Transcript JP War conferences Potsdam 10 Version

Potsdam Conference, July 1945
 Crucial Changes occurred between Yalta and
Potsdam…
 Roosevelt RIP  replaced by Harry S. Truman 
more hardline on Soviets
 Churchill had lost the general election in 1945 and
was replaced by Clement Atlee
 Germany had surrendered
 Red Army occupied much of Eastern Europe
 America tested the first atomic bomb during the
conference…
Potsdam 1
Back
Potsdam 2
Back
Trinity test …atomic age
Back
Potsdam Agenda
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Germany
Poland
Eastern Europe
Japan
United Nations
Germany
 Soviets to receive 25% of their reparations from the
western zones, agricultural produce from the East.
Poland
 Truman was not happy with the Yalta agreement over
Poland
 Challenged the western Polish border
 Wanted the Polish government reorganised
 Did not believe there would be a free and democratic
vote  Stalin had ordered the arrest of many London
Poles….
Eastern Europe
 Truman unhappy with Stalin-Churchill Oct ’44
Percentages Agreement  division of Eastern Europe
into spheres of influence
 Little the Americans could do. Why?
 From an American point of view the army of liberation
was beginning to look like an army of occupation.

Japan
 On the second day of the conference Truman was
informed of the successful test of the world’s first atomic
bomb
 The British were told of this successful test
 The USSR was only told that America had a new superweapon
 The USSR only found out about it when one was
dropped on Hiroshima
 The US now didn’t encourage the Soviets to join in the
war against Japan
United Nations
 Treaty of San Francisco
 Security Council  5
permanent members
 USA, Britain, France,
nationalist China, USSR
 Each had a veto over
decisions
Conclusions
 Positive
 Agreement on immediate
practical steps to deal
with post-war Germany
 Establishment of the
United Nations confirmed
 Negative
 Growing distrust between
USA and USSR
 More hostile atmosphere
developing
 Soviet influence in east
growing
 The Atomic Age
 Shifting Balances