Yalta (Crimean) Conference of the Allied Powers(February 4 - 11, 1945) - one of the meetings of the leaders of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain, dedicated to the establishment of the post-war world order. The conference took place at the Livadia Palace in Yalta, Crimea.
Meaning
In 1943, in Tehran, Franklin Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill discussed mainly the problem of achieving victory over the Third Reich; in Potsdam in July-August 1945, the allies resolved issues of peaceful settlement and division of Germany, and in Yalta, major decisions were made on the future division of the world between the winning countries.
By that time, the collapse of Nazism was no longer in doubt, and victory over Germany was only a matter of time - as a result of powerful offensive strikes by Soviet troops, military operations were transferred to German territory, and the war entered its final stage. The fate of Japan also did not raise any special questions, since the United States already controlled almost the entire Pacific Ocean. The Allies understood that they had a unique chance to manage the history of Europe in their own way, since for the first time in history, almost all of Europe was in the hands of just three states.
All decisions of Yalta, in general, related to two problems.
Firstly, it was necessary to carry out new state borders in territory recently occupied by the Third Reich. At the same time, it was necessary to establish unofficial, but generally recognized by all sides, demarcation lines between the spheres of influence of the allies - a task that had begun in Tehran.
Secondly, the allies understood perfectly well that after the disappearance of the common enemy, the forced unification of the West and the USSR would lose all meaning, and therefore it was necessary to create procedures to guarantee the immutability of the dividing lines drawn on the world map.
Redistribution of borders
In this regard, Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin managed to find mutual language on almost all issues.
Poland
Its outlines changed dramatically after World War II. Poland, which before the war was the largest country in Central Europe, sharply shrank and moved to the west and north. Until 1939, its eastern border was practically under Kiev and Minsk, and besides, the Poles owned the Vilna region, which now became part of Lithuania. The western border with Germany was located east of the Oder, while most of the Baltic coast also belonged to Germany. In the east of the pre-war territory, the Poles were a national minority among Ukrainians and Belarusians, while part of the territories in the west and north inhabited by Poles was under German jurisdiction.
The USSR received the western border with Poland along the so-called “Curzon Line”, established back in 1920, with a deviation from it in some areas of 5 to 8 km in favor of Poland. In fact, the border returned to the position at the time of the division of Poland between Germany and the USSR in 1939 under a secret additional protocol on the division of spheres of interest to the Non-Aggression Treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union, the main difference from which was the transfer of the Bialystok region to Poland.
Although Poland had been under German rule for six years by that time, there was a provisional government of this country in exile in London, which was recognized by the USSR and therefore could well lay claim to power in its country after the end of the war. However, Stalin in Crimea managed to obtain from the allies agreement to create a new government in Poland itself “with the inclusion of democratic figures from Poland itself and Poles from abroad.” This decision, implemented in the presence of Soviet troops, allowed the USSR to later, without much difficulty, form a political regime that suited it in Warsaw.
Germany
A fundamental decision was made on the occupation and division of Germany into occupation zones and on the allocation of its own zone to France.
A specific settlement of the issue regarding the zones of occupation of Germany was reached even before the Crimean conference and was recorded in “Protocol of the Agreement between the Governments of the USSR, the USA and the United Kingdom on the Zones of Occupation of Germany and on the Administration of Greater Berlin” dated September 12, 1944.
This decision predetermined the split of the country for many decades. On May 23, 1949, the Constitution was put into effect Federal Republic Germany, previously signed by representatives of the three Western powers. On September 7, 1949, the first session of the West German parliament proclaimed the creation of a new state. In response, on October 7, 1949, the German Empire was formed on the territory of the Soviet occupation zone. Democratic Republic. There was also talk about the separation of East Prussia (later, after Potsdam, the current Kaliningrad region was created on 1/3 of this territory).
