between USA and Britain. The most notable conflict was Britain’s policy of imperialism and the their threat to “self-determination”. USA did not approve of empire, and called for the freedom of all countries, following the fourteen points made by Woodrow Wilson in 1919, especially as USA had once been a British colony. USA disliked how Britain used force to put down resistance by natives in the empire rather than granting them the independence they desired.
Lord Halifax was sent to Washington to try and persuade the USA to join the war. President Roosevelt sympathised with the British and had been in correspondence with Churchill since 1939 which was the start of a gradual change from isolationism towards war. The first sign of USA entry into the war was in late 1939 had persuaded the Republican Congress who were pro-isolationism, to allow the Allies to purchase arms on a “cash and carry” basis. However, the American public opinion in 1939 was very much in favour of isolationism despite the general sympathy for the British, with the losses during World War I still in their minds.
Following the fall of France, Roosevelt tried to help the British further by supplying 50 old destroyers in exchange for British possessions in the West Indies, and in 1941 signed the Lend Lease Bill which gave Britain large amounts of much needed American resources.
This was in complete contrast to the British-USSR relationship at the time, with USSR giving the British no sympathy. USSR had little to gain from Britain for breaking the alliance with Germany and therefore there looked little chance of an Russian attack of Germany. It was German-Soviet relations, which gave Britain hope, notably the exclusion of the USSR from the Axis Agreement, and Hitler’s desire for lebensraum in the east.
On 22nd June 1941, Hitler launched “Operation Barbarosa” which would be the start of the change in relationship between USSR and Britain, and within weeks they had concluded an agreement for mutual assistance. British aid was sent to USSR in the forms of military equipment although little could be sent because there was no direct route and Britain herself was short of military supplies.
President Roosevelt extended the Lend-lease to Russia, and in August 1941, Churchill and Roosevelt met off Placentia Bay and agreed to the Atlantic Charter, which was joint set of principles. Importantly, in this charter, America committed itself to the “final destruction of the Nazi tyranny.” For Churchill, the charter was a success as USA was edging closer towards entering the war with Roosevelt saying he would wage war but not declare it, and sending US troops onto Iceland in preparation. However, this charter was very vague due to the differences of opinion of the “freedoms” of countries, which again shows the conflicts between the two over the British Empire.
The British-USSR relationship, however, despite the mutual assistance, did not improve much as it was very much an alliance of convenience. USSR internal and external policies were determined by Stalin’s personality, which made relationships between the two countries very strained due to Stalin’s relationship with Churchill, who previously had openly despised USSR and Stalin. Churchill had said privately that “If Hitler invaded Hell, I would at least make a favourable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons”, which shows how desperate he was for an ally, no matter who it was. It seemed he did not care how the Red Army were faring, but was just pleased that there was a second front, therefore deflecting the weight of the German army away from Britain.
Stalin hoped the alliance would benefit USSR with Britain opening a second front and granting him their previous acquisitions between 1939-40, which would contravene with the Atlantic Charter. This was the main cause of friction between the two countries and Britain refused both claims, despite Churchill’s desire to launch an attack in Norway or Normandy, upon the advice of its high-ranking Generals. Churchill rejected Russia’s claims over the Baltic States declaring that they “were acquired by acts of aggression in shameful collusion with Hitler” and that the transfer of their peoples against their will would be “contrary to all the principles for which we are fighting this war.” However, despite this in May 1942, Britain and Russia signed a long-term alliance.
After the signing of the treaty, Molotov, the Soviet Foreign Minister, again tried to persuade USA and USSR to open a second front, which again was rejected. However, despite Stalin disappointment at this news, he was impressed by Churchill’s talk of strategic bombing and the proposal of landings in North Africa. Despite their suspicions other each other, the two leaders began to establish a working relationship.
Not only was Britain relying on America for economic support from 1939-41, but also for them to deter Japan from exploiting the withdrawal of many troops from British colonies in the Far East, to fight in Europe. However, despite this heavy reliance, decisions were made jointly by the two, for example the decision to freeze all of Japanese. This showed that USA still considered Britain as a powerful ally as they gave them the right to make policy.
On 7th December 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour. The attack destroyed a large part of the US fleet, and immediately after Japan declared war on both USA and Britain. This was followed on 11th December when German and Italy declared war on USA. This led to a meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill where they jointly agreed on a ‘Europe First’ policy, again showing that Britain was seen as a world power. However, as USA began to mobilise, harnessing her vast resources for war, it was inevitable that Britain would be the weakest of three powers.
