•Held at Crimea on the Black Sea•Purpose: to make immediate

arrangements for the post war situationAdopt a general policy for the liberated states of Europe (Poland in particular)

Determine the post war administration of the conquered territories of Germany and Austria

Determine voting arrangements in the UN

• To divide Germany into 3 military occupation zones (American, Soviet, and British); France was added later Berlin, the capital would also be in zones

• Austria would also have military occupation zones

• Germany was to pay reparations An initial figure was $20 billion, half of which would go to the USSR Britain wanted no set number so as to destroy German war potential

• Free elections were to be held throughout eastern Europe

•USSR would retain what is gained in 1939 from PolandThe USSR would also ask for Germany east of the Oder and Neisse rivers, British and Americans do not agree.

•Non-communist Polish members exiled in London were allowed to return home and join the communist Polish gov’t set up in Lublin

•Stalin agreed to join the fight in Japan 2-3 months after the war was over in Europe in return for some land in Manchuria

• the San Francisco conference was planned to form the UNThe great powers decided they owned a veto on any measures passed in the UN

Purpose: the war in Europe was over but there were still some terms to come to agreement with

•Very negative mood

Truman and Churchill were personally hostile towards Stalin and the USSR

Truman felt pretty powerful with the new Atomic-Bomb by his side

Truman and Churchill were particularly annoyed with the USSR since they help Germany east of the Oder and Neisse line and made it a part of Communist PolandThey had expelled 5 million Germans living there

Stalin was annoyed Truman was going to use the A-Bomb to keep the USSR out of the Pacific

•No significant decisions were made. This made the Cold War seem inevitable and imminent.

The Potsdam Conference also called upon Japan to unconditionally surrender or

“The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction.”

Millions are dead Infrastructure is shot

• European coal production down 40% of pre-war levels; 23% of Europeans farmland is out of commission The decrease in farm production would lead to

hardship in the winter of 1947-48

•Over 20 million people are displaced from home in 1945Refugees fleeing from invading armiesSlave workers from occupied Europe taken to Germany and Austria

Prisoners in concentration camps

Displaced Jews lead to the inheritance and displacement of the Palestinians with the establishment of Israel

Reprisals in Nazi occupied countries by lynching's and public humiliation of perpetrators

Fascism failed:•Militarism led to defeat•Anti-Bolshevism led to extension of

communism over much of central and eastern Europe

European domination of the world ended• USA emerged as clear

power• Germany was

destroyed as a power• Britain and France are

destroyed as imperial powers, although they cling to this status for a while

• The USSR had Recovered and extended its empire Formed a glacis in the west Became a dominant military power

in Europe Gained prestige in defeat of the

Nazis Gained prestige outside its border

as leading communist countries The only power that could resist

the USA (Even though much weaker economically, devastated by war, and without nuclear weapons)

• No body to keep them in check except the Soviets

• Because the two powers don’t get along there is no peace process post WWII at a time when one was needed

Japanese strength during WWII had ended the myth of white superiority• The reoccupation of the Japanese occupied

territory made those people angry and eventually break up the imperial powers over them

Racism and anti-Semitism became unacceptable to Western public opinion (except in some of the southern US)

People were ready for reform• Conditions are ripe for social revolution;

gov’ts comprised many socialist measures Social security systems Nationalization of the means of production and

distribution Progressive income tax Measures to create full employment

• In Eastern Europe many of the people were getting on board with Communism

Technological and scientific developments• Like the Atomic-Bomb

• What was the impact of the technological & scientific developments?? Write down a few

thoughts before we discuss.