Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was a meeting of military and political powers that took place on February 4-11 of 1945, meant to plan out the fates of individual countries after the war. Present at the conference were U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The three leaders agreed that Germany had to be held accountable for the war, and would have to cover the reparations. Another topic at the meeting was the far more prevalent Pacific Campaign, and whether or not Russia would assist in the fight against the Japanese. It was agreed that Russia would join in the fight in return for the right to reclaim Russian land lost in the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905. Though the Yalta Conference was not a major a battle, its effect on the war was massive. It laid the brickwork for everything that would come to happen after the war, as well as becoming one of the main drivers of the Cold War as soon as Stalin broke his promise to allow free elections in Eastern Europe. In the U.S., although initially celebrated, Roosevelt’s participation in the Yalta conference was soon considered to be almost a betrayal to the nation, and some claimed that he had “Given away” land in Eastern Europe. The Yalta conference, though free of direct casualties, is one of the most impactful events of the war, and its effects can still be seen today in the vast gap and slight tension between the United States and Russia.
"The Yalta Conference, 1945 - 1937-1945 - Milestones - Office of the Historian." The Yalta Conference, 1945 - 1937 - 1945 - Milestones - Office of the Historian. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014 "Yalta Conference." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. |