The participants of the Yalta Conference stated that their adamant goal was to destroy German militarism and Nazism and create guarantees that "Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace", “disarm and dissolve all German armed forces and destroy the German General Staff forever”, “seize or destroy all German military equipment, liquidate or take control of all German industry that could be used for war production; to subject all war criminals to fair and speedy punishment; wipe out Nazi Party, Nazi laws, organizations and institutions; eliminate all Nazi and militaristic influence from public institutions, from the cultural and economic life of the German people." At the same time, the conference communiqué emphasized that after the eradication of Nazism and militarism, the German people will be able to take their rightful place in the community of nations.
Balkans
The eternal Balkan issue was also discussed - in particular, the situation in Yugoslavia and Greece. It is believed that Stalin allowed Great Britain to decide the fate of the Greeks, as a result of which later clashes between communist and pro-Western forces in this country were decided in favor of the latter. On the other hand, it was actually recognized that power in Yugoslavia would be given to Josip Broz Tito's NOLA, who, however, was recommended to take “democrats” into the government.
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...It was then that Churchill touched upon the topic that interested him most. Let's settle our affairs in the Balkans,” he said. - Your armies are in Romania and Bulgaria. We have interests there, our missions and agents. Let's avoid clashes over petty matters. Since we are talking about England and Russia, what do you think if you had 90% of the influence in Romania, and we, say, 90% of the influence in Greece? And 50% to 50% in Yugoslavia? While his words were being translated into Russian, Churchill jotted down these percentages on a piece of paper and pushed the paper across the table to Stalin. He glanced at it and handed it back to Churchill. There was a pause. The piece of paper was lying on the table. Churchill did not touch him. Finally he said: Will it be considered too cynical that we have so easily solved issues that affect millions of people? Let's better burn this paper... No, keep it with you,” said Stalin. Churchill folded the paper in half and put it in his pocket. - Berezhkov V. M. Complexities of inter-allied relations. Strange proposal // Pages of diplomatic history - 4th ed. - M.: International Relations, 1987. - P. 478. - 616 p. - 130,000 copies. |
Declaration of a Liberated Europe
The Declaration of a Liberated Europe was also signed in Yalta, which determined the principles of the policy of the victors in the territories conquered from the enemy. It assumed, in particular, the restoration of the sovereign rights of the peoples of these territories, as well as the right of the allies to jointly “help” these peoples “improve conditions” for the exercise of these same rights. The declaration stated: “The establishment of order in Europe and the reconstruction of national economic life must be achieved in such a way as will enable the liberated peoples to destroy the last traces of Nazism and fascism and to create democratic institutions of their own choice.”
The idea of joint assistance, as expected, later did not become a reality: each victorious power had power only in those territories where its troops were stationed. As a result, each of the former allies in the war began to diligently support their own ideological allies after it ended. Within a few years, Europe was divided into the socialist camp and Western Europe, where Washington, London and Paris tried to resist communist sentiments.
Reparations
Once again the issue of reparations was raised. However, the Allies were never able to finally determine the amount of compensation. It was only decided that the United States and Great Britain would give Moscow 50 percent of all reparations.
Far East
The fate of the Far East was fundamentally decided by a separate document. In exchange for the participation of Soviet troops in the war against Japan, Stalin received significant concessions from the United States and Great Britain. Firstly, the USSR received the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin, which had been lost in the Russo-Japanese War. In addition, Mongolia was recognized as an independent state. The Soviet side was also promised Port Arthur and the Chinese-Eastern Railway(CER).
UN
In Yalta, the implementation of the idea of a new League of Nations began. The Allies needed an interstate organization capable of preventing attempts to change the established boundaries of their spheres of influence. It was at the conferences of the victors in Tehran and Yalta and at the intermediate negotiations at Dumbarton Oaks that the ideology of the United Nations was formed.
It was agreed that the UN's activities in resolving fundamental issues of ensuring peace would be based on the principle of unanimity of the great powers - permanent members of the Security Council with the right of veto.
