The reasons for the creation of the anti-Hitler coalition point by point. Creation and activities of the anti-Hitler coalition. History of the association, actions

The main stages of creating the anti-Hitler coalition

Meetings of the Big Three.

As a result of Germany's aggression against the USSR, the international situation changed: England, which previously stood alone against Germany, now has an ally. In the first days of the war, British Prime Minister W. Churchill, who was a supporter of an uncompromising fight against Germany, declared his readiness to support the Soviet Union. The United States also expressed its readiness to provide assistance. In the summer and autumn of 1941, there was an active diplomatic rapprochement between the allied countries. The Soviet Union joined the Atlantic Charter adopted by the United States and England, which for the first time outlined the goals of the participation of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition in the war. On the side of the three states there was undeniable superiority in human and material resources. Now much depended on the ability and desire of these powers to manage them and coordinate their actions.

The official entry of the United States into World War II on December 8, 1941 significantly influenced the balance of forces in the world conflict and contributed to the completion of the creation of the anti-Hitler coalition.

On January 1, 1942, 26 states signed the Declaration of the United Nations , by adhering to the purposes and principles set out in the Atlantic Charter. The governments of the allied countries took upon themselves the obligation to direct all their resources against the members of the Tripartite Pact, and also not to conclude a separate truce or peace with their enemies.

For the USSR, victory was associated with the need to defeat the gigantic military power of Germany and liberate a vast territory. Due to differences in tasks, the timing, path and price of victory for each side became different.

The anti-Hitler coalition was internally contradictory. Great Britain and the USA were no less afraid of the Stalinist regime than they were of the Hitlerite regime, and sought to weaken the USSR as much as possible during the war.

The contradictions in the anti-Hitler coalition are most clearly visible in the issue of opening a second front. Of course, not a single country - neither the USSR nor its allies - could fight on two fronts. But for the allies it was about fighting far from their territory, and for us it was about saving the Motherland. That is why from the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War I.V. Stalin began to insistently demand that the allies open a second front in Europe, which did not find support either in London or in Washington.

However, W. Churchill and F. Roosevelt could not help but take into account the real situation. So, in April 1942, F. Roosevelt wrote to W. Churchill: “The Russians today are killing more Germans and destroying more equipment than you and me combined.” On June 11, 1942, the Soviet-American agreement “On the principles applicable to mutual assistance in waging war against aggression” was signed. Great Britain and the United States committed to opening a second front in 1942 and a few days later changed this deadline to exactly a year. In the most difficult months for the USSR, 1942 - 1943. the second front was not opened. This led to a colossal strain on all the forces, means and resources of our country, and the death of millions of people.

The offensive of the Red Army, the successful fight against Japan in the Pacific, and Italy's withdrawal from the war determined the need to coordinate actions. From November 28 to December 1, 1943 . A meeting between I. Stalin, F. Roosevelt, and W. Churchill took place in Tehran. The main issue remained the opening of a second front. W. Churchill proposed a landing in the Balkans, I. Stalin - in Northern France, from where the shortest route to the German border opened up. F. Roosevelt supported Stalin, since America was interested in quickly transferring all forces to the fight against Japan. As a result, it was decided to open a second front no later than May 1944. At the conference, the Soviet Union agreed to enter the war with Japan after the end of the war in Europe.

Towards the end of the war, contradictions intensified in the anti-Hitler coalition regarding its completion in general and the post-war structure of the world. On February 4-11, 1945, a new meeting of the “Big Three” took place in Crimea. I. Stalin demanded that the allies recognize their new borders in the West, transfer to the USSR the largest zone of occupation in Germany, the territories captured by Japan in 1905. In return, the Soviet Union undertook the obligation to break the neutrality pact with Japan and strike a blow at the Kwantung Army, which was in the interests of F. Roosevelt, since it could hasten the defeat of Japan and significantly save US human resources. At the conference, a decision was made on the trial of Nazi criminals and the creation of a new international organization - the United Nations (UN) to maintain peace and ensure the security of peoples. The last meeting of the Big Three was Potsdam Conference July 17 - 2 August 1945 G.(instead of F. Roosevelt, G. Truman was present at it; during the conference, W. Churchill was replaced by C. Attlee), at which the decisions developed in Crimea were confirmed. However, the negotiations were conducted from a position of strength, which gave rise to many new contradictions and created the conditions for the onset of the Cold War.

With the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II, military cooperation between the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition also ended.

The American and British sides understood that the Soviet Union was ready to do everything possible to defeat the aggressor, and therefore in August 1941 they came out with the most serious intentions to provide us with economic assistance. In October 1941, the United States provided the USSR with a loan in the amount of $1 billion based on the law on the transfer of loans or leases of weapons. England took upon itself the obligation to organize the supply of aircraft and tanks.

