Potsdam Conference
July 16th through August 2nd, 1945
"Big Three" at the Potsdam Conference, July of 1945.
_On July 16th,
representatives from the various countries of the Allied Forces met in Potsdam,
a suburb of Berlin, Russia to discuss several issues before the end of the war.
The main participants in the conference were Winston Churchill and then Clement
Atlee (England), Harry Truman (America), and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union), also
known as “the Big Three”. Atlee replaced Churchill at the conference on July 24th,
after he defeated him in the post-war British election which took place during
the actual conference.
America had still not used the atomic bomb on Hiroshima so all that Stalin and Atlee knew was that the U.S. claimed to possess a “weapon of awesome power.” Since Stalin had a huge military presence of millions of soldiers in Eastern Europe, he did not feel threatened by this claim and confident that he could be forceful in order to get what he wanted.
America had still not used the atomic bomb on Hiroshima so all that Stalin and Atlee knew was that the U.S. claimed to possess a “weapon of awesome power.” Since Stalin had a huge military presence of millions of soldiers in Eastern Europe, he did not feel threatened by this claim and confident that he could be forceful in order to get what he wanted.
The Potsdam Conference is considered to be the
Representatives from Allied Forces meeting during Conference
_last of WWII’s conferences and many issues
were discussed during the meeting. These issues included the allied control of
defeated Germany,
Reparations, The Oder/Neisse line, and Russia
joining the war in the Far East.
At one point in the conference, the U.S., Great Britain, and China (the three main powers currently fighting Japan) had made a joint proclamation about Japan. This “Potsdam Declaration” described Japan’s present condition, outlined the terms for Japan’s surrender, and delineated the Allies' intentions concerning her postwar status. The Declaration ended in a clear and threatening message: Japan must immediately agree to unconditionally surrender, or face “prompt and utter destruction.” This ultimatum foreshadowed the American bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
After the Allies had finally concluded their discussions regarding post-war arrangements in Europe and future action in the war against Japan, the conference came to a close in the early morning of August 2nd. This meeting marked the final conference of World War II and the formation of plans for the post-war world.
At one point in the conference, the U.S., Great Britain, and China (the three main powers currently fighting Japan) had made a joint proclamation about Japan. This “Potsdam Declaration” described Japan’s present condition, outlined the terms for Japan’s surrender, and delineated the Allies' intentions concerning her postwar status. The Declaration ended in a clear and threatening message: Japan must immediately agree to unconditionally surrender, or face “prompt and utter destruction.” This ultimatum foreshadowed the American bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
After the Allies had finally concluded their discussions regarding post-war arrangements in Europe and future action in the war against Japan, the conference came to a close in the early morning of August 2nd. This meeting marked the final conference of World War II and the formation of plans for the post-war world.