The Soviet Union during the Second World War put forward a program aimed at combating fascism. She rallied around the USSR the progressive forces of the whole world. However, England and the United States were not in a hurry to decide on their policies, in connection with this they were in the last positions on the issue of participation in events. The governments of these countries nevertheless decided to rectify the situation.
The signing of the Atlantic Charter
In the first year of the war, the leaders of the governments of the non-warring United States and the participating in the hostilities of England met to discuss and proclaim the objectives of the battle. The place of their meeting was the battleship "Prince of Wales". He took Winston Churchill to Argentina Bay, where he met with Roosevelt.
What is the Atlantic Charter? This document was a joint statement by the leaders of the two countries. It was made public on August 14, 1941. Ten days later, on August 24, the Soviet Union also joined it.
Main goals
The Atlantic Charter of 1941 was to determine the further structure of the world after the Allies won the war. The discussion was held, despite the fact that the United States at that time did not participate in hostilities. The Atlantic Charter became the basis for the creation of the UN, as well as the formation of the economic and political world order.
Document structure
The Atlantic Charter of 1941 included the following items:
- Settlement of territorial disputes in accordance with the opinion of the people.
- Reduced trade barriers.
- The absence of territorial claims from the UK and America.
- The right of existing peoples of the world to self-determination.
- Relief from fear and want.
- Global wealth and economic cooperation.
- Freedom of the seas.
- Post-war disarmament of aggressor countries and a general decline in military power in the world as a whole.
An item on economic cooperation and global welfare promotion was proposed to Roosevelt and Churchill in London by John Gilbert Weinant, who did not attend the meeting.
Acceptance of provisions by other countries
The next meeting was held in the same 1941, September 24th. The conference venue was London. The principles reflected in the Atlantic Charter were agreed by representatives of the governing apparatus of other states. In particular, Belgium, Greece, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Yugoslavia, the USSR, Free France, Poland, and Norway joined the document.
Basic principles
The 1941 Atlantic Charter reflected the mainstream of US and British politics. On the basic principles of the document, as the representatives of the governments of these countries expressed themselves, they based their hopes on a better future for the whole world. Churchill and Roosevelt pointed out that their states did not have the desire to conquer new territories. They also expressed disagreement with geographical changes contrary to the freely expressed desires of the peoples concerned. In addition, leaders noted that they respect the right of other states to choose their own form of government.
Churchill and Roosevelt advocated equal opportunities for all states on the issue of admission to trade, as well as to the raw materials of the world. Global economic interaction, according to government representatives, should have been aimed at ensuring a higher standard of living for all.
Document Feature
The Atlantic Charter was quite democratic. Its principles corresponded to the spirit of the times, reflecting the liberating nature of hostilities. The proclamation of the document at that time was very positive. However, the implementation of the principles depended on how the Atlantic Charter was endowed by the governments of the United States and England. The alleged practical steps that the leadership of the states were going to take to implement all the points also mattered. In general, the Atlantic Charter is a compromise between the views of the ruling circles of England and the United States. Moreover, the point of view of America was most pronounced in the document.
The alleged characteristic of the post-war period
Representatives of the governments of England and the United States absolutely did not take the USSR into account. They believed that after the war the Soviet Union would be significantly weakened. When conferring, Churchill and Roosevelt had in mind the Anglo-American world. The representative of the United States believed that the founding of a post-war international organization could not even be spoken about until the United States and Great Britain did some work.
The clauses of the Atlantic Charter concerning freedom of the seas and equal opportunities for all peoples foreshadowed the post-war spread of American imperialism throughout the world, including England. Churchill noted this. To eliminate such assumptions, he made an attempt to exclude these points from the agreement. However, he did not succeed in this. Shortly after the end of the conference, Churchill expressed his opinion in public statements that the Atlantic Charter does not concern interactions within the UK.
Relations with the Soviet Union
Both parties agreed that it was in the interests of the United States and Britain that the USSR should be provided with arms and equipment. The British chiefs of staff, like Churchill himself, were against the use of their own large armed contingents. They believed that one could completely limit themselves to naval and air warfare, the strengthening of the blockade and secret supplies to equip the resistance forces in occupied Europe.
Despite the fact that the American chiefs of staff tried to refrain from expressing their views on strategic issues, the political line put forward by the British leaders was in the best possible way to unite the United States and England. The task was to conduct military operations against Germany mainly through the use of "alien hands", achieving mutual weakening of opponents during the battles.
To realize these plans, the maximum intensification of the fighting on the Soviet-German front was necessary, since it was on this line that the main forces of the Germans were concentrated. Due to the fact that England and America represented the USSR after the war as a weakened and defeated state, they assumed the need for subsequent provision of material assistance to the country. As a result, representatives of the leadership of the United States and Great Britain proposed to the government of the Soviet Union a trilateral meeting in Moscow. The Soviet leadership agreed.
The accession of the USSR
At the inter-union conference, held on September 24, 1941 in London, the Soviet ambassador Maysky published a declaration on the inclusion of the Soviet Union in the charter. The agreement indicated that the practical application of the principles of the document would inevitably be carried out taking into account the circumstances, historical features, needs of a state. The Soviet declaration clearly highlighted the issues that the drafters of the original edition avoided. In particular, the government of the USSR determined the goals and nature of the war.
The main task was set for all states and peoples - to direct all their forces and means to the early defeat of the aggressors. As for the post-war period, the Soviet leadership upheld the right of every people to territorial integrity and state independence, openly pointing to disagreement with the colonial policies of the imperialist countries.