In total, according to the American Lend-Lease law extended to our country (it was adopted by the US Congress back in March 1941 and provided for assistance to other countries with raw materials and weapons in the interests of US defense), during the war years the Soviet Union received from the US 14.7 thousand. airplanes, 7 thousand tanks, 427 thousand cars, food and other materials. The USSR received 2 million 599 thousand tons of petroleum products, 422 thousand field telephones, over 15 million pairs of shoes, 4.3 tons of food. In response to the assistance provided, during the war years the Soviet Union supplied the United States with 300 thousand tons of chrome ore, 32 thousand tons of manganese ore, a large amount of platinum, gold, and furs. From the beginning of the war to April 30, 1944, 3,384 aircraft, 4,292 tanks were received from England, and 1,188 tanks came from Canada. In historical literature, there is a point of view that the supply of goods by the allies during the entire war amounted to 4% of the volume of Soviet industry. During the war years, many political leaders in the United States and England recognized the insignificance of supplies of military materials. However, the indisputable fact is that they became not only material, but, above all, political and moral support for our country in the most tragic months of the war, when the Soviet Union was gathering decisive forces on the Soviet-German front, and Soviet industry was not able to provide the Red Army everything you need.

In the Soviet Union there has always been a tendency to underestimate allied supplies under Lend-Lease. American sources estimate allied assistance at $11-12 billion. The supply problem gave rise to copious correspondence at the highest levels, the tone of which was often quite caustic. The Allies accused the USSR of “ungratefulness” because its propaganda was completely silent about foreign assistance. For its part, the Soviet Union suspected the allies of intending to substitute a material contribution for the opening of a second front. So, Soviet soldiers jokingly called the American stew they liked “second front.”

In fact, Lend-Lease supplies of finished goods, semi-finished products and food provided significant economic support.

After Germany signed the surrender, the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition abandoned the Yalta plans for its division. A control council consisting of the commanders-in-chief of the Allied armed forces was supposed to regulate life in the four zones of Berlin. The new agreement on the German question, signed in Potsdam in July 1945, provided for the complete disarmament and demilitarization of Germany, the dissolution of the NSDAP and the condemnation of war criminals, and the democratization of the administration of Germany. Still united in the fight against Nazism, the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition had already embarked on the path of splitting Germany.

The new balance of power in the post-war world objectively made Germany an ally of the West in the fight against communism, widespread in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, so the Western powers began to speed up the recovery of the German economy, which led to the unification of the American and British occupation zones. Thus, the contradictions and ambitions of the former allies led to the tragedy of an entire people. The division of Germany was overcome only after more than 40 years.

Related information.

The outbreak of war required the USSR to seek support from other countries. It was necessary to look for allies to jointly fight fascism and create an anti-Hitler coalition.

Anti-Hitler coalition - an alliance of countries that joined forces to fight Nazi Germany and its allies.

Prerequisites for creation:

1. general threat of fascist enslavement.

2. sympathy for the just liberation struggle of the peoples of the USSR and the desire to provide support. June 22, 1941 - British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, in an address to the British on the radio, announced his readiness to support the Soviet Union. June 23 – US President Roosevelt made the same statement.

The creation of the anti-Hitler coalition was not easy, since there were difficulties:

Objective.

Different social systems (socialism and capitalism, democracy and totalitarianism).

Different goals of the war (for the USSR - the defeat of Germany, and England and the USA - to weaken both Germany and the USSR).

The desire of the United States to play a leading role in world politics and economics.

Economic difficulties of England, which entered the war on September 3, 1939 and suffered economic losses due to bombing.

Subjective.

Until June 1941, the USSR was an ally of Germany and an aggressor country. This caused concern.

Distrust of Stalin.

Stages of creating an anti-Hitler coalition:

I. England and the USSR are taking the first steps towards rapprochement (the danger is more real for England). July 12, 1941 - a cooperation agreement was signed, according to which the countries undertake to help each other and not conduct separate negotiations with Germany. England provides us with a loan of 20 million pounds sterling. The United States also announced its readiness to provide economic assistance in early August.

II. September 1941 - an international conference in England in London adopted the Atlantic Charter on the goals of the joint struggle against fascist aggression. At first it was signed by England and the USA, later the USSR joined.

III. September 29 - October 1, 1941 - a conference of 3 countries - England, the USSR and the USA - was held in Moscow, where a decision was made on the Anglo-American supply of weapons and strategic materials to the USSR, and the USSR - raw materials for military production. These deliveries began on November 7, 1941, and went through Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, the Far East, and Iran. The USA provides us with a loan of 1 billion dollars and includes us in the Lend-Lease law. Lend-Lease – supplies of military equipment, food, medicine, weapons on loan or on loan to the United States to its allies and countries within their sphere of interests. During the war years, we were supplied with 22 thousand aircraft, 13 thousand tanks, 427 thousand trucks, 4.3 million tons of food, etc. - worth 14 billion dollars. These deliveries amounted to 10-12% of military production and were very timely.

