During 1945, the representatives from the three allied nations met in the Russian resort town of Crimea to discuss strategies for the last stages of war and each other’s agendas post-war.
The three representatives (“The Big Three”) were
The Yalta Conference was mainly to discuss the fate of Germany post-war as the allies were confident the war would soon be over but each leader had their own agendas going into the conference.
The three representatives (“The Big Three”) were
- Franklin D. Roosevelt – President of the United States of America
- Winston Churchill – Prime Minister of Great Britain
- Joseph Stalin – Soviet Leader
The Yalta Conference was mainly to discuss the fate of Germany post-war as the allies were confident the war would soon be over but each leader had their own agendas going into the conference.
What actually happened?
Many historians believe that the Yalta Conference of 1945 was the start point of The Cold War as the diplomatic issues that were never resolved and tensions over Eastern Europe rose even further despite the three leaders’ attempts. None of the leaders left completely satisfied and many issues relating to Germany were brushed aside for further discussion.
Roosevelt in particular wanted peace between the nations and to keep “The Grand Alliance” strong but never got his chance as he died of a stroke 2 months after the conference. He did succeed in convincing Stalin to join in the war against Japan and establishing the basic principles of the United Nations, also doing as much as possible in settling the issues over Poland. Harry Truman took over after Roosevelt died, this is significant as Roosevelt had further plans to negotiate political issues and the UN. Truman in 1947, with the Truman Doctrine did go onto establish that all democratic nations will receive political, military and economic assistance when under threat through the United Nations.
The post war status of Poland was probably the issue that sparked the most mistrust between the allies. Poland is located west of Belarus which Stalin argued to be the gateway to Russia for invading countries and that his nation wouldn’t be safe without it. Soviet troops were already in control of Poland and a pro-communist government had already been established. This is significant as it would make it harder for Churchill and Roosevelt to take back control of Poland and reluctantly relinquishing further power to communist regime. Although Stalin did agree to “free elections” in the Communist nations, they turned out to be heavily rigged in favour of pro-communist government. Many of the US officials were not satisfied with this arrangement as they believed it condemned Poland to a communist future but not much could be done because of existing soviet influence in area.
Francis Neilson (An author and historian) states “If there were one man outside the borders of Russia during World War II, who knew what Russia desired and intended to obtain, if Germany was conquered, it was Churchill”.
Many historians believe that the Yalta Conference of 1945 was the start point of The Cold War as the diplomatic issues that were never resolved and tensions over Eastern Europe rose even further despite the three leaders’ attempts. None of the leaders left completely satisfied and many issues relating to Germany were brushed aside for further discussion.
Roosevelt in particular wanted peace between the nations and to keep “The Grand Alliance” strong but never got his chance as he died of a stroke 2 months after the conference. He did succeed in convincing Stalin to join in the war against Japan and establishing the basic principles of the United Nations, also doing as much as possible in settling the issues over Poland. Harry Truman took over after Roosevelt died, this is significant as Roosevelt had further plans to negotiate political issues and the UN. Truman in 1947, with the Truman Doctrine did go onto establish that all democratic nations will receive political, military and economic assistance when under threat through the United Nations.
The post war status of Poland was probably the issue that sparked the most mistrust between the allies. Poland is located west of Belarus which Stalin argued to be the gateway to Russia for invading countries and that his nation wouldn’t be safe without it. Soviet troops were already in control of Poland and a pro-communist government had already been established. This is significant as it would make it harder for Churchill and Roosevelt to take back control of Poland and reluctantly relinquishing further power to communist regime. Although Stalin did agree to “free elections” in the Communist nations, they turned out to be heavily rigged in favour of pro-communist government. Many of the US officials were not satisfied with this arrangement as they believed it condemned Poland to a communist future but not much could be done because of existing soviet influence in area.
Francis Neilson (An author and historian) states “If there were one man outside the borders of Russia during World War II, who knew what Russia desired and intended to obtain, if Germany was conquered, it was Churchill”.
A map showing what areas each allied force had authority over in Germany 1945. This source is mainly relevant to providing insight into what was decided at the Yalta Conference in terms of borders and who had authority in each section. Berlin was located in the Soviet authority area but was divided into zones so no one ally would have more power than the other. Although this did put the USSR at a clear advantage as they controlled roads and railways leading to Berlin. |