The document summarizes the major World War 2 conferences between Allied leaders from 1940 to 1945. It discusses the goals and outcomes of conferences such as the Atlantic Charter which laid out common aims, Casablanca where unconditional surrender of Germany was agreed on, Tehran where the Big Three (Churchill, FDR, Stalin) met for the first time, and Yalta where the division of Germany and plans for the United Nations were discussed. Potsdam dealt with restructuring Germany and trials for war criminals and finalized the occupation zones of Allied powers in Germany. The conferences showed the evolving goals from coordinating the war effort to planning for the postwar world.

1. TheConferencesof
World War Two

2. References:
• Handbook, pages: 114 - 116
• Text, pages: 134-35, 137, 146-47, 154-55
Note: There were more conferences than those listed in
your references - these are just some of the most
significant ones.

3. The leaders:
The Big3

4. Time Line
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945
Nfld
Conf. (Atlantic Charter)
Que
Conf. #1
Casablanca
Conf.
Cairo
Conf.
Yalta
Conf.
Potsdam
Conf.
TehranConf.
DumbartonOaksConf.
Bretton
W
oodsConf.
Que
Conf. #2

5. 1. NEWFOUNDLAND: Aug, 1941

6. Sometimes called the Atlantic
Conference
• Churchill and FDR
• Discuss common war aims
• Create the Atlantic Charter
The U.S. recognizes the threat to Britain
(the Battle of the Atlantic is NOT going well),
sooooo…

7. • The “14 points” of
WW2 (actually only 8)
• Model for UN
• Start of the GRAND
ALLIANCE
Churchill’s rough draft

8. Charter’s 8 Points:
•The USA and Britain agreed to seek no territorial gains as a
result of the outcome of World War II.
•Any territorial adjustments would be made with the wishes of
the affected people taken into consideration.
•Self-determination was a right of all people.
•A concerted effort would be made to lower trade barriers.
•The importance of the advancement of social welfare and
global economic cooperation were recognized as important.
•They would work to establish freedom from fear and want.
•The importance of freedom of the seas was stated.
•They would work towards postwar disarmament and the
mutual disarmament of aggressor nations.

11. I’m not going to
kiss you, if that’s
what you want!

12. The Charter was a natural progression…

13. 2. CASABLANCA: Jan, 1943

15. Churchill and FDR agree thatChurchill and FDR agree that
• Germany must surrender
UNCONDITIONALLY.
• Did not want to repeat the errors of WW1
(ie. stab in the back).
• Published the Casablanca Declaration =
outlines the requirement for surrender.
How could this prolong the war?
How would Germany react?

16. 3. QUEBEC (One): Aug, 1943

17. Why is he
always moving into
my space?

18. • D-Day (the AlliesD-Day (the Allies’ Priority!) is set for’ Priority!) is set for
May 1, 1944May 1, 1944 (a date not realized).(a date not realized).
• Pacific theatre is reorganized.Pacific theatre is reorganized.
• Discuss A-Bomb progress + share infoDiscuss A-Bomb progress + share info
(Stalin not in on the secret - or so they think…).(Stalin not in on the secret - or so they think…).

19. 4. CAIRO: Nov, 1943

20. Zones of Occupation?
FDR’s musings of
post-war Europe while on the ship to
Cairo…
UUSSAA
ZoneZone
BritBrit
ZoneZone
USSRUSSR
ZoneZone

21. Later this came out at Yalta

22. A bunch of other guys…
Chiang FDR Churchill Madam Chiang
WHO WAS
WHO WASABSENT?
ABSENT?

23. • Planned operations for China.
• Post-war: a) Manchuria to China;
b) Korea to be free (who had
controlled Korea since 1910?).