IV. December 7, 1941- The United States enters the war after Japan attacks the Pearl Harbor naval base. Now they are also interested in military cooperation. January 1, 1942- in Washington, 26 states (England, the USSR, the USA, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, China, etc.) signed the Declaration of the United Nations, according to which the participants pledged to use all means to fight the enemy, cooperate with each other and not conclude a truce or separate peace with hostile countries.

V. May - June 1942 - bilateral treaties were signed on the war against Germany and its allies in Europe and on cooperation and mutual assistance after the war.

Thus, the anti-Hitler coalition was basically created. By the end of the war, it included about 50 states. For us, the main task is to achieve the opening of a second front in Europe.

At this meeting, representatives of three countries - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain - signed a protocol on mutual supplies for the period October 1, 1941 - June 30, 1942. The USA and Great Britain pledged to supply to the USSR monthly 400 aircraft, 500 tanks, anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, vehicles, as well as aluminum and other metals. The Soviet Union accepted an obligation to supply the Anglo-American side with large quantities of raw materials for the needs of military production. However, delivery deadlines were often missed (Fig. 9.1).

Signed on January 1 in Washington by representatives of Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, Greece, Dominican Republic, India, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, El Salvador, USSR, USA, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and the Union of South Africa. These states pledged to cooperate in the fight against the fascist states, using all their resources for this purpose. The declaration of 26 states could be joined by other countries that provided or could provide material assistance and assistance in the struggle for victory over Hitlerism.

Subsequently, the states that signed the declaration and acceded to it transformed into the United Nations (UN).

3. Anglo-Soviet and Soviet-American negotiations 1942

An important step towards uniting the anti-Hitler coalition was the signing of the Anglo-Soviet treaty on May 26, 1942 and the Soviet-American treaty on June 11, 1942 on an alliance in the war against Nazi Germany, cooperation and mutual assistance.

At negotiations between the USSR, the USA and Great Britain, an agreement was reached on the creation of a second front in Western Europe in 1942. Its timely opening could significantly speed up the defeat of the fascist bloc, reduce the duration of the war and the number of its losses. However, the ruling circles of the USA and Great Britain avoided fulfilling their obligations. Soon after the negotiations, they made a unilateral decision to postpone the opening of a second front to 1943. Instead of creating a second front, Anglo-American troops landed in North Africa in 1942, and in 1943 in Sicily and Southern Italy, where they diverted only a minor part of the forces of the Nazi Wehrmacht (about 6-7%).

Rice. 9.1.

It developed the Declaration of Four States (USSR, USA, Great Britain and China) on the issue of universal security. The determination of these countries to wage war until the unconditional surrender of the enemy and to establish an international organization was proclaimed. The question of measures to shorten the duration of the war was also considered. The “Declaration on the Responsibility of the Nazis for the Atrocities Committed,” signed by J.V. Stalin, F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill, was published. This Declaration subsequently became the basis for the prosecution and punishment of war criminals.

It was attended by the leaders of three allied powers - the USSR, the USA, and Great Britain. At the insistence of the Soviet delegation, the main attention was paid to military issues, primarily the opening of a second front in Europe. The USA and Great Britain pledged to open a second front in France by May 1, 1944 (opened on June 6, 1944). The Soviet Union stated that the Red Army would launch an offensive around this time. The conference confirmed the possibility of cooperation between states with different social systems in solving international problems and thwarted the calculations of fascist diplomacy for a split between the allies.

The Soviet delegation, meeting the wishes of the allied governments, and also taking into account Japan's repeated violations of the Soviet-Japanese neutrality treaty of 1941, stated that the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan when the German army was completely defeated.

The conference also discussed issues of post-war peace and security of nations.

In the “Declaration of the Three Powers” ​​adopted on December 1, 1943, the conference participants declared full agreement “... regarding the scale and timing of the operations that will be undertaken from the east, west and south.” The leaders of the three powers exchanged views on the creation of an international security organization after the war.

6. Crimean Conference 1945

Took place on February 4-11 in Livadia (near Yalta). In history it is also known as the Yalta Conference. At it, the military plans of the Allies were agreed upon for the final defeat of Nazi Germany, and their relations to Germany after its unconditional surrender were determined. The leaders of the three great powers I. Stalin, F. Roosevelt, W. Churchill agreed to convene a conference in the USA on April 25, 1945 with the aim of establishing the United Nations Organization and a permanent body under it - the Security Council - to maintain peace and security.

The agreement of the three great powers on the Far East provided for the entry of the Soviet Union into the war against Japan two to three months after the surrender of Germany and the end of the war in Europe. (Under the conditions of maintaining the status of the Mongolian People's Republic, the return of South Sakhalin and its adjacent islands to the USSR, and the transfer of the Kuril Islands.)

The Conference of the 50 founding states of the United Nations was convened to implement the decision of the Crimean Conference (1945). It went down in history as the Founding Conference of the UN. It discussed the draft UN Charter. Its discussion took place in an atmosphere of intense struggle between the USSR on the one hand, and the USA and England on the other. As a result of the persistent efforts of the Soviet delegation, a number of fundamental issues were positively resolved. The UN Charter, in particular, reflects the basic principles of peaceful coexistence and cooperation of states with different economic and social systems. As a result of the work of the conference of the founding states of the UN, their intention was proclaimed to save future generations from the scourge of war.

