The Anti-Hitler Coalition

The anti-Hitler coalition can be safely called an alliance that emerged overnight. The friction and contradictions between the participants shook it throughout its existence. What is the reason for the fragility of this union?

How it all began

The origins of unification, which went down in history as an "anti-Hitler coalition", lie in the contractual relations that existed between Britain, France, Poland and other European states. In September 1939, after Germany attacked Poland, these states entered the war. So there was a coalition of "Western Allies", with which the creation of the anti-Hitler coalition began.

Until 1941, the USSR was not part of this coalition . The pact of non-aggression signed with Germany made such unions not only unnecessary, but also unprofitable, because during the period 1939-1940, The Soviet Union acquired new territories without any special losses: Western Ukraine, Western Byelorussia, the Baltics, Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. But on June 22, 1941 the situation radically changed

Now the interests of the USSR and the Western states coincided. On June 22, the head of the British government, Winston Churchill, declared his readiness to assist the Soviet Union in the war. A couple of days later, the same statement was made by US President Franklin Roosevelt. After the surrender of France in 1940, the British, in fact, remained with the Nazis and their allies one on one. The Wehrmacht was about to be able to land an assault on the British Isles, and in the Pacific basin the British colonies were threatened by Japan, which was fighting in the war on the side of Germany. Fearing conflicts with Japan and the United States, which had their own interests in the Pacific, were afraid. Therefore, the anti-Hitler coalition needed a new ally. Already in July 1941, a meeting of the Soviet leadership with the British representatives took place in Moscow. In September 1941, the USSR announced its adherence to the Atlantic Charter - a declaration on cooperation between Britain and the United States in the fight against Germany. So the formation of the anti-Hitler coalition received a serious push forward.

Problems and successes

But soon after this event, the first tensions arose between the coalition members. Both Britain and the US were quite happy with the restoration of the pre-war borders in Europe. The Soviet leadership did not want to agree to such proposals. After all, then it would be necessary to give up the territories already annexed before 1941. Because of this, the signing of the Anglo-Soviet Union Treaty was thwarted.

Another problem faced by the anti-Hitler coalition was the question of opening a second front in Europe. Most of the connections of the Wehrmacht and Germany's allies were concentrated in the territory of the USSR, so it would be logical to strike from the territory of Western Europe. But the British side reacted to this proposal of the Soviet leadership without enthusiasm, referring to a lack of strength. The Americans first took the side of the USSR, but then went on Churchill's offer to land troops not in Europe, but in North Africa. Because of these differences, the second front opened soon.

And yet, despite these differences, the anti-Hitler coalition was able to achieve its goal. American supplies of machinery and food were essential assistance to the Allies. This was particularly important in 1941-1942, when many industrial centers of the USSR were in the territory occupied by the Germans. It was important for Britain, cut off from its colonies due to the unfavorable situation on the seas.

The victory of the Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad prompted the Allies to take more decisive action. It became clear that the war was turning point, and the Western states began active preparation for the opening of the Second Front, in order to sooner finish the war in Europe and prevent the Red Army from moving too far to the West. In 1944, Allied troops made a landing in Normandy, which accelerated the defeat of Germany in the war.

As the approach to victory, relations between the Allies deteriorated more and more. In April 1945, F. Roosevelt died, who was succeeded by President Harry Truman, who was more negative towards the USSR. The finding of Soviet troops in Eastern Europe also did not contribute to strengthening relations between the coalition members. When the main goal of the allies - the defeat of Germany - was achieved, relations between the USSR and the West deteriorated completely. Between yesterday's allies began a hidden confrontation, which went down in history as a "cold war" and for a long time created a tense situation throughout the world.