Shortly before the end of World War II, the second meeting of the heads of state of the anti-Hitler coalition took place: JV Stalin (USSR), W. Churchill (Great Britain) and F. Roosevelt (USA). It took place in the period from February 4 to 11, 1945 and was called the Y alta Conference at the place of its holding. This was the last international meeting where the Big Three met in the run-up to the nuclear age.
Post-war division of Europe
If during the previous meeting of the high parties, held in 1943 in Tehran, mainly issues related to achieving a joint victory over fascism were discussed, then the essence of the Y alta Conference was the post-war division of world influence spheres between the victorious countries. Since by that time the offensive of the Soviet troops was already developing on German territory, and the collapse of Nazism was beyond doubt, one could safely say that the future picture of the world was determined in the Livadia (White) Palace of Y alta, where representatives of the three great powers gathered.
Besides, quiteThe defeat of Japan was also obvious, since almost the entire Pacific Ocean was under the control of the Americans. For the first time in world history, a situation arose in which the fate of the whole of Europe was in the hands of the three victorious states. Realizing the uniqueness of this opportunity, each of the delegations made every effort to make the most beneficial decisions for them.
Main agenda items
The entire range of issues discussed at the Y alta conference boiled down to two main problems. First, in the vast territories previously under the occupation of the Third Reich, it was necessary to establish the official borders of the states. In addition, on the territory of Germany itself, it was necessary to clearly define the spheres of influence of the allies and delimit them with demarcation lines. This division of the defeated state was unofficial, but nevertheless had to be recognized by each of the parties concerned.
Secondly, all the participants of the Crimean (Y alta) conference were well aware that the temporary unification of the forces of the countries of the West and the Soviet Union after the end of the war loses its meaning and will inevitably turn into a political confrontation. In this regard, it was imperative to develop measures to guarantee the invariability of previously established boundaries.
Discussing issues related to the redistribution of the borders of European states, Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt showed restraint, and, agreeing to mutual concessions, managed to reach an agreement on all points. Because of this, solutionsThe Y alta Conference significantly changed the political map of the world, making changes to the outlines of most states.
Polish border decisions
However, the general agreement was reached as a result of hard work, during which the so-called Polish question turned out to be one of the most difficult and debatable. The problem was that before the outbreak of World War II, Poland was the largest state in Central Europe in terms of its territory, but in the year of the Y alta Conference it was only an insignificant territory shifted northwest of its former borders.
Suffice it to say that until 1939, when the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed, which included the division of Poland between the USSR and Germany, its eastern borders were near Minsk and Kyiv. In addition, the Vilna region, which was ceded to Lithuania, belonged to the Poles, and the western border passed east of the Oder. The state also included a significant part of the B altic coast. After the defeat of Germany, the treaty on the partition of Poland was no longer valid, and a new decision had to be made regarding its territorial borders.
Confrontation of ideologies
Besides, there was another problem that was acute for the participants of the Y alta Conference. Briefly, it can be defined as follows. The fact is that thanks to the offensive of the Red Army, since February 1945, power in Poland belonged to the provisional government,formed from pro-Soviet members of the Polish Committee of National Liberation (PKNO). This authority was recognized only by the governments of the USSR and Czechoslovakia.
At the same time, the Polish government-in-exile, led by the ardent anti-communist Tomasz Archiszewski, was in London. Under his leadership, an appeal was drawn up to the armed formations of the Polish underground with a call to prevent the entry of Soviet troops into the country and the establishment of a communist regime by all means.
Formation of the Polish government
Thus, one of the issues of the Y alta conference was the development of a joint decision regarding the formation of the Polish government. It should be noted that there was no particular disagreement on this issue. It was decided that since Poland was liberated from the Nazis exclusively by the forces of the Red Army, it would be quite fair to allow the Soviet leadership to take control of the formation of government bodies on its territory. As a result, a "Provisional Government of National Unity" was created, which included Polish politicians loyal to the Stalinist regime.