Thus, during the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union pursued an active foreign policy course and persistently fought to expand the collective struggle against fascism and militarism. The authority of our country in the international arena has grown significantly. If before the Great Patriotic War the USSR had diplomatic relations (with the exception of those interrupted after the outbreak of World War II) with 26 states, then at the end of 1945 - with 52. Governments and peoples listened to the voice of the Soviet Union, without its participation, essentially, Not a single problem affecting the fundamental interests of the world was solved.

• On December 7, 1941, the United States declared war on Japan and entered World War II. The reason was a sudden combined attack by Japanese carrier-based aircraft and midget submarines on the American naval and air bases of the Hawaiian Islands in the Pearl Harbor area in order to prevent the intervention of the US Pacific Fleet in Japanese operations in the south. Japanese air raids practically destroyed the warships and aircraft located at the bases.

• · Soviet-British agreement on joint actions in the war against Germany (July 12, 1941, Moscow)
• · Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers of the USSR, England and the USA (September 29 - October 1, 1941)
• · Signing of the Washington Declaration by 26 states on the aims of the war against fascism (January 1, 1942)
• · Soviet-British Treaty of Alliance in the War against Germany (May 26, 1942, London)
• · Soviet-American agreement on the principles of mutual assistance in waging war against aggression (June 11, Washington)
• · Soviet-French Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance (December 10, 1944, Moscow)

The anti-Hitler coalition was internally contradictory. Great Britain and the USA were no less afraid of the Stalinist regime than they were of the Hitlerite regime, and sought to weaken the USSR as much as possible during the war. The contradictions in the anti-Hitler coalition are most clearly visible in the issue of opening a second front. Of course, not a single country - neither the USSR nor its allies - could fight on two fronts. But for the allies it was about fighting far from their territory, and for us it was about saving the Motherland. That is why, from the very beginning of the Second World War, Stalin began to insistently demand the opening of a second front in Europe, which did not find support either in London or in Washington. However, Churchill and Roosevelt could not help but take the real situation into account. On June 11, 1942, the Soviet-American agreement “On the principles applicable to mutual assistance in waging war against aggression” was signed. Great Britain and the USA committed to opening a second front in 1942 and a few days later changed this deadline to exactly a year. In the most difficult months for the USSR, 1942 - 1943, the second front was not opened. This led to a colossal strain on all the forces, means and resources of our country, and the death of millions of people. The American and British sides understood that the Soviet Union was ready to do everything possible to defeat the aggressor, and therefore in August 1941 they came out with the most serious intentions to provide us with economic assistance.

Development by the allies of global strategic decisions on the post-war reconstruction of the world (Tehran, Yalta, Potsdam conferences)

The Tehran Conference is the first conference of the “Big Three” during the Second World War - the leaders of three countries: F. D. Roosevelt (USA), W. Churchill (Great Britain) and J. V. Stalin (USSR), held in Tehran 27 November -- December 1, 1943.

In addition to Tehran, options for holding the conference in Cairo (at Churchill’s suggestion), Istanbul or Baghdad were considered. As was his custom, Stalin refused to fly anywhere by plane. He left for the conference on November 22, 1943. His letter train No. 501 proceeded through Stalingrad and Baku. Stalin was traveling in an armored spring twelve-wheeler carriage.

In the memoirs of Air Marshal Golovanov there are references to the flight of Stalin and all the Russian representatives of this conference, prepared by him personally. Two planes were flying. Golovanov personally controlled the second. The first, piloted by Viktor Grachev, carried Stalin, Molotov and Voroshilov.

The conference was called upon to develop a final strategy for the fight against Germany and its allies. The conference became an important stage in the development of international and inter-allied relations; a number of issues of war and peace were considered and resolved at it:

• · An exact date has been set for the Allies to open a second front in France (and the “Balkan strategy” proposed by Great Britain has been rejected)
• · Issues regarding granting independence to Iran (“Declaration on Iran”) were discussed
• · A beginning has been made for resolving the Polish question.
• · About the beginning of the USSR war with Japan after the defeat of Nazi Germany
• · The contours of the post-war world order were outlined
• · A unity of views has been achieved on issues of ensuring international security and lasting peace

The main issue was the opening of a second front in Western Europe.

“After much debate, the Overlord issue has reached a dead end. Then Stalin rose from his chair and, turning to Voroshilov and Molotov, said with irritation: “We have too much to do at home to waste time here. Nothing worthwhile, as I see it, is working out.” The critical moment has arrived. Churchill understood this and, fearing that the conference might be disrupted, made a compromise.”

O. B. Rakhmanin

W. Churchill's proposal was accepted that Poland's claims to the lands of Western Belarus and Western Ukraine would be satisfied at the expense of Germany, and the Curzon line should be the border in the east. On November 30, a gala reception was held at the British Embassy to mark Churchill's birthday.

