The Yalta Conference

This section explains The Yalta Conference in February 1945 and it’s outcome. In February 1945, with the defeat of Nazi Germany looking increasingly certain, the leaders of the three main Allied powers – Winston Churchill (Britain), Franklin D. Roosevelt (USA), and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union) – met in the Crimea region of the USSR at a conference in Yalta. This meeting, known as the Yalta Conference, was pivotal in shaping the post-war world and establishing the foundation for future international relations. The primary focus of the conference was to determine what would happen to Germany once it had been defeated. However, the personal priorities and perspectives of each leader differed, which would have long-lasting consequences.

The Priorities of the Big Three Leaders

Each of the three leaders had their own distinct priorities and goals for the post-war world:

• Winston Churchill (Britain): Churchill's primary goal was to maintain Britain’s global empire and ensure its continued influence in world affairs. He wanted to preserve British prestige, particularly within Europe and the British Commonwealth. Despite the pressure from both the USA and the USSR to decolonise and end Britain’s colonial empire, Churchill was determined to keep control over Britain’s colonies and influence around the world.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt (USA): Roosevelt was deeply concerned with ensuring lasting world peace after the war. His main objective was to establish a new international order that would prevent the kind of economic and political instability that had led to the Great Depression and ultimately to the outbreak of World War Two. He strongly believed that a peaceful world could be achieved through global cooperation and free trade. To that end, he advocated for the creation of the United Nations (UN), an organisation that would help to resolve international conflicts and prevent future wars.
• Joseph Stalin (USSR): Stalin’s primary concern was ensuring the security of the Soviet Union. Having experienced three major invasions from the West between 1914 and 1941 – during World War One, World War Two, and the Russian Civil War – Stalin was determined to establish a buffer zone of friendly communist states in Eastern Europe. This would protect the USSR from any future aggression from Western powers, particularly capitalist countries like the United States and Britain. Stalin viewed the expansion of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe as essential for Soviet security.

The Outcomes of the Yalta Conference

While the Yalta Conference was an important step towards the post-war settlement, it set the stage for many of the divisions that would later define the Cold War. The key outcomes of the conference were as follows:

• Division of Germany: Germany was to be divided into four zones of occupation, each controlled by one of the four Allied powers: the USSR, the USA, Britain, and France. This division was intended to prevent Germany from becoming a threat in the future, and each country would oversee the reconstruction and governance of its respective zone. France, though not initially one of the main Allied powers, was included partly due to pressure from French leader General Charles de Gaulle, as well as Britain’s desire to have a European partner in sharing the costs of Germany’s post-war recovery.
• Berlin Divided: The capital of Germany, Berlin, was located deep within the Soviet zone but was also to be divided into four sectors, one for each of the Allies. This arrangement, however, would later become a major source of tension during the Cold War, as the city became symbolic of the larger ideological struggle between the capitalist West and the communist East.
• Free Elections in Europe: One of the key decisions at Yalta was that countries liberated from Nazi control would be allowed to hold free elections and choose their own governments. This was a crucial commitment to the idea of self-determination for the people of Europe. However, Stalin was granted a sphere of influence over Eastern Europe, which effectively meant that the USSR could exert political control over countries like Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. This compromise would later become a point of contention, as the USSR imposed communist governments on these countries, undermining the promise of free elections.
• Soviet Entry into the War Against Japan: Stalin agreed to join the war against Japan once Germany was defeated. This was important for the Allies, as it would help them to bring an end to the war in the Pacific. In return, the USSR was promised territorial concessions in Asia, including control over parts of Manchuria and the Kuril Islands.
• Nazi War Criminals: The Big Three agreed on the necessity of hunting down and prosecuting Nazi war criminals. This would later lead to the Nuremberg Trials, where top Nazi officials were held accountable for their war crimes and crimes against humanity.
• The United Nations: The establishment of the United Nations (UN) was agreed upon at Yalta. The UN was designed to promote international cooperation, ensure collective security, and provide a forum for the resolution of disputes. Roosevelt’s vision for the UN was to prevent the kind of conflict and economic collapse that had devastated the world in the previous decades.

Revision Tip

When revising the Yalta Conference, it's important to:

• List the Big Three and their priorities: Understanding the different motivations of Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin is crucial. For example, Churchill wanted to maintain the British Empire, Roosevelt wanted to ensure world peace and rebuild the global economy, and Stalin wanted Soviet security through control of Eastern Europe.
• Explain how the Big Three needed each other: Despite their differing goals, each leader relied on the others to achieve their priorities. Churchill needed Roosevelt’s support to preserve Britain’s global standing, while Roosevelt relied on Stalin to defeat Nazi Germany. Stalin, in turn, needed the West’s support to achieve his security objectives in Eastern Europe.
• Discuss the challenges of reconciling their priorities: The differing ideologies and goals of the Big Three made it difficult to reach a perfect compromise. The agreement to allow free elections in Eastern Europe, for example, was undermined by Stalin’s desire for a communist sphere of influence. Similarly, while Roosevelt’s vision of global cooperation through the United Nations was embraced, it was clear that tensions between the superpowers would undermine its effectiveness in the years to come.

The Yalta Conference was a crucial moment in the shaping of the post-war world. While the leaders made significant agreements, their differing priorities sowed the seeds for future conflict, particularly in Europe, where the Cold War would soon unfold.