Potsdam Conference

Setting the scene

The Potsdam Conference was held July 17-August 2, 1945, at Cecilienhof Palace near Berlin, the last meeting of the Big Three Allied leaders—U.S. President Harry Truman, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (replaced mid-conference by Clement Attlee after Labour's election victory). The conference occurred after Germany's surrender but before Japan's, with the atomic bomb tested during the meeting.

What happened

The leaders agreed on the 'Four Ds' for Germany: demilitarization, denazification, democratization, and decentralization. Germany would be divided into occupation zones, and its eastern border moved west to the Oder-Neisse line, giving Poland German territory. They issued the Potsdam Declaration on July 26, demanding Japan's unconditional surrender. Truman informed Stalin of the atomic bomb on July 24, though Stalin already knew through spies. Disagreements emerged over reparations, Poland's government, and Soviet influence in Eastern Europe.

Why it still matters

Potsdam marked the end of wartime cooperation and the beginning of the Cold War. The agreements on Germany proved unworkable as the U.S. and USSR diverged. The conference's compromises papered over fundamental differences about Europe's future. Potsdam's decisions—particularly on Germany's division and Poland's borders—shaped the Cold War map of Europe. The conference demonstrated how victory could dissolve alliance, as the common enemy's defeat revealed incompatible visions for the postwar world.

Background

Tensions foreshadowed the Cold War.