Stalin achieved the agreement of his partners that among the founders and members of the UN would be not only the USSR, but also the Ukrainian SSR and the Byelorussian SSR. And it was in the Yalta documents that the date “April 25, 1945” appeared - the date of the beginning of the San Francisco Conference, which was intended to develop the UN Charter.
The UN has become a symbol and formal guarantor of the post-war world order, authoritative and sometimes even quite effective organization in resolving interstate problems. At the same time, the victorious countries continued to prefer to resolve truly serious issues in their relations through bilateral negotiations, rather than within the UN framework. The UN also failed to prevent the wars that both the US and the USSR fought over the past decades.
Heritage of Yalta
The Crimean conference of the leaders of the USA, USSR and Great Britain had a great historical meaning. It was one of the largest international meetings of wartime, an important milestone in the cooperation of the powers of the anti-Hitler coalition in waging war against a common enemy. The adoption of agreed decisions on important issues at the conference once again showed the possibility of international cooperation between states with different social systems.
The bipolar world created in Yalta and the rigid division of Europe into east and west survived for only a little more than 40 years, until the end of the 1980s, which indicates the instability of such a system.
The Yalta system collapsed in literally two or three years at the turn of the 1980s-1990s, when the “East”, which personified the USSR, disappeared from the world map. Since then, the boundaries of spheres of influence in Europe have been determined only by the current balance of power. At the same time, most of Central and Eastern Europe quite calmly survived the disappearance of the previous demarcation lines, and Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the Baltic countries were even able to integrate into the new picture of the world in Europe.
Displaced Persons Agreement
During the conference, another agreement was concluded, which was very important for the Soviet side, namely an agreement on the repatriation of military and civilians, i.e. displaced persons - persons liberated (captured) in territories captured by the Allies.
Subsequently, fulfilling this agreement, the British transferred to the Soviet side not only Soviet citizens, but also former Russians who had long had foreign citizenship. This included the extradition of the Cossacks, of whom the senior officers (generals) were executed, and the rest were repressed by the Soviet authorities.
According to some estimates, this agreement affected more than 2.5 million people.
- a conference of the heads of government of the three allied powers of the anti-Hitler coalition in World War II, the USSR, USA and Great Britain, convened in order to coordinate plans for the final defeat fascist Germany and its allies, developing the basic principles of a common policy regarding the post-war world order.
The Conference Communiqué formulated a unified policy of the USSR, USA and Great Britain regarding the post-war status of Germany. It was decided that the armed forces of the three powers, after complete defeat, would occupy Germany and occupy certain parts of it (zones).
It was also envisaged to create an allied administration and control the situation in the country through a specially created body, which would be headed by the commanders-in-chief of the three powers, with its seat in Berlin. At the same time, it was supposed to invite France as the fourth member of this control body so that it would take over one of the zones of occupation.
In order to destroy German militarism and Nazism and transform Germany into a peace-loving state, the Crimean Conference outlined a program for its military, economic and political disarmament.
The conference made a decision on the reparation issue. She recognized the need to oblige Germany to compensate the allied countries for the damage it caused to the “maximum possible extent” through natural supplies. Determining the amount of reparations and methods of collecting them was entrusted to a special commission for compensation of losses, which was supposed to work in Moscow.
The conference participants adopted the “Declaration of a Liberated Europe,” in which the Allied powers declared their desire to coordinate their actions in solving the political and economic problems of a liberated Europe.
One of the most difficult issues at the conference was the Polish question. The heads of the three powers reached an agreement to reorganize the current Provisional Government on a broader basis, including democratic figures from Poland itself and Poles from abroad. With regard to the Polish borders, it was decided that “the eastern border of Poland should run along the Curzon Line with a deviation from it in some areas of five to eight kilometers in favor of Poland.” It was also envisaged that Poland “should receive significant increases in territory in the North and West.”
On the question of Yugoslavia, the conference adopted a number of recommendations regarding the formation of a Provisional United Government from representatives of the National Committee for the Liberation of Yugoslavia and the émigré royal government in London, as well as the creation of a Provisional Parliament based on the Anti-Fascist Assembly of People's Liberation of Yugoslavia.
