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Potsdam Conference

Held in July 1945, the final wartime meeting of the Allies (U.S., Britain, and U.S.S.R.) to discuss postwar arrangements for Germany and Europe.

Harry S. Truman

U.S. President who replaced Roosevelt at the Potsdam Conference.

Clement Attlee

British Prime Minister who replaced Churchill mid-conference after the Labour Party’s victory in elections.

Stalin

Soviet leader representing the U.S.S.R. at both the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences.

Unconditional Surrender

The policy adopted by the Allies to accept no negotiated peace with Axis powers.

German Reparations

Soviets demanded $10 billion; reparations were paid in kind from occupation zones.

Denazification

Allied policy to eradicate Nazi ideology from German society.

Demilitarization

Process of reducing Germany's military capacity post-war.

Oder-Neisse Line

The new Polish-German boundary, compensating Poland for its eastern losses to the Soviet Union.

German Population Expulsions

Millions of Germans were driven from areas like Silesia and East Prussia to make way for Polish and Soviet claims.

Königsberg

Former Prussian city, renamed Kaliningrad and annexed by the Soviet Union.

Szczecin

German city Stettin, handed to Poland.

Wroclaw

German city Breslau, handed to Poland.

Danzig/Gdańsk

Renamed and incorporated into Poland after the war.

Council of Foreign Ministers

Established to prepare peace treaties with former Axis satellites.

1947 Peace Treaties

Signed with Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Finland, finalizing their postwar boundaries and reparations.

Japanese Peace Treaty (1951)

A peace treaty with Japan signed by the Allies, excluding the Soviet Union.

Soviet-Japan Treaty (1956)

Separate treaty between the Soviet Union and Japan.

German Division

Germany remained divided into zones of occupation managed by the Allies.

Paris Peace Conference (1946)

Included 21 Allied nations to finalize terms for Axis powers.

Atlantic Charter

Joint declaration by Roosevelt and Churchill (1941), emphasizing self-determination and equal trade access.

Yalta Conference (1945)

Meeting of the Big Three to discuss postwar Europe, Germany, and the United Nations.

Declaration on Liberated Europe

Promised free elections and democratic governments in liberated nations, largely ignored in Soviet-controlled areas.

United Nations

Postwar international organization established to maintain peace and security.

Soviet Demands in Asia

At Yalta, Stalin secured territorial and political concessions, including the Kurile Islands.

$10 Billion Soviet Reparations Demand

Substantial reparations claimed by the Soviet Union, met partially through Western zones.

Postwar Population Transfers

Millions displaced, including Germans from Eastern Europe.

Kaliningrad

Former Königsberg, incorporated into the Soviet Union.

Territorial Adjustments

Poland expanded westward into German territories while losing land to the U.S.S.R.

Wartime Western-Soviet Alliance Collapse

Tensions over Eastern Europe and Germany led to the breakdown of Allied unity and the start of the Cold War.

Marshal Tito

Yugoslav leader whose communist regime navigated a middle path between Soviet dominance and Western alignment.

Kuril Islands

Japanese territories ceded to the Soviet Union as part of concessions agreed at the Yalta Conference.

Silesia

Resource-rich region transferred from Germany to Poland postwar as part of territorial adjustments.

Stalin’s 'Public Opinion' Argument

Stalin justified Soviet territorial demands in Asia by claiming they were necessary to satisfy Soviet public opinion after wartime sacrifices.

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Death

Occurred in April 1945, just before the Potsdam Conference, leading to Harry Truman assuming U.S. leadership.

Admiral Dönitz

Hitler's designated successor, who formally surrendered Germany on May 8, 1945.

Teutonic Knights

Historical rulers of Königsberg, their legacy ended when the city became Kaliningrad under Soviet rule.

Stettin/Szczecin

Specific example of a German city renamed and repopulated under Polish administration after being seized during the postwar boundary changes.

Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia

Millions of ethnic Germans forcibly removed from Sudetenland, fulfilling wartime and postwar territorial resolutions.