Term paper on Yalta Conference (1945)

Yalta Conference

RESOURCE GUIDE

In early February 1945 the three Allied leaders—Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin—met at the Black Sea resort of Yalta . There they postponed certain matters, such as the question of postwar German reparations and status, but they did reach some major decisions. The Soviet Union agreed to enter the war against Japan after Germany ‘s defeat and was to receive important territorial concessions in return. The Big Three also agreed to establish a postwar world organization. Most controversial was their understanding to hold free elections in recently liberated Poland , an agreement that the Soviets failed to abide by and later opened Roosevelt to charges of being naive.
Suggestions for Term Papers

1. Discuss how Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin regarded one another.

2. Were the Yalta agreements reasonable compromises or a sellout by the Allies?

3. Analyze the consequences of the Yalta Conference.

4. Was the Yalta Conference a significant factor in bringing on the cold war?

5. Discuss why the Polish government question was so controversial.

Suggested Sources : See entries 47 and 52 for related items.

REFERENCE SOURCES

The Cold War, 1945–1991 . Benjamin Frankel, ed. Detroit : Gale, 1992. 3 vols. Provides biographical essays and sketches and coverage of major events and themes.

Cold War Chronology: Soviet American Relations, 1945–1991 . Kenneth Hill. Washington , DC : Congressional Quarterly, 1993. Begins with V-J Day, September 1, 1945, and ends on December 25, 1991. Includes references to major speeches and many government publications.

GENERAL SOURCES

Dallek, Robert. Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932–1945 . NY: Oxford University Press, 1995. The best comprehensive treatment of the subject to date.

Edmonds, Robin. The Big Three: Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin in Peace and War . New York : Norton, 1991. The best recent work on Allied diplomatic efforts during the war.

Gardner, Lloyd C. Spheres of Influence: The Great Powers Partition Europe from Munich to Yalta . Chicago : Ivan R. Dee, 1993. Views territorial arrangements as the key to a durable peace and Yalta as appeasement politics.

Karski, Jan. The Great Powers and Poland Nineteen-Nineteen to Nineteen Forty-Five: From Versailles to Yalta . Washington , DC : University Press of America , 1985. A comprehensive history of Poland from the end of World War I to the end of World War II and its relations with the superpowers.

Kimball, Warren F. Forged in War: Roosevelt, Churchill and the Second World

War . New York: Morrow, 1997. Details not only the wartime personalities but also the relationship between Great Britain and the United States.

Lane, Ann, and Howard Temperley, eds. The Rise and Fall of the Grand Alliance, 1941–1945 . New York: St. Martin’s, 1996. Studies the reasons for the failure of the Grand Alliance.

Moskin, J. Robert. Mr. Truman’s War: The Final Victories of World War II and the Birth of the Postwar World . New York: Random House, 1996. A short but thorough history of this eventful period of Truman’s presidency, which began under the terms of the Yalta agreement.

Perlmutter, Amos. FDR and Stalin: A Not So Grand Alliance . Columbia MS: University of Missouri Press, 1993. A painstakingly researched account that presents Roosevelt as a disinterested spectator who cared only about continued good relations with the Soviet Union after the war.

Reynolds, Dave, et al., eds. Allies at War: The Soviet, American, and British Experience, 1939–1945 . New York: St. Martin’s, 1994. Revealing account of the varied experiences of the Allied superpowers during World War II.

Shogan, Robert. Hard Bargain: How FDR Twisted Churchill’s Arm, Evaded the Law and Changed the Role of the American Presidency . New York: Scribner’s, 1995. Describes the Lend-Lease Act in relation to the American presidency, as well as wartime relations between the two superpowers, and examines the influence of a strong president.

Thurston, Robert W. Life and Terror in Stalin’s Russia, 1923–1941 . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1996. Portrays Stalin as an initiator of and reactor to events; examines the psychology of the Soviet people and demonstration of their support for him.

SPECIALIZED SOURCES

Buhite, Russell D. Decisions at Yalta: An Appraisal of Summit Diplomacy . Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1986. Issue-by-issue analysis of background, discussions, and agreements of Yalta; faults Roosevelt for his failure to exploit potential strengths and his concessions to Stalin.

Senarclens, Pierre de. Yalta . New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books, 1988. Brief, informative account of the Yalta Conference and sociopolitical influences.

BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

Markovna, Nina. Nina’s Journey: A Memoir of Stalin’s Russia and the Second World War . Washington, DC: Regnery Gateway, 1989. A young girl’s recounting of hardships of daily Soviet life in the late 1930s and Stalin’s reign of terror and escaped repatriation after World War II.

Miller, Nathan. FDR: An Intimate History . New York: Doubleday, 1983. Balanced, readable examination of FDR’s life and career, based on secondary sources.

Radzinsky, Edvard. Stalin: The First In-Depth Biography Based on Explosive New Documents from Russia’s Secret Archives . New York: Anchor, 1996. Excellent biography based on Stalin’s personal archives, with emphasis on his early years. Best authoritative biography on Stalin.

AUDIOVISUAL SOURCES

World War II: When Lions Roared . Orland Park, IL: MPI Home Video, 1994. 2 videocassettes. The 186-minute mini series based on the actual words spoken by the Big Three leaders. Includes behind-the-scenes story, triumph, conflict and the price paid by each leader.

WORLD WIDE WEB

Gung, Yu-mei. Yalta Conference: February 4–11, 1945 . Enola Gay Perspectives. May 1995. http://www.glue.umd.edu/ enola/drop/yalta.html Brief description of outcomes of the conference. With link to full text of the agreements.



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