THE YALTA CONFERENCE, 1945 Term paper

The Yalta Conference in February was the first of two major meetings of the Big Three (Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union) in 1945. It is sometimes viewed as the conference at which President Franklin Roosevelt made too many concessions to Josif Stalin, the Soviet leader, and did not maintain a united front with Winston Churchill, the British prime minister.

Four major issues dominated the conference. First was the status of Poland. The Soviet Union had installed a Polish government. The other Allies wanted free elections and some members of the Polish government-in-exile brought into the government. Stalin promised to grant these requests.

The Soviet Union also pushed for drastic changes in its borders with Poland in order to take in former Polish territory it claimed. Poland would be compensated with German territory to the west. The presence of the Red Army in Poland and the rest of eastern Europe was an important fact of life. The Allies agreed to the boundary changes but referred them to a final determination by a peace conference. They also agreed to a Declaration on Liberated Europe calling for self-determination and free elections. The second issue was the German Question. The decision to occupy Germany and divide it into zones had already been taken. Britain and the United States believed France should also have an occupation zone. The Soviet Union agreed but insisted the French zone should come from the British and American zones. There was also agreement to demilitarize and de-Nazify Germany. The reparations issue caused many difficulties. The Soviet Union proposed that Germany pay $20 billion, half going to them. The British and Americans, thinking back to the experience after World War I, were reluctant. The matter was turned over to the foreign ministers to be worked out later. A third major issue involved bringing the Soviet Union into the war against Japan. It was thought the Pacific war might last until 1947. The Soviet Union agreed to enter that war two to three months after the end of the war in Europe. In return, Stalin wanted several concessions from China. Since China was not represented at Yalta, the United States undertook to secure its agreement. A final major item concerned the United Nations. The United States, eager to avoid the problems that dogged the League of Nations, got the Soviets to agree that permanent members could veto any resolution of the Security Council, the main organ of the UN. Additionally, the Soviets agreed to have a total of three votes in the main representative body, the General Assembly, instead of one vote for each of the republics making up the USSR. Finally, Britain and the United States agreed to repatriate Soviet citizens, against their wishes if necessary. This created a tragic situation for many individuals for whom repatriation was virtually a death sentence. Much was decided before Yalta and only confirmed there. Also, the rapid progress of the Red Army created situations where there was no possibility of negotiation. However, the Allies sincerely believed in continued cooperation. By July, when the Allies met in Potsdam, it became clear that the alliance was frayed.
Suggestions for Term Papers
1. The Americans and the British met before the conference at Yalta on the island of Malta. Investigate this meeting and discuss the extent to which the Americans and British developed a common