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The End of WW2. The Yalta Conference & The Potsdam Conference. The Yalta Conference. Who? - The “Big Three” The United States: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Great Britain: Winston Churchill The Soviet Union: Josef Stalin
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The End of WW2 The Yalta Conference & The Potsdam Conference
The Yalta Conference • Who? -The “Big Three” • The United States: Franklin Delano Roosevelt • Great Britain: Winston Churchill • The Soviet Union: Josef Stalin • What? -A meeting to decide the outcome of the War in Europe, discussing Europe’s post-war reorganization • When? -February 1945 • Where? -Yalta, Crimea in Ukraine • Why? –The war in Europe was coming to a close, and the soon-to-be victors had to decide the answers to post-war questions/issues.
Task #1 Germany and Berlin • Both Germany and Berlin were divided into 4 zones. • Split influence between East (Soviet Union) and West (US, Britain, and France) • This decision leads to Communist/Democratic tension in Germany and Berlin throughout the Cold War
Task 2: Nazi War Criminals • Nazi war criminals were hunted down and brought to justice in what we now know as the Nuremberg Trials. • Nazi Party officials and high-ranking military officers were indicted on such charges as crimes against peace and crimes against humanity.
Task 3: Rebuilding Europe • German reparations • Partly in the form of forced labor used to repair damage that Germany caused • Spread over a ten year period • Allied responsibility • Allied powers took some responsibility for rebuilding Europe • Eventually leads to the Marshall Plan
Task 4: German Government • Germany would undergo demilitarization and denazification • Set basic blueprint for the United Nations • Roosevelt also obtained a commitment by Stalin to participate in the UN
Task 5: Poland • The Big Three agreed that Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania would be kept under Soviet control, but would be able to hold free elections. • This promise was made by Stalin, but was NOT kept.
Task 6: War in the Pacific • Stalin agreed to enter the fight against the Empire of Japan “2-3 months after the war in Europe is terminated…” • This leads to the eventual surrender of Japan.
The Potsdam ConferenceOverview: • A slightly altered “Big Three” met in July 1945 in the Berlin suburb of Potsdam. By this time the war in Europe was over. • Stalin (USSR) • Truman (US) • Churchill (Great Britain) • At Potsdam, Truman took the reins of international leadership and began to reshape the relationship of the US with its Allies • They discussed the same topics as Yalta, but without a common enemy new tensions arose. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdTmrusxCag