The Yalta Conference

'the last of the wartime conferences...[and] the first of the post war summits' Martin Walker



Decisions made:

1. Germany should be occupied by the victorious powers

2. On Churchills insitance France should be included in this power share.


3. Berlin would be split into four zones

4. The United Nations should be established

5. Poland caused the most difficulty and was settled with a number of ambiguous compromises, which could be read differently by USSR and the Western Powers

A. Poland's east border to run along the Curson line

B. USSR to gain substantial land from territory removed from Germany

C. Reorganisation of the provisional governemtn to include democratic politicans from both Poland and London government-in-exile.

D. Elections would be held as soon as possible.

6. Declaration on Liberated Europe - committed 3 powers to carry out emergency measures to assit liberated states and set up democractically elected governments.

Potential Issues:

1. The land to be given to Stallin had not been fixed

2. Democracy meant different things to Stalin than it did to Churchill and Roosevelt.

'the Soviets could stretch the agrrement 'all the way from Yalta to Washington without actually breaking it' US Chief of Staff

It was clear that despite the smiles at Yalta the USA and Britian were nervous of communisms and the spread of Soviet influence.

Three months after Yalta the East and West faced a power vaccum in Europe prevent Tito seizing the port, while the British Soviets gaining control there. Churchill also urged the Americans to make the effort to capture Prague (Cezchsolovakia) and Berlin (Germany).

The US generals were not prepared to lose men in what they regarded was a political issue so both Prague and Berlin were taken by Soviet Red Army.