Major Conferences: Obviously the Most Interesting Aspect of War
Casablanca (Jan. 1943)
Meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt
Occurred after a successful campaign in N. Africa
Preceded the Invasion of Italy
Set the goal of unconditional surrender
- may have made the war last longer (why?)
Tehran (Nov. 1943)
Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin meet for the first time
Planned a coordinated war effort
- British and Americans promised to invade France
- Russia promised to declare war on Japan (after German surrender)
Avoided many important post-war issues
- Ex. What happens to Poland?
Yalta (Feb. 1945)
Last wartime meeting of the three leaders
Agreed to create a United Nations
- Debate over how much control the Soviets would have
Soviets again promised to declare war on Japan
Zones of occupation created in Germany
Debate over influence in Eastern Europe
Soviets wanted to demand reparations from Germany
Potsdam (Jul.-Aug. 1945)
Issues included:
- Punishments for Germany
- The New Balance of Power
- Recovering from the war
Churchill is voted out of office halfway through
Leads to the Potsdam Agreement
Potsdam AgreementVietnam is partitioned
- Northern half surrenders to China, southern to Britain
- Guess how that ultimately ends
Germany is shrunk and weakened industrially
Germany and Austria divided into four occupation zones
Sets borders for Poland
- Becomes part of a Soviet Controlled “Eastern Block”
Potsdam Declaration- terms for Japanese surrender