However, in 1943, it can be seen that Churchill and Britain still had influence over its allies, especially USA. Following Germany’s defeat at the hands of USSR at Stalingrad in January 1943, Russian troops began to advance westward back towards Germany. Again they pressed for the opening of a second front, as they were losing millions of men in the fighting. There was great public belief in USA and Britain that the second front should be opened and Churchill and Roosevelt argued over the matter. Roosevelt like many Americans in 1943 was suspicious of Churchill’s motives for attacking Hitler’s “underbelly”, believing it to be an attempt to safeguard British colonies in the Mediterranean and North Africa. Churchill was weary of a sea borne attack and resisted pressure and instead formulated an attack on Sicily and Italy which was put into plan in July 1943, despite Roosevelt’s reservations, showing that Churchill still played a vital role in determining Allied strategy. The reason for this can be seen by the fact that British forces in Europe still outnumbered the Americans, and weight of numbers tended to determine weight of influence.
USSR was driving Germany back through Eastern Europe which meant a decision needed to be made on the future of Poland. Stalin was demanding that Russia kept the land gained from the Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939 and insisting Poland took land from a defeated Germany in compensation. However, Britain failed in its attempts to negotiate this with the exiled Polish government, creating much tension over its future between the three powers.
The Katyn Massacre only increased this tension, with Hitler and Stalin blaming each other, and despite believing that Hitler was telling the truth, he ignored the situation to the annoyance of the exiled Polish government, in favouring of keeping on good terms with Stalin.
On the whole however relationship between the Allies was good and the first meeting of the three leaders at Tehran was largely successful and good-humoured. However underneath the surface simmered suspicions about post-war intentions and the Soviet human rights.
Tehran was, though, something of a turning point in British diplomatic relations. It was becoming apparant at Tehran that Churchill no longer was in the same league as Stalin and Roosevelt. Roosevelt showed that he was prepared to deal directly with Stalin and so cut Churchill out of the procedure. British influence amongst the Allies was beginning to wane
In November 1943, the Teheran Conference took place, the first conference attended by Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. Upon the surface the conference was a success. However, this was the turning point in the relations between USSR and USA, and Britain and tensions were clearly growing, over post war plans for Europe especially Poland and Germany and Soviet atrocities in the East. The conference could also be seen as the turning point in Britain’s influence as Roosevelt began to isolate Churchill from decision-making and deal directly with Stalin, showing that Churchill’s influence was declining.
However, Churchill did still wield some influence and managed to reach an agreement personally with Stalin over Eastern Europe with the exception of Poland. Churchill claimed back in Britain that the relationship had never been so strong and Stalin showed the strength of the relationship by refusing to back Greek communists due to the Moscow agreement.
Churchill was still scared of Russian ambitions in Eastern Europe, especially after Russian actions in Warsaw when they refused to help revolting Poles fight the Germans, and due to his lack of influence over Roosevelt, he desired another ally who would stand with Britain against USSR. He wanted a resurrected France, especially with the possibility that US troops might be withdrawn from Europe at the end of the year, and he and Roosevelt agreed to an invasion of France in May 1944.
Roosevelt was re-elected in November 1944 and called for a conference at Yalta. The three leaders met there in February 1945. Churchill again asserted some influence when he persuaded the other two that France should be granted one of the proposed sections of Germany. The Conference was very successful for Stalin, who was rapidly gaining power in the East. He succeeded in fixing the eastern frontiers to what he had proposed long before. Again it seemed that Churchill did not carry enough influence and could not persuade a dying Roosevelt to take a tougher line, who seemingly wanted a quick end to the war.
American forces in Europe now outnumbered those British, and Churchill’s power was gradually reducing and in March 1945 he pressed for Allied forces to capture Berlin ahead of the Russians but Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces General Eisenhower, which suggests that he now carried very little standing with the Americans.
The final reduction of influence of Britain came in the late stages of the war. In April 1945, President Roosevelt died and was replaced by his vice-president, Harry Truman. Truman had a much tougher stance on communism and did not have as good as a relationship that Roosevelt and Churchill enjoyed. Truman had little time for the views of Churchill and instead decided to negotiate with Stalin alone especially now that America had the power of the Atom Bomb, which was revealed to Stalin at the Potsdam Conference.
In July 1945, a General Election in Britain was called following Victory in Europe, and was won by the Labour party after a lack-lustre campaign fought by Churchill as he was pre-occupied with concerns over the USSR, as he was replaced by Lement Atlee. Due to Churchill’s absence, the Potsdam Conference was dominated by the rivalry between Stalin and Truman as they disagreed over Germany’s future, reparations and Eastern Europe with Britain having very little say.
The war ended with the West concerned over Russia’s position in Europe and fearful it would lead to yet another war, while Russia was equally suspicious of the west, especially because of the power they had with the Atomic Bomb. These fears would lead to the Cold War which would last for much of the remainder of the twentieth century.
Britain’s relationships with her allies were constantly changing throughout the war. Her relationship with France and Poland was ended by the great success of Germany’s blitzkrieg tactics, which forced them to look for allies or face the Germans alone. Its relationship with Russia was particularly varied, changing from potential enemies in 1939 to allies in 1942. The reason for this was because of Britain’s inability to face a Nazi Europe alone and therefore accepting any alliance, which could be made. Britain’s relationship steadier with USA, although their standing with the America declined sharply near the end of the war and they become very much so the weaker ally.