De facto, the right was assigned to the Soviet Union to annex part of East Prussia as an indemnity after the victory. Also, F. Roosevelt proposed dividing Germany into 5 states.

US President Roosevelt outlined at the conference the American point of view regarding the creation in the future of an international security organization, which he had already spoken about in general terms to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V.M. Molotov during his stay in Washington in the summer of 1942 and which was the subject of discussion between Roosevelt and British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden in March 1943. According to the scheme outlined by the president in a conversation with Stalin on November 29, 1943, after the end of the war it was proposed to create a world organization on the principles of the United Nations, and its activities did not include military issues, that is, it should not be similar to the League of Nations. The structure of the organization, according to Roosevelt, should have included three bodies:

• · a general body consisting of all (35 or 50) members of the United Nations, which will only make recommendations and will meet in different places where each country can express its opinion.
• · an executive committee consisting of the USSR, USA, Great Britain, China, two European countries, one Latin American country, one Middle Eastern country and one of the British dominions; The committee will deal with non-military issues.
• · a police committee consisting of the USSR, USA, Great Britain and China, which will monitor the preservation of peace in order to prevent new aggression from Germany and Japan.

Stalin called the scheme outlined by Roosevelt good, but expressed his fear that small European states might be dissatisfied with such an organization, and therefore expressed the opinion that it might be better to create two organizations (one for Europe, the other for the Far East or world ). Roosevelt pointed out that Stalin's point of view partially coincides with the opinion of Churchill, who proposes to create three organizations - European, Far Eastern and American. However, Roosevelt noted that the United States could not be a member of the European organization and that only a shock comparable to the current war could force the Americans to send their troops overseas.

Yalta (Crimean) Conference (February 4-11, 1945) - the second meeting of the leaders of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain - during the Second World War, dedicated to the establishment of the post-war world order. The conference took place at the Livadia (White) Palace in Yalta, Crimea, and became the last conference of the leaders of the Big Three anti-Hitler coalition in the pre-nuclear era.

Roosevelt was the first to raise the question of a new meeting of the Big Three leaders. In his message dated July 19, 1944 to Stalin, he wrote: “Since events are developing so rapidly and so successfully, I think that as soon as possible a meeting should be arranged between you, the Prime Minister and me. Mr. Churchill is completely with this idea. It would be best for me for the meeting to take place between September 10 and 15. I am currently touring the Far East and should be in Washington for a few weeks upon my return. The north of Scotland would be the point closest to half the distance between you and me. You could come either by ship or by plane, and I could go by ship.” On July 20, Churchill made a similar proposal to Stalin. The head of the Soviet government, in reply messages to Roosevelt and Churchill on July 22 and 26, also spoke out for the desirability of such a meeting. At the same time, he pointed out that at this time Soviet troops were conducting an offensive along the entire front line and it was impossible for him to leave the Soviet Union and leave leadership of the armies even for the shortest time.

All decisions of Yalta in general dealt with two problems:

Firstly, it was necessary to draw new state borders on the territory recently occupied by the Third Reich. At the same time, it was necessary to establish unofficial, but generally recognized by all sides, demarcation lines between the spheres of influence of the allies - a task that had begun in Tehran. Secondly, the allies understood perfectly well that after the disappearance of the common enemy, the forced unification of the West and the USSR would lose all meaning, and therefore it was necessary to create procedures to guarantee the invariability of the dividing lines drawn on the world map.

The USSR received the western border with Poland along the so-called Curzon Line, established back in 1920, with a deviation from it in some areas of 5 to 8 km in favor of Poland. In fact, the border returned to the position at the time of the division of Poland between Germany and the USSR in 1939 according to a secret additional protocol on the division of spheres of interest to the Non-Aggression Treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union, the main difference from which was the transfer of the Bialystok region to Poland.

A fundamental decision was made on the occupation and division of Germany into occupation zones and on the allocation of its own zone to France. The participants of the Yalta Conference stated that their adamant goal was to destroy German militarism and Nazism and create guarantees that “Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace,” “disarm and disband all German armed forces and destroy the German General Staff forever,” “ seize or destroy all German military equipment, liquidate or take control of all German industry that could be used for war production; subject all war criminals to fair and speedy punishment...; wipe out the Nazi Party, Nazi laws, organizations and institutions from the face of the earth; eliminate all Nazi and militaristic influence from public institutions, from the cultural and economic life of the German people." At the same time, the conference communiqué emphasized that after the eradication of Nazism and militarism, the German people will be able to take their rightful place in the community of nations.

The eternal Balkan issue was also discussed - in particular, the situation in Yugoslavia and Greece. It is believed that Stalin allowed Great Britain to decide the fate of the Greeks, as a result of which later clashes between communist and pro-Western forces in this country were decided in favor of the latter. On the other hand, it was actually recognized that power in Yugoslavia would go to Josip Broz Tito, who was recommended to take “democrats” into the government.

