Transcript Yalta and Potsdam

End of WWII in Europe
How the Allies defeated Germany
& the deaths of important leaders
FDR’s Death
"Men will thank God on their
knees a hundred years from
now that Franklin D. Roosevelt
was in the White House”
• FDR was elected to his 4th
term in 1944; with a new
VP
• After 12 years in office
and four presidential
terms, FDR died on April
12, 1945
• Died from a cerebral
hemorrhage (stroke)
• Replaced by VP Harry
Truman
Mussolini’s Death
• Italian government wanted to
punish Mussolini for war
crimes
• Tried to escape to
Switzerland
• He was caught by soldiers
and executed the next day
• Shot by firing squad, body
hung in city where civilians
beat, kicked, spat, and
stoned his dead body.
Death of Hitler
• The Allies surrounded
Germany and it became
clear the Axis powers
would lose.
• Hitler committed suicide
in an underground
bunker on April 30, 1945
War in Europe is over!
• Berlin fell to the Allies
on May 2, 1945
• Germany surrenders
• May 9th: V-E Day
(Victory in Europe)
• Who is left?
WWII Animated Map
• Prepare to be amazed…….
Yalta & Potsdam
• Towards the end of WWII, the Allied leaders meet twice to
discuss the post-war world.
• At the Potsdam Conference (July 1945) & the Yalta Conference
(Feb.1945), the leaders discussed key issues:
– Post-war peace and international security
– Occupation of Germany
– Other territorial claims (colonies, Pacific, Poland)
• The decisions reached at these conferences would shape the
post-war world and influence the next major conflict, the Cold
War
• To learn about these conferences, you and a partner will each
read about one and complete a note sheet.
Yalta Conference
• February 1945 Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met at
Yalta (Soviet Union) to discuss the postwar world
• Formed the United Nations
• Divide Germany and Berlin into four zones
• Stalin obtained Poland if he promised to allow free
elections
• Stalin gained Pacific islands if he promised to declare
war on Japan
KEEP IN MIND:
Stalin is gong to break these promises = COLD WAR!!!!
Hideki Tojo
Found guilty of war crimes
& sentenced to death!
End of
WWII
Effects of WWII
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70 million soldiers fought in WWII
55 million died
Soviet Union – 22 million
Germany – 8 million
Japan – 2 million
United States – 300,000
In addition to casualties, many areas of Europe and Asia laid
in ruins
• Use of deadly weapons and fighting tactics made WWII the
most destructive war in history!
Yalta and Potsdam Conferences
• Towards the end of WWII, it was clear that the Axis powers would lose.
• In order to determine the fate of Germany & Japan, the Allies held two
conferences.
• Yalta – February 1945 & Potsdam – July 17-August 2, 1945
• These conferences aimed to organize new governments, figure out land
disputes, and discuss punishment of losing countries.
• To learn about these conferences and the changes made in Europe and
Asia, you and a partner will read a handout and complete a worksheet.
• To start – one partner reads about a conference and fills in their column of
the worksheet.
• Once both partners are finished, you will share information and complete
the rest of the worksheet.
• Be ready to discuss!
Yalta Conference
• Held towards the end of
WWII in the resort town of
Yalta, Soviet Union
• February 4th-11th 1945.
• Many decisions made at this
conference led to issues that
will cause the Cold War.
• THE BIG THREE:
– Roosevelt
– Churchill
– Stalin
Yalta Conference
• February 1945 Roosevelt,
Churchill, and Stalin met at Yalta
(Soviet Union) to discuss the
postwar world
• The goal of this conference was
to discuss many ongoing disputes
brought on by WWII.
–
–
–
–
Division of Germany
Formation of the UN
War Reparations
Soviet declaration of war on
Japan
– Final and most difficult issue….
The future of Poland.
Division of Germany
• The “Big Three” wanted to
divide Germany into separate
parts, each controlled by an
Allied power
• U.S. – felt that Germany
should be divided into five
equal parts
• England – pushed for a zone of
occupation for France
• Soviet Union – opposed
French occupation; only
wanted three zones
Formation of the United Nations
• Roosevelt offered the idea that the UN
should have a security council with FOUR
permanent members.
-The United States
-Great Britain
-China
-The Soviet Union
Soviets gain land
KEEP IN MIND:
Stalin is gong to break this
promise = COLD WAR!!!!
• Stalin obtained
Poland if he promised
to allow free elections
• Stalin gained Pacific
islands if he promised
to declare war on
Japan
Potsdam Conference
• Held during the summer
of 1945
• This conference had
many of the same
aspects as the Yalta
conference.
• Truman took the place of
Roosevelt & Clement
Attlee replaced Winston
Churchill as Britain's
Prime Minister.
Decisions made at Potsdam
• Solidified decisions made at Yalta; such as, division of
Germany & Soviet territory gains
• The Soviet Union was allowed to take reparations from
Germany and 10% of the industrial equipment of the
western zones as reparations.
• America and Britain could take reparations if they
wished.
• Truman saw this as a compromise.
• In fact the allies had disagreed openly about
– Amount of reparations
– Soviet influence over countries of Eastern Europe
German War Reparations
• Stalin wanted the Germans to pay 20
million, half would go to the Soviet Union.
• British wanted no reparations
• Churchill stated that it was WWI
reparations that led to Hitler’s rise in
power.
• U.S. wanted to make them optional.
WWI vs. WWII
BELLWORK
1. Explain the Battle of Midway.
2. Why was the Battle of Guadalcanal a turning point in the
war against Japan?
3. Describe the importance of the Battle of Okinawa.
4. Explain the Allied war strategy in fighting in the Pacific.
5. Why did Japan finally surrender?
6. THINKER: After the Axis powers surrender, the Allies
determine the fate of post-war Germany & Japan. Make a
prediction  How will they be punished? How will their
governments respond?