Decisions taken on the "German question"
The decisions of the Y alta Conference also touched upon another equally important issue - the occupation of Germany and its division into territories controlled by each of the victorious states. By common agreement, France was also included among them, which also received its occupation zone. Despite the fact thatthis problem was one of the key, the agreement on it did not cause heated discussions. The principal decisions were taken by the leaders of the Soviet Union, the USA and Great Britain as early as September 1944 and were fixed at the signing of the joint treaty. As a result, at the Y alta Conference, the heads of state only confirmed their previous decisions.
Contrary to expectations, the signing of the minutes of the conference was the impetus for subsequent processes, the result of which was the split of Germany, stretching for many decades. The first of these was the creation in September 1949 of a new pro-Western state - the Federal Republic of Germany, the Constitution of which was signed three months earlier by representatives of the United States, Great Britain and France. In response to this step, exactly one month later, the Soviet occupation zone was transformed into the German Democratic Republic, whose entire life was under the vigilant control of Moscow. There were also attempts to secede from East Prussia.
Joint Statement
The communiqué signed by the participants of the meeting said that the decisions taken at the Y alta Conference should serve as a guarantee that Germany could never start a war in the future. To this end, its entire military-industrial complex must be destroyed, the remaining army units disarmed and disbanded, and the Nazi Party "wiped off the face of the earth." Only then can the German people once again take their rightful place in the community of nations.
Position onBalkans
The eternal "Balkan issue" was also included in the agenda of the Y alta Conference. One of its aspects was the situation in Yugoslavia and Greece. There is reason to believe that even at a meeting held in October 1944, Stalin gave Britain the opportunity to determine the future fate of the Greeks. It is for this reason that the clashes that followed in this country a year later between communist supporters and pro-Western formations ended in victory for the latter.
However, at the same time, Stalin managed to insist that power in Yugoslavia remained in the hands of representatives of the National Liberation Army, led by Josip Broz Tito, who adhered to Marxist views at that time. He was advised to include as many democratically minded politicians as possible in forming the government.
Final Declaration
One of the most important final documents of the Y alta Conference was called the "Declaration on the Liberation of Europe". It determined the specific principles of the policy that the victorious states intended to pursue in the territories conquered from the Nazis. In particular, it was envisaged to restore the sovereign rights of the peoples living on them.
Moreover, the participants of the conference assumed the obligation to jointly assist the population of these countries in the realization of their legal rights. The document specifically emphasized that the order established in post-war Europe should contribute to the elimination of the consequences of the German occupation and ensurecreation of a wide range of democratic institutions.
Unfortunately, the idea of joint action for the benefit of the liberated peoples has not received real implementation. The reason was that each victorious power had legal authority only on the territory where its troops were stationed, and pursued its own ideological line on it. As a result, an impetus was given to the division of Europe into two camps - socialist and capitalist.
The fate of the Far East and the issue of reparations
Participants of the Y alta conference during the meetings also touched upon such an important topic as the amount of compensation (reparations), which, according to international law, Germany was obliged to pay to the victorious countries for the damage caused to them. It was not possible to determine the final amount at that time, but an agreement was reached that the USSR would receive 50% of it, since it suffered the greatest losses during the war.
Regarding the events that took place at that time in the Far East, it was decided that two or three months after the surrender of Germany, the Soviet Union was obliged to enter the war with Japan. For this, according to the signed agreement, the Kuril Islands were transferred to him, as well as South Sakhalin, lost by Russia as a result of the Russo-Japanese War. In addition, the Soviet side received the Chinese Eastern Railway and Port Arthur on a long-term lease.
Preparing for the creation of the UN
Meeting of headsof the Big Three states, held in February 1954, went down in history also because it launched the idea of a new League of Nations. The impetus for this was the need to create an international organization whose task would be to prevent any attempts to forcibly change the legal borders of states. This authorized legal body subsequently became the United Nations, the ideology of which was developed during the Y alta Conference.
The date of the next (San Francisco) conference, at which the delegations of 50 founding countries developed and approved its Charter, was also officially announced by the participants of the Y alta meeting. This significant day was April 25, 1945. Created by the joint efforts of representatives of many states, the UN assumed the functions of a guarantor of the stability of the post-war world. Thanks to her authority and prompt action, she has repeatedly managed to find effective solutions to the most complex international problems.