It was more difficult to resolve the issue of the structure of post-war Poland. Its outlines changed dramatically after World War II. Poland, which before the war was the largest country in Central Europe, sharply shrank and moved west and north. Until 1939, its eastern border was practically near Kiev and Minsk, and besides, the Poles owned the Vilna region, which became part of Lithuania. The western border with Germany was located east of the Oder, while most of the Baltic coast also belonged to Germany. In the east of the pre-war territory, the Poles were a national minority among Ukrainians and Belarusians, while part of the territories in the west and north inhabited by Poles was under German jurisdiction.

Although Poland had been under German rule for six years by that time, there was a provisional government of this country in exile in London, which was recognized by the USSR and therefore could well lay claim to power in its country after the end of the war. However, Stalin in Crimea managed to obtain from the allies agreement to create a new government in Poland itself “with the inclusion of democratic figures from Poland itself and Poles from abroad.” This decision, implemented in the presence of Soviet troops, allowed the USSR to later, without much difficulty, form a government friendly to it in Warsaw.

A fundamental decision was made on the occupation and division of Germany into occupation zones and on the allocation of its zone to France (March 1945).

A specific settlement of the issue regarding the zones of occupation of Germany was reached even before the Crimean Conference and was recorded in the “Protocol of the Agreement between the governments of the USSR, the USA and the United Kingdom on the zones of occupation of Germany and on the management of Greater Berlin” dated September 12, 1944.

This decision predetermined the split of the country for many decades. On May 23, 1949, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany, previously signed by representatives of the three Western powers, was put into effect. On September 7, 1949, the first session of the West German parliament proclaimed the creation of a new state (except for Alsace and Lorraine, which became part of France). In response, on October 7, 1949, the German Democratic Republic was formed on the territory of the Soviet occupation zone. There was also talk about the separation of East Prussia (later, after Potsdam, the current Kaliningrad region was created on 1/3 of this territory).

The participants of the Yalta Conference stated that their adamant goal was to destroy German militarism and Nazism and create guarantees that “Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace,” “disarm and disband all German armed forces and destroy the German General Staff forever,” “ seize or destroy all German military equipment, liquidate or take control of all German industry that could be used for war production; to subject all war criminals to fair and speedy punishment; wipe out the Nazi Party, Nazi laws, organizations and institutions from the face of the earth; eliminate all Nazi and militaristic influence from public institutions, from the cultural and economic life of the German people." At the same time, the conference communiqué emphasized that after the eradication of Nazism and militarism, the German people will be able to take their rightful place in the community of nations.

The eternal Balkan issue was also discussed - in particular, the situation in Yugoslavia and Greece. It is believed that back in October 1944, Stalin allowed Great Britain to decide the fate of the Greeks (see interest agreement), as a result of which later clashes between communist and pro-Western formations in this country were decided in favor of the latter. On the other hand, it was actually recognized that power in Yugoslavia would be given to the NOLA of Josip Broz Tito, who was recommended to take “democrats” into the government.

The Declaration of a Liberated Europe was also signed in Yalta, which determined the principles of the policy of the victors in the territories conquered from the enemy. It assumed, in particular, the restoration of the sovereign rights of the peoples of these territories, as well as the right of the allies to jointly “help” these peoples “improve conditions” for the exercise of these same rights.

Once again the issue of reparations was raised. However, the Allies were never able to finally determine the amount of compensation. It was only decided that the United States and Great Britain would give Moscow 50 percent of all reparations.

The fate of the Far East was fundamentally decided by a separate document. In exchange for entering the war with Japan, 2-3 months after the end of the war in Europe, the USSR received the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin, which had been lost in the Russian-Japanese War; Mongolia was recognized as an independent state. The Soviet side was also promised to lease Port Arthur and the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER).

The Yalta Conference of the leaders of the USA, USSR and Great Britain was of great historical significance. It was one of the largest international meetings of wartime, an important milestone in the cooperation of the powers of the anti-Hitler coalition in waging war against a common enemy. The adoption of agreed decisions at the conference again showed the possibility of cooperation between states with different social systems. This was one of the last conferences of the pre-atomic era.

The bipolar world created in Yalta and the division of Europe into East and West survived for more than 40 years, until the end of the 1980s.

The Potsdam Conference from July 17 to August 2, 1945 brought together at one negotiating table the leaders of the three allied states in World War II - the USA, the USSR and Great Britain. This was the third, but not the least important, event in which J.V. Stalin, G. Truman and W. Churchill took part. It is worth noting that the latter was in Potsdam only until July 28, and then the post of Prime Minister was taken by K. Attlee.

The Potsdam Conference in 1945 was complicated by the fact that the governments of the United States of America and Great Britain decided to do everything to ensure that the USSR was pushed east of the famous “Curzon Line”. There were even suggestions that a new war could break out between these two camps. Churchill made a proposal to begin military operations immediately after the end of Japan. Apparently, this is precisely what explained the slowness in the issue of withdrawing American troops from the territory of Germany, divided into two parts.