24. 5. Quebec (Two): Sep, 1944

25. • Churchill presses for Mediterranean
• Phase 2 Lend-lease $ to UK
• FDR still won’t recognize DeGaulle
• Morgenthau Plan given tentative
approval:
• Hyde Park Agreement

27. 6. TEHRAN: Nov-Dec, 1943

29. BEST FRIENDS?

30. • FIRSTFIRST MEETING OF THE BIG 3.
• Churchill ensures cordiality.
• USA/UK agree to open 2nd front (vs.
Churchill’s Med. Strategy - Balkans ⇒ Greece).
• USSR agrees to fight in Pacific (for a
price…after Germany is defeated)
• Post-war Poland buffer is planned.
FDR’S NOTES

31. Curzon Line in the East
USSR
regains land
lost to
Poland in
Treaty of
Riga 1921.
(Remember the
UK Foreign
Secretary from
1919?)

32. Oder-Niesse Line in the West: Poland’s Compensation
Not finalized + the plan for Germany is deferred to another meeting.

33. 7. YALTA: Feb, 1945

34. Livadia Palace:
Fit for a Tsar
MostMost important of
important of
all theall the
conferences?
conferences?

36. • Zones vs 1944 Morgenthau Plan to break
apart Germany
• Nuremburg
• USSR in Pacific 3 months after V.E.
• Disarm Germany (details later)
• USSR to allow elections in East (FDR soft on
guarantees - needs Stalin)
• Poland still not finalized - leave that for the
peace treaty (Potsdam).

37. Churchill’s Plan

38. Roosevelt’s Paln

39. Morgenthau Plan:

40. Final Decision

41. • Approved 1944 Dumbarton Oaks re: U.N.
(also 1944 Bretton Woods - IMF/World Bank).
• Plan 1945 San Fran. in April to draft Charter.

42. 8. Potsdam: Jul-Aug 1945

43. The Reichstag: fall of Berlin 02 May, 1945
Local time →
←
Zulu
tim
e

47. Potsdam Declaration
• Truman, Chiang and Churchill define
terms for Japanese surrender with
threat of “prompt and utter
destruction” (w/o mention of the Bomb).

48. How would new leaders from the democracies change the
treaty negotiations?
I beat that
Tory, Churchill.
FDR died;
I was VP.
I “man of steel;”
l always be here!

49. Generally, who rule the conquered right after a war?
E
B
C

51. Germany had divided: what goes around…

52. Remember FDR’s Map?
11
22
44
33
55
66
77
88
Who
appears
to get
the best
zone?
Spheres of Influence?

53. • Which two
countries
switched spots?
• Which country
now has zones?
• What about the
capital, Berlin?
• Note: Austria was similarly
divided

54. Potsdam was not intended to be the
peace treaty;
it can be divided into two parts:

55. CHANGE GERMANY
• Dismantle her war industries
- split up navy + destroy most subs (some kept for
research)
- rocket program moved to USA
• Reparations (more to USSR)
• Denazification
- no Nazi groups, symbols, leaders
• and

56. TrialsTrialsfor war criminalsfor war criminals
G
Only 35,000 of the estimated 150-200,000 responsible were tried and convicted
The Brits had only 3 investigators; the Americans 320 - all work was suspended
in 1948; trouble with the Allies was brewing.
Saying you were ORDERED to
commit a war crime is no
defense!
Remember Henry V: “Every subject’s duty is the King’s, but
every subject’s soul is his own.” IV, i, 161-162

57. Dealing with the USSR
• At the start of the conference the
A-Bomb was unproven; how would its
success affect the way the US dealt
with the USSR? What about Truman’s
hatred for Stalin?

58. Allied Control Council
• What would happen if denazification
created a leadership void?
• What are the types of things the Council
would have to administer?

59. Making Sense
How can the conferences be divided:
• Who attended the first ones - what did they
concern?
• When did the Big 3 get together - what stage
in the war was this?
• When did the focus change from war to post-
war?
• How important were personalities and
relationships?
• Were compromises necessary?
• How do the decisions of 1945 compare to
1919?

60. Remember
Understanding the outcome of WW2 and the
reasons for the decisions made will help you
to grasp the later outcomes in the bi-polar
world of the Cold War.
end