the allied coalition breaks

By the time the war came to an end in Europe, the victorious Allies, as we have seen, had failed to conclude any prior agreements on the shape of the future peace. The U.S. leaders continued to place much faith in the efficacy of the future United Nations and in such vague statements as the Yalta Declaration on Liberated Europe. Churchill, much more practical and experienced, had attempted to win an understanding on future spheres of influence, at least in the Balkans. With the lack of any previous arrangements, the political structure of the Eastern and Central European countries was in practice to be decided by the armies of occupation. This situation was recognized early by Stalin, who in April 1945 expressed to Tito his opinion on the “distinctive nature” of the situation: “This war is not as in the past; whoever occupies a territory also imposes on it his own social system. Everyone imposes his own system as far as his army can reach. It cannot be otherwise.”

In 1945, however, many aspects of the future peace settlement could not accurately be foretold. The massive decline in the power and influence of Britain and France and the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as the two great powers were not yet fully understood. All of the governments devoted their major attention to the immediate issues and the liquidation of the conflict in the Far East.