ANTI-HITLER COALITION, military-political union of states and peoples who fought in World War II 1939–45 against the aggressive bloc Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, militaristic Japan and their satellites.

At the end of 1941, the following were in a state of war with the aggressor bloc (the occupied countries were represented by governments in exile): Albania, Great Britain and its dominions (Australia, India, Canada, New Zealand, Union of South Africa), Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, Greece, Dominican Republic, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Poland, El Salvador, USSR, USA, Philippines, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Yugoslavia. In the 2nd half. In 1942, Brazil and Mexico entered the war against the Axis powers and their allies, in 1943 - Bolivia, Iraq, Iran, Colombia, Chile, in 1944 - Liberia. After Feb. 1945 Argentina, Venezuela, Egypt, Lebanon, Paraguay, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Uruguay joined the anti-Hitler coalition. Italy (in 1943), Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania (in 1944), and Finland (in 1945), which were previously part of the aggressive bloc, also declared war on the Axis powers. By the end of hostilities with Japan (September 1945), it was in a state of war with the Fascist countries. There were 56 states in the bloc.

Main participants anti-Hitler coalition– USSR, USA and Great Britain. Sov. The Union plays a decisive role in the defeat of Germany and its allies. The USA and Great Britain made a significant contribution to achieving victory over the common enemy. The armed forces of two other great powers - France and China - also participated in the defeat of the Nazis. block. Troops from Australia, Albania, Belgium, Brazil, India, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, the Philippines, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Yugoslavia and others took part in the hostilities. Individual states anti-Hitler coalition helped its main participants mainly with the supply of strategic raw materials. Combat ally anti-Hitler coalition was a resistance movement.

The first step towards the formation of an anti-Hitler coalition was the signing of the Atlantic Charter by US President F. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister W. Churchill on August 14, 1941. The document proclaimed the need to destroy Nazi tyranny and disarm the aggressor. Both sides announced their refusal of territorial and other acquisitions; on the inadmissibility of territorial changes without the consent of the peoples concerned; pledged to respect the right of peoples to choose their form of government and to seek the restoration of the sovereignty and self-government of those peoples deprived of this by force. Steps to formation anti-Hitler coalition were inspired by statements by Churchill (22.6.1941) and Roosevelt (24.6.1941) about support for the USSR in the war against Germany and a radio speech by the chairman of the State Defense Committee of the USSR I.V. Stalin (3.7.1941).

On July 12, 1941, an agreement was signed between the USSR and Great Britain in Moscow. The parties pledged to provide each other with all kinds of assistance and support in the war against Germany and not to negotiate with it, not to conclude a truce or peace treaty, except with mutual consent. The agreement came into force from the moment of signing and was not subject to ratification. It was the first intergovernmental document that recorded the beginning of the formation anti-Hitler coalition.

Considering it extremely important to expand the coalition, Sov. The government of July 18–30, 1941 proposed to the governments of Czechoslovakia and Poland, located in London, to conclude an agreement on a joint fight against a common enemy. On Sept. 1941 A conference of representatives of the USSR, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, Yugoslavia, Luxembourg and the Free French National Committee took place in London. Having agreed with the basic principles of the Atlantic Charter, Sov. The government emphasized in its statement the urgent need to concentrate all the economic and military resources of freedom-loving peoples and their proper distribution in order to quickly and completely liberate Europe from fascism. oppression. At the conference, a declaration was announced by Sov. government, which first formulated the goals and objectives anti-Hitler coalition.

26.9.1941 Sov. the government recognized Charles de Gaulle “as the leader of all free Frenchmen, wherever they may be,” and declared its readiness “to provide the free Frenchmen with comprehensive assistance and assistance in the common struggle against Nazi Germany and its allies.” As chairman of the Free French National Committee, de Gaulle pledged to “fight on the side of the USSR and its allies until final victory is achieved” and provide Sov. Help and assist the Union with all means at its disposal.

From September 29 to October 1, 1941, a conference of representatives of the three powers was held in Moscow, at which a protocol on mutual military supplies for the period October 1, 1941 – June 30, 1942 was signed. The USA and Great Britain pledged to supply the USSR with 400 aircraft, 500 tanks, anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, aluminum, other materials and food every month. The Soviet side, in turn, pledged to supply large quantities of raw materials for military production. The USA carried out deliveries on the basis of the Lend-Lease law, and Great Britain - on the basis of an agreement on mutual supplies, credit and payment procedures dated 16.8.1941.

On January 1, 1942, in Washington (after the United States officially entered the war), the Declaration of 26 states, known as the “Declaration of the United Nations,” was signed. Its participants pledged to use all their economic and military resources to fight against the fascists. bloc, cooperate with each other and not conclude a separate truce or peace with the countries of this bloc. In London on May 26, the Soviet Union was signed. Treaty of alliance in the war against the Nazis. Germany and its accomplices in Europe and on cooperation and mutual assistance after the end of the war for a period of 20 years. The parties pledged to: take all measures to make a repetition of aggression impossible; provide military and other mutual assistance if one of the parties is again involved in hostilities with Germany or its allies; not to strive for territorial acquisitions and not to interfere in the internal affairs of other states; do not enter into any alliances or take part in coalitions directed against the other party.