Of greatest importance was the decision of the Crimean Conference on the establishment of a general international organization for maintaining peace and security - the United Nations (UN) and a permanent body under it - the Security Council.
The situation in the Asia-Pacific theater of military operations was not officially discussed by the participants of the Yalta Conference, since the USSR was bound by a neutrality treaty with Japan. The agreement was reached in secret negotiations between the heads of government and signed on February 11.
The Agreement of the Three Great Powers on the Far East, adopted at the Crimean Conference, provided for the entry of the Soviet Union into the war against Japan two to three months after the surrender of Germany and the end of the war in Europe. In exchange for Soviet participation in the war against Japan, the United States and Great Britain provided Stalin with significant concessions. The Kuril Islands and Southern Sakhalin, lost in the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905, were transferred to the USSR. Mongolia received the status of an independent state.
The Soviet side was also promised the restoration of the lease of Port Arthur as a naval base of the USSR, and joint operation of the Chinese Eastern and South Manchurian Railways with China.
Bilateral agreements were also signed at the conference, which determined the procedure for the treatment of prisoners of war and civilians of the states party to the agreements in the event of their release by the troops of allied countries, as well as the conditions for their repatriation.
An agreement was reached to establish a permanent mechanism for consultation between the foreign ministers of the three great powers.
At the Crimean Conference of 1945, the foundations of the post-war world order were laid that lasted almost the entire second half of the 20th century, and some of its elements, such as the UN, still exist today.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
YALTA (CRIMEAN) CONFERENCE of the leaders of the three powers - allies in the Anti-Hitler Coalition: from the USSR - I.V. Stalin, USA - F.D. Roosevelt, Great Britain - W. Churchill - took place on February 4-11, 1945 in Yalta (Crimea) at the final stage of the Second World War 1939-1945.
Military issues and the problem of the post-war structure of Europe were resolved. The participants in a joint communique stated that they had determined their plans for the final defeat of the common enemy and planned in detail the timing and coordination of powerful blows that would be inflicted on Germany; agreed on a general policy and plans for dealing with it after its complete defeat.
Germany was divided by the Allies into four occupation zones - British, American, Soviet and French. The establishment of allied administration and control was envisaged, carried out by a specially created body consisting of the commanders-in-chief of the three powers with its seat in Berlin. The USSR's demand for German reparations in the amount of $10 billion was recognized as legal. They had to come in the form of the export of goods and capital, the use of human power. (This decision of the conference was not fully implemented. In addition, morally and physically obsolete equipment was exported to the USSR, which prevented the modernization of the Soviet economy.)
In the Declaration of a Liberated Europe, the Allies emphasized their desire to coordinate their actions in resolving political and economic issues in Europe. The USSR achieved strengthening of its positions in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and promised to enter the war with Japan, for which it received the consent of the allies to annex the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin.
It was decided to create the United Nations (UN), in which the USSR received three seats - for the RSFSR, Ukraine and Belarus, i.e. those republics that bore the brunt of the war, suffered the greatest economic losses and human casualties.
Orlov A.S., Georgieva N.G., Georgiev V.A. Historical Dictionary. 2nd ed. M., 2012, p. 590.
Crimean Conference of 1945, Yalta Conference of 1945, conference of the heads of government of the three allied powers in the 2nd World War 1939 - 1945 - USSR, USA, Great Britain: prev. Council of People's Commissars of the USSR J.V. Stalin, US President F.D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister W. Churchill with the participation of foreign ministers. affairs, beginning headquarters and other advisers. It took place in Yalta on February 4-11, during the period when, as a result of powerful offensive attacks by the Soviet Army, which suffered war. actions on germ. territory, the war against Nazi Germany entered its final stage. Military agreements were agreed upon at the K.K. the powers' plans will end. defeat of the fascists. Germany, their attitude towards Germany after its unconditional surrender was determined and the main principles were outlined. principles of general policy regarding post-war. world organizations. It was decided that after the German armed resistance was completely crushed, armament. forces of the USSR, USA and Great Britain occupy Germany; Moreover, the troops of each of the mentioned powers will occupy a certain part (zone) of Germany. It was also envisaged to create a coordinated allied force in Germany. administration and the establishment of control exercised through a specially created control body consisting of the commanders-in-chief of the three powers, headquartered in Berlin.
