Stalin’s actions in Poland, and other parts of Eastern Europe were well known by this time, and it was clear that he was not to be trusted to hold his end of the bargain. Churchill returned to represent Great Britain, but his government was defeated midway through the conference and newly elected Prime Minister Clement Attlee took over. Roosevelt had died in April, so his successor, President Harry Truman, represented the United States. National ArchivesĪ second conference was held from July 17 to August 2, 1945, in Potsdam, Germany. Attlee, Truman and Stalin (seated left to right) at the Potsdam Conference. The 1947 “elections” solidified communist rule in Poland and its place as one of the first Soviet satellite states. He eventually allowed for elections in Poland, but not before sending in Soviet troops to eliminate any and all opposition to the communist party in control of the provisional government. ![]() Soon after the conference it became clear that Stalin had no intension of holding up his end of negotiations. Stalin agreed to enter the Pacific War against Japan three months after the defeat of Germany.The Soviet Union agreed to participate in the United Nations with a guaranteed position as a permanent member of the Security Council.Poland was reorganized under the communist Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland, and Stalin promised to allow free elections there (but failed to ever follow through on it).Germans, civilians and prisoners of wars, would be punished for the war (reparations) partially through forced labor to repair the damage they caused to their country and to others.Unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, the division of Germany and Berlin into four occupational zones controlled by the United States, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union.Clearly there were some key conflicting interests that needed to be addressed.Īfter much negotiation, the following outcomes of the Yalta Conference emerged: ![]() Stalin, on the other hand, wanted Soviet “sphere of influence” in Central and Eastern Europe, starting with Poland, in order to provide the Soviet Union with a geopolitical buffer zone between it and the western capitalist world. Churchill argued for free and fair elections leading to democratic regimes in Central and Eastern Europe, especially Poland. Roosevelt wanted Soviet participation in the newly formed United Nations and immediate support from the Soviets in fighting the ongoing war in the Pacific against Japan. Each country’s leader had his own set of ideas for rebuilding and re-establishing order in the war-torn continent. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Stalin met near Yalta, Crimea, to discuss the reorganization of post-WWII Europe. ![]() In February 1945, when they were confident of an Allied victory, U.S. Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin (left to right) at the Yalta Conference. These conferences set the stage for the beginning of the Cold War and of a divided Europe. Post-war negotiations took place at two conferences in 1945, one before the official end of the war, and one after. The End of WWII and the Division of Europe The End of WWII and the Division of Europeĭespite their wartime alliance, tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States and Great Britain intensified rapidly as the war came to a close and the leaders discussed what to do with Germany.
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