On June 11, 1942, the Soviet Union concluded in Washington. an agreement on the principles applicable to mutual assistance in the prosecution of the war against the aggression of Nazi Germany. This document completed the legal formalization of union relations between the main participants anti-Hitler coalition The USA and the USSR pledged to continue the mutual supply and exchange of military materials, services and information, clarifying the general conditions and procedure for mutual assistance and mutual settlements.

At the Moscow Conference of the Foreign Ministers of the USSR, USA and Great Britain in October. 1943 on the initiative of the Soviet Union. The Union adopted a declaration on Italy, which provided for the restoration of the national independence of this country and the provision of democratic freedoms to its people. There, the Allies adopted a declaration on Austria, defining its future as a free and independent country. The international legal basis for the prosecution and punishment of war criminals was laid by the declaration on the responsibility of the Nazis for the atrocities committed, later signed by Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill.

Inside anti-Hitler coalition there were contradictions between the political line of the USSR and the position of the Western powers on a number of issues of waging war and solving post-war problems (see. Tehran Conference 1943). This was especially evident in the process of implementing agreements on the opening of a second front. Developed during negotiations and conferences of country leaders anti-Hitler coalition The coalition strategy contributed to the defeat of the armies of the aggressor bloc.

Continuing to deepen allied ties within anti-Hitler coalition, The USSR concluded a Treaty of Friendship, Mutual Assistance and Post-War Cooperation with Czechoslovakia on December 12, 1943, with Yugoslavia on April 11, 1945, and with the Polish Republic on April 21, 1945.

The activities created in December were aimed at strengthening the anti-fascist front, making decisions that would contribute to achieving a quick victory in the war, and developing the principles of the post-war world order. 1943 European Consultative Commission (ECC) - a permanent body of representatives of the three leading powers anti-Hitler coalition(was in London, from November 1944 a representative of France was invited as the fourth member of the JCC). The ECC prepared and presented agreed recommendations on the post-war fate of Germany and its satellites. Permanent body of the leading powers anti-Hitler coalition was also created in Oct. 1943 Advisory Council on Italian Affairs (located in Algeria).

IN anti-Hitler coalition There were also disagreements regarding the goals of the war, as the end of which this issue became increasingly acute. For the USSR, the goals of the war were the complete defeat of Nazism and the liberation of the Soviets. territories and territories of the occupied countries of Europe, the establishment of lasting peace and the complete exclusion of the possibility of a new German. aggression. At the same time, the leadership of the Sov. For this purpose, the Union considered it necessary not only to carry out the demilitarization and democratization of post-war Germany, but also to ensure the decisive Soviet Union. influence in Eastern European countries, to achieve the establishment in them of a social system similar to that existing in the USSR. The USA and Great Britain also sought to eliminate fascism. regimes, but at the same time they intended to weaken Germany and restore the pre-war political system in the countries of Eastern Europe.

At the Crimean (Yalta) Conference of 1945, the leaders of the three leading powers anti-Hitler coalition agreed that “two or three months after the surrender of Germany and the end of the war in Europe, the Sov. The Union will enter the war against Japan on the side of the Allies."

In relation to France, Sov. The Union took a strong position of support for the Free French National Committee. On October 23, 1944, the Western allies, together with the USSR, declared recognition of it as the French Provisional Government.

At the Berlin (Potsdam) Conference of 1945, the German question was resolved in general in a democratic spirit, taking into account the interests of all peoples, incl. and German.

Governments anti-Hitler coalition, striving to strengthen cooperation, made considerable efforts to resolve disagreements that arose and made compromises when necessary. Despite the difficulties and obstacles, anti-Hitler coalition basically successfully coped with its tasks throughout the war, right up to the victory over Nazi Germany and militaristic Japan.

A major success for leading powers anti-Hitler coalition was the creation of the UN. The preparation of peace treaties with Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Finland, begun at a meeting of the foreign ministers of Great Britain, the USSR and the USA in Moscow on December 16–26, 1945, ended with their signing in 1947. The meeting also established the Far Eastern Commission, which was to formulate a political line of implementation Japan's obligations to surrender, as well as the Allied Council for Japan. The parties agreed on the withdrawal of Soviet and American troops from China as soon as possible.

Leading states anti-Hitler coalition They considered the cooperation that developed during the war as promising and long-term. However, due to a number of objective and subjective circumstances, which were determined by the policies of both the governments of the USA and Great Britain, and the leadership of the USSR, this cooperation in the post-war years gave way to harsh confrontation between East and West. The outbreak of a large-scale arms race, the Cold War policy proclaimed by Churchill in 1946, effectively meant the end anti-Hitler coalition.

Research Institute (Military History) VAGS of the RF Armed Forces