At the same time, the KK communiqué emphasized that after the eradication of Nazism and militarism, the Germans. the people will be able to take their rightful place in the community of nations. An exchange of views took place on the issue of reparations from Germany.
K.K. made a decision on the creation of the United Nations Organization (UN). Participants of the K.K. determined that on April 25. 1945 in San Francisco (USA) a conference of the United Nations will be convened, which will prepare the final text of the UN Charter (see San Francisco Conference 1945). It was agreed that the UN's activities in resolving fundamental issues of ensuring peace would be based on the principle of unanimity of the great powers - permanent members of the UN Security Council.
CC adopted the “Declaration of a Liberated Europe”, in which the Allied powers declared their desire to coordinate their actions in deciding political issues. and economical problems of liberated Europe. The declaration stated: “The establishment of order in Europe and the reorganization of national economic life must be achieved in such a way as will enable the liberated peoples to destroy the last traces of Nazism and fascism and to create democratic institutions of their own choice.”
On the issue of “On Poland,” the KK communiqué expressed “the general desire to see a strong, free, independent and democratic Poland established.”
An agreement was reached on the creation of a government of Poland on a broad basis, with the inclusion of democratic. figures from Poland itself and Poles from abroad. It was decided that the Soviet-Polish border should pass along the Curzon Line with a retreat from it in certain areas from 5 to 8 km in favor of Poland, that Poland would receive a significant increase in territory. on N. and on 3
On the issue of Yugoslavia, the KK adopted a number of recommendations on the formation of the Provisional United Government of Yugoslavia and the creation of a Provisional Parliament on the basis of the Anti-Fascist National Assembly. liberation of Yugoslavia.
At the Caucasus, the “Agreement of the Three Great Powers on Far Eastern Issues” was adopted, which provided for the entry of the Soviet Union into the war against Japan two to three months after the surrender of Germany and the end of the war in Europe. The agreement stated, in particular, that at the end of the war the south would be returned to the USSR. part o. Sakhalin and all the adjacent islands were transferred to the Kuril Islands. The KK also considered the issue of creating a permanent mechanism for regular consultations between foreign ministers. affairs of the three powers.
In the communiqué of the United Nations, the three allied powers expressed “their determination to preserve and strengthen in the coming period of peace that unity of purpose and action which has made victory in modern war possible and certain for the United Nations.”
Many decisions of the K.K., as well as other joint agreements of the Allied powers during the war and its end, did not find their consistent implementation in the post-war years due to the fault of the Western powers, which took the course of inflating " cold war"against socialist countries, for the revival of West German militarism and revanchism.
Materials from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia were used.
Literature:
Collection of existing treaties, agreements and conventions concluded by the USSR with foreign states, c. 11, M., 1955;
Tehran. Yalta. Potsdam. Sat. Doc-tov, M., 1971 (see below for a link to the electronic version of the book);
Israelyan V.L., Diplomatic history of the Great Patriotic War 1941 - 1945, M., 1959;
Story foreign policy USSR, part 1, 1917 -1945, M., 1966.
Read further:
Tehran – Yalta – Potsdam: Collection of documents/ Comp.: Sh.P. Sanakoev, B.L. Tsybulevsky. – 2nd ed. – M.: Publishing House “International Relations”, 1970. – 416 p.
The art of war is a science in which nothing succeeds except what has been calculated and thought out.
