The main aim of the conference was to implement the agreement reached during the Yalta Conference. This was Trumans first Big Three meeting. The Potsdam Conference held between 17th July and 2nd August 1945 was attended by the heads of state of the UK, the US, France and the USSR. The Potsdam Conference’s Declaration on Germany stated, “It is the intention of the Allies that the German people be given the opportunity to prepare for the eventual reconstruction of their life on a democratic and peaceful basis.” The four occupation zones of Germany conceived at the Yalta Conference were set up, each to be administered by the commander-in-chief of the Soviet, British, U.S., or French army of occupation. At Potsdam, Truman chose to inform Stalin that the US possessed, a new weapon of unusual destructive force. The tension between the Soviet and western countries came to a head after the conference. Harry S. Truman (centre) shaking hands with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (left) and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin on the opening day of the Potsdam Conference. Europe – what was happening where East met West?

The conferees discussed the substance and procedures of the peace settlements in Europe but did not attempt to write peace treaties. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. So, Truman went ahead with matters as advised by his advisors. Corrections? The meeting at Potsdam was the third conference between the leaders of the Big Three nations. The last inter-Allied conference of World War II, code-named “Terminal,” was held at the suburb of Potsdam, outside ruined Berlin, from July 17 to August 2, 1945. While Roosevelt had been willing to work with Stalin, largely because he needed the USSR to join the war against Japan, Truman made little secret of his dislike for communism and for Stalin personally. Hence, the Russians were taken unawares when the US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The Cold War - exam preparation - Edexcel, Home Economics: Food and Nutrition (CCEA). Truman and his group adhered to a hard line when it came to dealing with the Soviet Union. The USA and Britain agreed to invade France, joining the Russians fighting on land in Europe. Omissions? The next meeting of the Big Three took place in July 1945 at Potsdam, just outside Berlin. Little real progress was made at Potsdam beyond an agreement to put into action the commitments made at Yalta. Truman was a Baptist and, although he did not often speak of religion, this guided his morality and ethics. It was agreed that the Soviets could take whatever they wanted from the Soviet controlled zone and 10 per cent from the Western zones. Truman remained adamant that choosing to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 had ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides. Little was accomplished, and there would not be another meeting between Soviet and American heads of state for…, …was to be consummated at Potsdam, the last meeting among the Big Three. The Potsdam Declaration On July 26, while at the Potsdam Conference, Churchill, Truman, and Nationalist Chinese leader Chiang Kai-Shek issued the Potsdam Declaration which outlined the terms of surrender for Japan. Question: Why did the Potsdam Conference further increase tensions? An Allied Control Council made up of representatives of the four Allies was to deal with matters affecting Germany and Austria as a whole. This further deepened the distrust that the Soviet Union had for the US.

(In some older documents, it is also referred to as the Berlin Conference of the Three Heads of Government of the USSR, the USA, and the UK.)

While the meeting at Yalta had been reasonably friendly, the Potsdam Conference was fraught with disagreements, which were the result of some significant changes that had taken place since the Yalta Conference. In the midst of the conference, however, the British electorate rejected Churchill at the polls, and the Labour Party leader Clement Attlee replaced him in the councils of the great. . In fact the Red Army was in control of Poland and the USSR was in the process of setting up a communist government. The main objective of the Potsdam Conference was to finalise a post-war settlement and put into action all the things agreed at Yalta. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Potsdam-Conference, Spartacus Educational - Potsdam Conference, U.S. Department of State - Office of the Historian - The Potsdam Conference, 1945, Potsdam Conference - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Just before the Conference began, on 16 July 1945, the USA had successfully exploded an atomic bomb at their test site in the New Mexico desert. The Potsdam Conference attended by Britain, the US, France and Soviet Union was called to decide how to divide the territory of Germany, who had been defeated. During the early 1940s, Truman had led committees on fraud and corruption within the military and had emerged a respected political figure. Look at the picture and the new set of leaders present. Berlin, Vienna, and Austria were also each divided into four occupation zones. Read about our approach to external linking. urope – what was happening where East met West? Remember – you will still need to learn what was decided (or wasn’t decided!). This necessitated moving millions of Germans in those areas to Germany. However, with Roosevelt's demise, the office was taken over by Harry S. Truman.

The amity and good will that had largely characterized former wartime conferences was missing at Potsdam, for each nation was most concerned with its own self-interest, and Churchill particularly was suspicious of Stalin’s motives and unyielding position. Poland’s boundary became the Oder and Neisse rivers in the west, and the country received part of former East Prussia. Just as the 1960s started swinging and a new US President entered the White House, the Cold War entered its most critical phase, when the world would be pushed to the brink of nuclear war. At Potsdam, Truman chose to inform Stalin that the US possessed a new weapon of unusual destructive force. Our team of exam survivors will get you started and keep you going. While in Potsdam, Truman told Stalin about the United States’ “new weapon” (the atomic bomb) that it intended to use against Japan.

When first told about the success of the experiment, Truman is said to have remarked: if it works... I’ll sure have a hammer on those boys. The US President, Franklin D Roosevelt, had died and been replaced by his Vice-President, Harry S Truman. Despite agreeing at Yalta that free elections would be held in Eastern Europe after the defeat of Nazi Germany, there was little evidence at Potsdam that Stalin intended to allow them. More.. Why Did Tension Between Soviet And The West Increased After The Potsdam Conference ? How would this change in leadership affect relations between East and West? How Was Germany Affected By Potsdam Conference .

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