Potsdam

• The Potsdam Conference


  July–August 1945
• In May 1945, three months after the Yalta Conference, Allied troops reached Berlin. Hitler committed suicide. Germany surrendered. The war in Europe was won.
• A second conference of the Allied leaders was arranged for July 1945 in the Berlin suburb of Potsdam.
• In the five months since Yalta a number of changes had taken place which would greatly affect relationships between the leaders.
• Stalin's armies


  • Occupying most of Eastern Europe
  • Liberated country after country in Eastern Europe, but instead of withdrawing his troops Stalin had left them there
  • By July, Stalin's troops effectively controlled the Baltic States, Finland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania
  • Refugees were fleeing these countries fearing a Communist takeover
  • Stalin had set up a Communist government in Poland, ignoring the wishes of the majority of Poles
• Stalin's control of Eastern Europe


  A defensive measure against possible future attacks
• On 12 April 1945, President Roosevelt died. He was replaced by his Vice-President, Harry Truman.
• Truman


  • Much more anti-Communist than Roosevelt
  • Very suspicious of Stalin
  • Saw Soviet actions in Eastern Europe as preparations for a Soviet takeover of the rest of Europe
• The Americans had developed and successfully tested a new weapon of tremendous and terrible power, and it would affect the future of relations between the superpowers.
• They disagreed over what to do about Germany


  Although they agreed about dividing Germany into four zones, Stalin wanted to cripple Germany completely to protect the USSR against future threats. Truman did not want to repeat the mistake of the Treaty of Versailles.
• They disagreed over Reparations


  Stalin demanded $10 billion compensation from Germany. Truman resisted this demand, determined not to repeat the mistakes made at the end of the First World War and create a bitter, unstable Germany.
• They disagreed over Soviet policy in Eastern Europe


  At Yalta, Stalin had won agreement from the Allies that he could set up pro-Soviet governments in Eastern Europe. Truman saw this as evidence that Stalin wanted to build up a Soviet empire in Europe and adopted a 'get tough' attitude towards Stalin.
• When did USA drop the Atom bomb on Japan ?

  6th August 1945