Napoleon
The Yalta (Crimean) Conference took place on February 4-11, 1945 at the Livadia Palace in Yalta (Crimea). The conference was attended by leaders of 3 powers: USSR (Stalin), USA (Roosevelt), Great Britain (Churchill). Foreign ministers, chiefs of staff and advisers took part in the conference along with the leaders of the countries. The main question is the post-war world order and the fate of Germany. By this moment, it was absolutely clear that the war had been won and the question of the surrender of Nazi Germany was a matter of several months.
Choosing a conference venue
Planning for the conference began about six months in advance, and the leaders of the countries first spoke about its need in May 1944. Churchill did not express wishes or demands regarding the venue, but Roosevelt suggested holding the meeting in Rome, citing the fact that the US Constitution does not allow him to leave the country for a long time, and he himself can only move in a wheelchair. Stalin rejected this proposal and insisted on holding a conference in Yalta, although Roosevelt also suggested Athens, Alexandria and Jerusalem. He talked about places with warm climates.
Having held a conference in Yalta, in Crimea, Stalin wanted once again demonstrate the power of the Soviet army, which independently liberated this territory from the German occupiers.
Operation Valley
“Valley” is the code name for the operation to ensure security and other issues of the conference in Crimea. On January 3, Stalin instructed Beria personally to carry out these events. First of all, we determined the location of the delegates:
- Livadia Palace is the location of the US delegation and the venue for the conference.
- Vorontsov Palace is the location of the British delegation in Yalta.
- The Yusupov Palace is the location of the USSR delegation.
Around January 15, NKVD operational groups began working in Crimea. Counterintelligence was active. More than 67 thousand people were checked, 324 were detained, 197 were arrested. 267 rifles, 283 grenades, 1 machine gun, 43 machine guns and 49 pistols were confiscated from the verified persons. Such counterintelligence activity and unprecedented security measures gave rise to rumors among the population - preparing for war with Turkey. This myth was dispelled later when the reasons for these actions became clear - the holding of an international conference of the heads of the 3 leading world powers in Yalta to discuss issues of further development of Europe and the world.
Issues discussed
War with Japan
At the Yalta Conference, the issue of the USSR's entry into the war against Japan was discussed separately. Stalin said that this was possible, but not earlier than 3 months after the complete surrender of Germany. At the same time, the Soviet leader named a number of conditions for the USSR to enter the war against Japan:
- Results of the war Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 are annulled, and the USSR returns all territories lost by the tsarist government.
- The USSR receives the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin.
The issue of the USSR starting a war with Japan did not raise any big questions, since Stalin was interested in this. It was obvious that Japan would not be able to resist the allied army, and at the cost of little effort it would be possible to win and return the previously lost lands.
All decisions of the Crimean Conference
The Yalta Conference on February 4–11, 1945 produced a document, the main points of which were as follows:
- Creation of the United Nations. The first meeting at which the organization's charter was to be developed took place on April 25, 1945 in San Francisco (USA). All countries that were at war with Germany at the time of February 8 could join the UN. It was decided to create the UN Security Council, which included the USSR (successor to Russia), the USA, Great Britain, China and France. All 5 countries have the right of “veto”: imposing a ban on any decision of the organization.
- Declaration of the Liberation of Europe. Zones of influence over countries subordinate to Germany were demarcated.
- Dismemberment of Germany. It was decided that the USSR, the USA and England would have full power over Germany, taking all measures that they consider justified for the future security of the world. A commission was created by Eden, Winant and Gusev, who were in charge of these issues and had to decide whether France should be involved in the dismemberment process.
- Zone of French occupation in Germany. Stalin sharply opposed this idea, saying that France did not fight, and therefore did not have the right to the occupation zone. But if the USA and England consider this acceptable, let them allocate such a zone from their territories to the French. So it was decided.
- Reparations. It was decided to create a commission that would determine the amount of reparations. The commission met in Moscow. The payment plan was as follows: one-time (after the defeat of Germany, reparations were withdrawn, which would deprive Germany of its military and economic potential), annually (the duration and volume of annual payments was to be established by a commission) and the use of German labor.
