Essay on the Yalta Conference 1945

February 1945 marked a historic year as the world continued to shape events during and after the Second World War. The three major powers, Winston Churchill (Britain Prime Minister), Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union), and Franklin Roosevelt (President United States of America) met in Yalta, Crimea to outline a final defeat of the Nazi Germany and chart the way forward for a post-war agreement. The meeting took place between 4th and 11th, 1945 in which the top world leaders (referred to as the Allied Big Three) discussed at length the progress of the Second World War and a possible peaceful post-war world. The Soviet Union agreed to the free elections that were scheduled to take place in Eastern Europe and also to enter into the Asian conflict against Japan. Major agreements reached the conference remained secret and later became a source of controversy, especially after the American-Soviet cooperation deteriorated to the great Cold War.

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One of the major agreements discussed at the conference included Soviet is receiving a grant of authority in Manchuria immediately after Japan's surrender. Included in part of the accord was the Southern part of Manchuria after Japan's surrender, a share of the Kurile Islands, and a lease of Port Arthur (Messer 34). Additionally, the top world leaders also discussed the future of the United States, Eastern Europe, and Germany. Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin collectively agreed that France will not form part of the team to govern Germany and that Germany was to take responsibility for damages after the war (Laloy 39). At the same time, the world leaders agreed that all future Nations bordering the Soviet Union would be friendly to the countrys regime while at the same time, the Soviet Union would undertake credible, free elections. The Soviet Union was allowed to go to war against Japan and later promised lands previously lost to during the Russo-Japanese Conflict that occurred between 1904 and 1905. According to Messer (57), Stalin would then sign a pact of friendship and alliance with the Chinese government. A declaration on Poland provided for the addition of all Communists in the national government. As per the future details of the United Nations, the negotiators agreed on the voting pattern as per the American plan to the Security Council, which saw the expansion of the members to five after the inclusion of France (Laloy 51). According to the agreements, each of the five permanent members would hold a veto power.

After the historic agreements at the Yalta, many nations and world leaders saw it as an evidence of good cooperation between the Soviet Union and the US in the postwar era. However, the perception and moods changed with the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt (Laloy 67). Harry Truman ascended to the presidency, and by the end of April 1945, Truman's administration had already clashed with the Soviet Union on their perceived influence on the UN and Eastern Europe. Many Americans blamed Roosevelt at the poor handling of the negotiations with many to date, accusing him of mishandling and handing over the Northern parts of Asia and Eastern Europe to the Soviets despite the fact that the Soviets made little effort to the concessions involved in liberating the larger parts of Europe (Messer 111).

Some of the major milestones of the conference included Germany is undergoing denazification and demilitarisation, citizens of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union would be taken back to their respective countries, and The Soviet Union was to receive the Southern portion of Kurile and Sakhalin Islands immediately after defeating Japan.

The Aftermath

Yalta became the last conference amongst world super powers. Although the United Nations was significantly weakened, the Soviet Union became an influential member of the United Nations. Many small countries were sacrificed and expanded to achieve regional stability. This saw regions such as Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia continuing as members of the Soviet Union (Hammersmith 429).

Immediately the agreement was made public; critics pointed to some of the most glaring mistakes and loopholes the conference created. Later, Stalin relegated on his promise of a free election in Hungary, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. Instead of elections, the Soviet Union established communist governments while at the same time suppressing non-Communist organizations and governments. In essence, no democratic elections were held in the regions. Initially, Churchill and Roosevelt had trusted Stalin and knew he would keep his word (Hammersmith 431). Additionally, both Britain and the United States held that only Stalin would be needed to crash out japan as it turned out as the only occupier of the larger eastern region. The leaders later learnt that little democracy that could be applied to force the Soviet Union into keeping the Yalta promises.

Each of the Big Three travelled to the conference with different objectives. To the Americans, the Soviet Unions participation in the UN was the most important goal in the conference in addition to seeing the creation of the United Nations. According to Hammersmith (439), Roosevelt achieved this milestone with the Soviet Union joining the United Nations. However, this was made at the expense of granting members of the Security Council veto power. Additionally, Roosevelt aimed at bringing the Soviet to fight the Japanese. On the same note, the Soviet Union achieved all it wanted; having a significant influence as a defense zone. At the same time, Stalin had the objective of protecting the USSR from another invasion from the Germans. Churchill, on the other hand, feared the growing influence and power of the Soviet Union in an overwhelmed Europe. He had the agenda of protecting Britain and the clarification of Germans power status. Roosevelt achieved his goal in which a United Nations convention was scheduled later in San Francisco. Stalin too agreed to Americas plan on the number of states from the Soviet Republic represented in the UN General Assembly (Theoharis 211). The much thorny issue of Poland was resolved in which a Communist Polish provisional government was organised that included Polish leaders in which Stalin agreed to an early election by universal suffrage. However, much as the conference tried to address some of the thorny issues, especially Poland, a looming tension, and sharp differences overshadowed many of the agreements and hinted at the emergence of the Cold War (Theoharis 213).

