The 4^th-11^th of February, 1945 was the period at which the Yalta Conference took  place and  is considered to be the most crucial conference of the Second World War. The meeting chaired by three global leaders namely; Franklin Roosevelt, the president of the United States, Winston Churchill, the prime minister of Great Britain and Joseph Stalin the premiere of the Soviet Union. As the name suggests, the meeting took place in Yalta, Crimea where the three leaders discussed a strategy to defeat a common enemy, Nazi, Germany.

Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin

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At the conference, the three leaders agreed and developed plans for the unconditional surrender of Germany, stability, and prosperity of the post-war world. Also Joseph Stalin, the Premier of the Soviet Union accepted to permit credible elections in Eastern Europe as well as to alley in the Asian war targeting Japan. In return, Joseph Stalin would get all the lands the Soviet Union lost during the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War. Furthermore, the leaders agreed to set up in the four zones conquered who were to be run by the United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France. Also, the countries scheduled additional meetings that resulted in the establishment of the United Nations.

As previously stated, the allies agreed on the division of Germany among the four nations and on the principle that the allied forces had no duty towards the Germans apart from providing them with minimum subsistence. Therefore, declaring that military industry in Germany abolished. Also, prominent war criminals would be subjected to trials at the international court at Nuremberg.

It is critical to note that the intricate details of the agreements made during the Yalta Conference were kept secret and revealed after they were termed controversial during the cold war after the degeneration of the Soviet-American cooperation. Tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States started when Stalin, the Premier of the Soviet Union failed to meet his obligations to the Yalta Agreement. As per the Yalta Agreement Stalin promised to ensure credible elections in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Poland.  Instead, Stalin initiated the establishment of communist governments in the countries while suppressing noncommunist political parties. Thus no credible elections were carried out a matter that was perceived as “betrayal” by both Churchill and Roosevelt. On the other hand, Churchill and Roosevelt were both inclined to consent to the Yalta agreement convinced that they required the assistance of the Soviet Union to defeat the Japanese in Manchuria and Pacific. Since by the end of the war the Soviet Union military had occupancy of Eastern Europe the western democracies did not have enough leverage to enforce Stalin’s promises in the Yalta Agreement.

Most importantly each of the leaders attended the Yalta Agreement with the aim of achieving their agendas. Joseph Stalin was seeking economic assistance after the war from the United States as well as recognition from Britain as the Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. On the other hand, Churchill focused on the protection of the British empire as also clarification of the postwar status of Germany. Conversely, Roosevelt was concerned with the establishment of the United Nations as well as acquiring support from the Soviet Union to enter the war against Japan. At the end of the Yalta conference, none of the parties were completely satisfied as the majority of the issues were deferred for future discussions.

References

Ghere, D. (2010). Simulating the Cold War: The Yalta Conference.OAH Magazine of History,24(4), 46-51. doi:10.1093/maghis/24.4.46

Stettinius, E. R., & Johnson, W. (2010).Roosevelt and the Russians: The Yalta conference. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger.

The Yalta Conference: The history of the Allied meeting that shaped the fate of Europe after World War II. (2016). Place of publication not identified: Charles River Editors.

Yalta by Diane Shaver Clemens and the Yalta Myths: An Issue in U.S. Politics, 1945-1955 by

Athan G. Theoharis. (n.d.).The SHAFR Guide Online.doi:10.1163/2468-1733_shafr_sim130100052

노경덕. (2016). Rethinking the Yalta Conference. SA-CHONG(sa),Null(87), 317-349. doi:10.16957/sa..87.201601.317

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