- Polish question. The creation of a Provisional Polish Government was approved, the eastern border with the USSR along the Curzon line was approved, and the right to expand Poland to the West and North was recognized. As a result, Poland expanded its territory and received a more democratic government.
- Yugoslavia. It was decided later to solve the problems of the country and its borders.
- Southeastern Europe. It was decided to create a commission that would solve 3 main problems: 1 - oil equipment in Romania, 2 - Greek claims against Bulgaria, 3 - the creation of a commission on Bulgarian issues.
The Yalta Conference basically did not contain complex issues, since there were agreements. Most hot topic consisted of reparations from Germany. Soviet Union demanded reparations of 20 billion dollars, 10 of which were to be allocated to the USSR, and the other 10 to other countries. Churchill was strongly against it, but it was decided to create a separate commission to resolve this issue.
YALTA CONFERENCE 1945, also the Crimean Conference - a conference of the heads of government of the three allied powers of the anti-Hitler coalition in World War II 1939–1945 (USSR, USA and Great Britain): Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR I.V. Stalin, US President F.D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister W. Churchill with the participation of foreign ministers, chiefs of senior staff and other advisers. The “Big Three” (Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill) gathered on February 4–11 at the Livadia Palace near Yalta at a time when, as a result of the offensive of the Soviet Army and the landing of allied troops in Normandy, military operations were transferred to German territory and the war against Nazi Germany entered final stage. At the Yalta Conference, plans for the final defeat of Germany were agreed upon, the attitude towards Germany after its unconditional surrender was determined, the basic principles of general policy regarding the post-war world order were outlined, and a number of other issues were discussed.
Before Yalta, the British and American delegations met in Malta. Roosevelt intended to continue cooperation with the USSR. In his opinion, Great Britain was an imperialist power, and Roosevelt considered the elimination of the colonial system one of the priorities of the post-war settlement. The United States played a diplomatic game: on the one hand, Great Britain continued to be its closest ally and the atomic project was carried out with the knowledge of London, but in secret from Moscow; on the other hand, Soviet-American cooperation made it possible to implement global regulation of the system of international relations.
In Yalta, as in 1943 at the Tehran Conference, the question of the fate of Germany was again considered. Churchill proposed separating Prussia from Germany and forming a south German state with its capital in Vienna. Stalin and Roosevelt agreed that Germany should be dismembered. However, having made this decision, the Allies did not establish either approximate territorial contours or a procedure for dismemberment.
Roosevelt and Churchill proposed giving France a zone of occupation in Germany, with Roosevelt emphasizing that American troops would not remain in Europe for more than two years. But Stalin did not want to grant this right to France. Roosevelt initially agreed with him. However, Roosevelt then said that if France was included in the Control Commission, which was supposed to govern occupied Germany, this would force the French to make concessions. Stalin, who was met halfway on other issues, agreed to this decision.
The Soviet side raised the issue of reparations (removal of equipment and annual payments) that Germany must pay for the damage caused. However, the amount of reparations was not established, because The British side opposed this. The Americans favorably accepted the Soviet proposal to determine the total amount of reparations at 20 billion dollars, of which 50 percent were to be paid to the USSR.
The Soviet proposal for the membership of Soviet republics in the future UN was accepted, but their number was limited to two (Molotov proposed two or three - Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania, citing the fact that the British Commonwealth was represented in full). It was decided to hold the founding conference of the UN in the USA in April 1945. The Soviet side agreed with the American proposals, according to which a permanent member of the Security Council could not take part in the vote if the issue concerned a member country of the Security Council. Roosevelt received the Soviet concession with enthusiasm.
Roosevelt took seriously the principle of UN trusteeship of colonial territories. When the American side presented the corresponding document, Churchill stated that he would not allow interference in the affairs of the British Empire. How, Churchill asked, appealing to the USSR, would Stalin react to the proposal to internationalize Crimea? The American side stated that they meant territories conquered from the enemy, for example, islands in Pacific Ocean. We agreed that the American proposal applies to League of Nations mandated territories, territories taken from the enemy, and territories that voluntarily agree to UN supervision.
