Download 20th Century Name: Ms. Shen Yalta Conference – February 1945 I

20th Century
Ms. Shen
Name: __________________________________
Yalta Conference – February 1945
I.
What was the purpose? Allies met to plan for the post-war world and their eventual (and assumed)
victory. They met in February, several months BEFORE the end of the European war.
II.
Who attended? (“Big Three”)
Soviet Union – Joseph Stalin
United States – Franklin D. Roosevelt
England – Winston Churchill
Issues
Resolutions
1. What should be done with
Germany once they are defeated?
What about Berlin (the capital)?
- Divided Germany into 4 zones, each occupied and controlled by one of the 4
Allies (England, France, the US, and Soviets)
- Berlin was also divided in 4 (this later would become a problem as Berlin was
located in the heart of the Soviet sector of Germany…more to come on this later.)
The Soviets pledged to run “free elections” once they’d liberated those countries
from the Germans. These governments would be of the people’s choosing (not
the Soviets’!)
2. What should be done with
those eastern European nations
that the Soviet army had liberated
from the Germans?
3. How will the Allies defeat
Japan?
After being invaded in both world wars by Germany, the Soviets expressed a
desire to establish buffer states friendly to them to ensure their future security.
FDR indicated a willingness to consider this idea.
Stalin promised to enter the Japanese war within 3 months of the European war
ending.
4. How would another war be
averted?
Formation of the United Nations (a peace-keeping body formed on the model of
the League of Nations – which was formed at the end of WWI)
5. Should Germany be forced to
pay reparations?
The Allies disagreed on this issue – all agreed that reparations were problematic in
theory (look what they’d done after WWI!) but some nations (the Soviets in
particular) did want and need them.
* Soviets capture Berlin (April 1945) & Hitler committed suicide in his bunker April 30th, 1945 - remaining German
troops surrender May 8, 1945
Total Deaths in WWII (Including the Pacific and European Theaters)
Countries
Total Deaths
% of Prewar
Population
Military Deaths
Civilian Deaths
USSR
20,600,000
10.4%
13,600,000
7,000,000
GERMANY
6,850,000
9.5%
3,250,000
3,600,000
POLAND
6,123,000
17.2%
123,000
6,000,000
JAPAN
2,000,000
2.7%
FRANCE
810,000
1.9%
340,000
470,000
UNITED STATES
500,000
0.4%
500,000
ITALY
410,000
0.9%
330,000
80,000
GREAT BRITAIN
388,000
0.8%
326,000
62,000
Potsdam Conference – July 1945
I.
What was the purpose? To formally end the European war
II.
Changes since Yalta:
a.
The people had changed:
i. Stalin was the only leader present at both conferences.
ii. FDR had died and been replaced by Harry Truman.
iii. Churchill had been voted out of office and replaced by Clement Atlee.
iv. France and Germany also attended the conference.
b. The situation had changed:
i. Truman announced before the conference that he was going to “get tough” with the Soviets.
He, unlike FDR, was not willing to negotiate with the Soviets (because they were
communists.)
ii. While they were at the conference, the U.S. learned of the successful testing of the atomic
bomb. Britain had been treated as a kind of junior partner in the development of the bomb
and knew of the U.S. efforts to develop one. The Soviets, however, were never let in on the
project and instead had learned of it through their spies in the U.S. They regarded Truman’s
notification of the successful test as a veiled threat to them as we moved in to a post-war
world.
Issues
Resolutions
1. What should be done with
Germany now that they have been
defeated? What about Berlin (the
capital)?
Divided Germany into 4 zones, each occupied and controlled by one of the 4
Allies (England, France, the US, and Soviets)
Berlin was also divided in 4.
2. Should Germany be forced to pay
reparations?
NO – each country would be allowed to deal with extracting/collecting
reparations from their zone of Germany should they see fit.
3. Should Germany be forced to
disarm?
Yes. Total disarmament (NO MILITARY ALLOWED) including dissolution
of all businesses that built machinery and weapons that aid the military.
4. What should be done with Nazi
officials?
Establishment of war crimes trials at Nuremberg to try Nazi officials for the
atrocities committed during the Holocaust. Also removed all Nazi officials
from public office and positions of importance in private industry.
5. What should be done with those
eastern European nations that the
Soviet army had liberated from the
Germans?
Soviets pledged to run “free elections” immediately.
6. How can another world war be
averted?
Formation of the United Nations to peaceably negotiate conflicts.
Unlike FDR, Truman was unwilling to budge on the idea of establishing
buffer states with governments which were friendly to the Soviets.
* The differences that arose at Potsdam led to a build-up of distrust and suspicion between the U.S. and USSR This
deterioration of the alliance that had existed between the US and the USSR during the war signaled the beginning of the
Cold War. More on that to come…