On February 4, 1945, the Big Three Allied nations met to discuss what to do for Germany after the war. A number of agreements were made during the Yalta Conference by drawing up a protocol. This would have important consequences for the future within Europe.
Background
Nazi Germany was not in good shape at the beginning of 1945. The German army suffered more and more losses, making the situation increasingly hopeless for Hitler. The leaders of the Allies wanted to prevent another war, so they were eager to discuss what to do with Germany after World War II.
Josef Stalin (Soviet Union), Winston Churchill (England) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (United States) met in Yalta (Ukraine) because Stalin refused to leave his territory. The three leaders recognized that it was important to make some agreements about what to do with Nazi Germany after the war and how to deal with the new situation that has arisen.
Dates
A protocol was drawn up containing fourteen points that had to be addressed. No concrete matters have been agreed yet, only the broad outlines. The precise details should be discussed during later discussions. The most important issues that were discussed are below.
- Germany would be divided into a number of areas after the Second World War. The big three allies would be responsible for the precise distribution.
- A new meeting was planned to discuss the creation of the United Nations (UN). All countries that turned against the enemy were allowed to be part of this meeting.
- War criminals must be arrested and tried as quickly as possible after the war. However, the exact penalty was not yet determined during the Yalta Conference.
- Europe must receive as much help as possible to ensure that the recovery proceeds as quickly as possible. This applies to both the economic level and the administrative side.
- Soviet Union decides to fight with the Allies against Japan. Previously, the Soviets entered a neutral position in this conflict.
Implications
In retrospect, the Yalta Conference would have been an important meeting. The agreements made regarding the division of spheres of influence within Europe in particular worked out well for the Soviet Union. They were able to exert considerable pressure on the Eastern European countries, all of which were subsequently subjected to a communist regime. In no time, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia and Poland became communist, forming a large communist bloc in eastern Europe. The Yalta Conference thus made an important contribution to the cause of the Cold War. The West had not anticipated that Stalin was eager to expand power, which forced them to also form a Western front against the communist danger of the Eastern Bloc.