The conference discussed a number of issues related to European states. Stalin did not challenge British-American control of Italy, which was still fighting. Was in Greece Civil War, in which British troops intervened on the side opposing the communists. In Yalta, Stalin confirmed the agreement reached with Churchill in October 1944 in Moscow to consider Greece as a purely British sphere of influence.
Great Britain and the USSR, again in accordance with the October agreements, confirmed parity in Yugoslavia, where the leader of the Yugoslav communists, Josip Broz Tito, negotiated with the pro-Western Yugoslav leader Subasic for control of the country. But the practical settlement of the situation in Yugoslavia did not develop as Churchill wanted. The British were also concerned about issues of territorial settlement between Yugoslavia, Austria and Italy. It was decided that these issues would be discussed through normal diplomatic channels.
A similar decision was made regarding the claims of the American and British sides due to the fact that the USSR did not consult with them in solving the problems of the post-war structure of Romania and Bulgaria. The situation in Hungary, where the Soviet side also excluded the Western allies from the political settlement process, was not discussed in detail.
Without any enthusiasm, the conference participants began to discuss the Polish question. By this time the entire territory of Poland was controlled Soviet troops; A pro-communist government was formed in this country.
Roosevelt, supported by Churchill, proposed that the USSR return Lviv to Poland. However, this was a ruse; the Polish borders, already discussed in Tehran, were not of concern to Western leaders. In fact, another issue was on the agenda - the post-war political structure of Poland. Stalin repeated the previously agreed position: the western border of Poland should be moved, the eastern border should pass along the Curzon line. As for the Polish government, the Warsaw government will not have any contacts with the London government. Churchill said that according to his information, the pro-Soviet government represents the views of no more than a third of the Poles; the situation could lead to bloodshed, arrests and deportations. Stalin responded by promising to include some “democratic” leaders from Polish emigrant circles in the provisional government.
Roosevelt proposed creating a presidential council in Poland, consisting of representatives of various forces, which would form the Polish government, but soon withdrew his proposal. Long discussions followed. As a result, it was decided to reorganize the provisional Polish government on a “broad democratic basis” and hold free elections as soon as possible. All three powers pledged to establish diplomatic relations with the reorganized government. The eastern border of Poland was determined by the Curzon line; territorial gains at the expense of Germany were mentioned vaguely. The final determination of Poland's western border was delayed until the next conference.
In fact, decisions on the Polish issue and other European states in Yalta confirmed that Eastern Europe remains in the Soviet, and Western Europe and the Mediterranean - in the Anglo-American sphere of influence.
The American side presented a document at the conference entitled “Declaration of a Liberated Europe,” which was adopted. The declaration proclaimed democratic principles. The heads of the allied governments, in particular, assumed obligations to coordinate with each other their policies to resolve the political and economic problems of the liberated countries during the period of “temporary” instability. The Allies had to create conditions for the establishment of democratic forms of government through free elections. However, this declaration was never put into practice.
At the Yalta Conference, an agreement was concluded on the USSR's entry into the war against Japan two to three months after the end of the war in Europe. During separate negotiations between Stalin and Roosevelt and Churchill, agreements were reached to strengthen the USSR’s position in Far East. Stalin put forward the following conditions: maintaining the status of Mongolia, the return of Southern Sakhalin and adjacent islands to Russia, the internationalization of the port of Dalian (Dalniy), the return to the USSR of the previously Russian naval base in Port Arthur, the joint Soviet-Chinese ownership of the CER and SMR, the transfer of the Kuril Islands to the USSR islands. On all these issues, on the Western side, the initiative for concessions belonged to Roosevelt. The brunt of military efforts against Japan fell on the United States, and they were interested in the speedy appearance of the USSR in the Far East.
The decisions of the Yalta Conference largely predetermined the post-war structure of Europe and the world for almost fifty years, until the collapse of the socialist system in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
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