Poland emerged as the thorniest issue between the two countries, a situation that did later cause the Cold War. While Britain and the United States preferred a broad-based government to take charge of Poland, the Soviet Union aimed at imposing a Communist government, a position that saw the seeds of mistrust and tension between the US and the Soviet Union (Hammersmith 441). The tow world powers agreed to a broad-based government, a position that many US representatives were not satisfied with, and which they believed put Poland as a future Communist state. The Soviet Union and the US did not begin their differences at the Yalta conference but had been a cumulating series of events from the beginning of the First World War up until the death of Roosevelt and Stalin's communist influence in the larger Soviet region. The United States helped bring the Second World War to an end and the establishment of the United Nations, in addition to the Poland subject (Theoharis 213). Roosevelt believed that other issues could be solved with time, although Roosevelt never got the opportunity as he died barely two months after the conference.

The decisions at the conference played a key role in shaping the political and social face of the larger Europe in addition to influencing major decisions by countries on future conflicts between nations. According to Theoharis (215), the agreements were essential, especially towards the end of 1945 and the creation of the United Nations with the five veto powers. Soviet Unions involvement in the United Nations played a key role in delaying any further conflict and tension with the United States. Hammersmith (451), argue that as much as the two countries sat and made agreements on some of the thorny issues such as the role of Japan in ending the Second World War, and the Poland issue. Although the arrangements reflected partisan interests, especially as each leader fronted their own agenda's, they revealed a broad aspect of the world interest of bringing the Second World War to an end. Additionally, they worked on establishing stability and regional peace in the larger European region while at the same time putting German on focus on its active role in spearheading the war (Theoharis 217). By focusing on establishing a peaceful government in Poland, the three leaders focused on going beyond their personal interests to that of regional stability and world peace.

Although Britains interests and concerns were not adequately represented, it can be argued that their primary concern required little input from the both Stalin and Roosevelt. Britain only wanted a way in which the British Empire was adequately safeguarded from German invasion, a move that was taken care of by forcing German to surrender towards the end of the war. Not much discussion was put as concerns Churchills concern about an invasion or instability because of the tension in the larger region of Europe and the Soviet Union. According to Hammersmith (478), the Soviet Union received the greatest attention and concern as it played a key role due to its geographical position in the larger Europe and German axis. Many of the agreements focused on and around the Soviet Union due to its significant role in the Second World War and Communist position, an issue that would later form the central conflict with the United States. In fulfilling some of the demands and requirements of the Soviet Union, many of the agreements reached the conference may be deemed successful, as, for example, Poland became an autonomous state despite the fact that its governance was leaning towards Communist Manifesto and rule. On the same note, the attack on Japan by the Soviet Union escalated peaceful concessions and ended the Second World War (Hammersmith 478).

However, mostly, the agreements gave birth to a bitter contest of power struggle and imposition of the best type of governance between the preferred democratic ideals of the United States and the Communist style as perfected by the Soviet Union. As discussed earlier, Poland became the next battleground on the best type of governance with the conference acknowledging a broad-based government. However, according to Vloyantes (208) when Stalin imposed a Communist government, a seed of mistrust and tension gradually grew between the two countries. Despite the fact that Yalta conference attempted in transforming wartime into a permanent peace worldwide, it gave birth to fundamental differences that escalated to the Cold War and much of the tension currently experienced by the two nations.

The Yalta conference became a turning point to the establishment of world democracies as the Allied three agreed to the founding of democratic ideals in all liberated countries in the larger European nations (Vloyantes 209). The agreement became a right of the people to make a choice on the form and type of ruling they wished. In the aftermath of the war, the big three agreed to offer help to countries such as Poland, to establish interim governments and to facilitate elections as soon as possible. According to Vloyantes (210), democratic ideals and functions formed a central aspect of the Yalta conference that would later create and give birth to a more pro-Soviet pledge by countries previously allied to the Soviet Union.

Although the three world leaders promised to work towards defeating Germany, they c...