Europe 1945 to present

The Yalta Conference was a meeting between the three representatives of the superpowers of post-WWII which included Winston Churchill of Great Britain, Theodore Roosevelt of the United States, and Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union. The three had met at Yalta primarily to discuss what was to be done with post-war Germany, although each individual came into the conference with their own separate agenda as to what action should be taken. Stalin wanted to create a Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe to tighten Soviet national security, while Churchill was looking to institute free elections and democracy among Eastern Europe. Roosevelt’s stance was a bit hesitant, and it is for this reason that some of his enemies claimed Stalin tricked him into “Selling Out� Eastern Europe to the Soviets. Roosevelt most definitely did not have any faith in communism, but he was also suspicious of the imperialist aims of the British, and it was for this reason that Roosevelt was unable to coordinate with Churchill and prevent Soviet control of Eastern Europe. Roosevelt’s main concern was keeping allied unity intact, and to establish the United Nations by getting commitment from Stalin to join.

After all was said and done, both East and West left with conflicting interpretations of what was to be done. The spheres of influence had been established, but the countries that were to be split 50/50 in power for example, were still completely lost in terms of leadership and dominating parties. The only thing that was really set in stone was Churchill and Roosevelt agreeing to Stalin’s request of a new frontier line for Poland which roughly corresponded to the Curzon Line. The positive that the West took from the meeting was admitting France to equal partnership for control of Germany, winning France control of land in Germany that bordered France, as well as an occupation zone in Berlin.