Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Potsdam Conference shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Potsdam Conference offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Potsdam Conference at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Potsdam Conference? Wrong! If the Potsdam Conference is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Potsdam Conference then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Potsdam Conference? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Potsdam Conference and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Potsdam Conference wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Potsdam Conference then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Potsdam Conference site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Potsdam Conference, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Potsdam Conference, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
, Secretary of State
James F. Byrnes, and Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov. Second row: Truman confidant
Harry Vaughan , Russian interpreter Charles Bohlen, Truman naval aide James K. Vardaman, Jr., and
Charles Griffith Ross (partially obscured) .The
Potsdam Conference was held at
Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzolern, in
Potsdam,
Germany, from
July 17 to August 2, 1945. The participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The three nations were represented by General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill and later
Clement Attlee, and
President of the United States Harry S. Truman. Although Poland made the fourth-largest troop contribution to the Allied war effort, after the Soviets, the British and the Americans, Polish leaders were not invited to participate in the conference even though earlier they had been promised entry.
Stalin, Churchill, and Truman—as well as Attlee, who replaced Churchill after the Labour Party (UK)'s defeat of the
Conservative Party (UK) in the United Kingdom general election, 1945—had gathered to decide how to administer the defeated
Nazi Germany, which had agreed to
unconditional surrender nine weeks earlier, on
May 8 (V-E Day). The goals of the conference also included the establishment of post-war order, peace treaties issues, and countering the effects of war.
Participants
- Soviet Union, represented by Joseph Stalin.
He arrived at the conference a day late, citing "official business" that required his attention, but in fact may have suffered a minor heart attack.
- United Kingdom, represented by Winston Churchill and later, Clement Attlee.
The results of the British election became known during the conference. As a result of the
Labour Party (UK) victory over the
Conservative Party (UK) the leadership changed hands.
- United States, represented by the new President Harry S Truman. It was here where Truman announced that the Americans had developed an atomic bomb, and may use it over Japan, which they later did on August 6th and August 9th. Joseph Stalin suggested that Truman preside over the conference as the only head of state attending, a recommendation accepted by Churchill.
Primary results of the conference
===Potsdam Agreement===
Main article the Potsdam Agreement
At the end of the conference, the Three Heads of Government agreed on the following actions:
(click to enlarge)
- Germany:
- ::See also Expulsion of Germans after World War II, The industrial plans for Germany and Oder-Neisse line
- Issuance of a statement of aims of the occupation of Germany by the Allies: demilitarization, denazification, democratization and decartelization.
- Division of Germany and Austria respectively into four occupation zones (earlier agreed in principle at Yalta Conference), and the similar division of each's capital, Berlin and Vienna, into four zones.
- Agreement on the prosecution of Nazism Nuremberg Trials.
- Reversion of all German annexations in Europe, including Sudetenland, Alsace-Lorraine, Austria and Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany
- Germany's eastern border was to be shifted westwards to the Oder-Neisse line, effectively reducing Germany in size by approximately 25% compared to her 1937 borders. The territories east of the new border comprised East Prussia, Silesia, West Prussia, and two thirds of Pomerania. These areas were mainly agricultural, with the exception of Upper Silesia which was the second largest centre of German heavy industry.
- Expulsion of Germans after World War II remaining beyond the new eastern borders of Germany.
- Agreement on war reparations to the Soviet Union from their zone of occupation in Germany. It was also agreed that 10% of the industrial capacity of the western zones unnecessary for the German peace economy should be transferred to the Soviet Union within 2 years. Stalin proposed and it was accepted that Poland was to be excluded from division of German compensation to be later granted 15% of compensation given to Soviet Union (this has never happened).
- Ensuring that German standards of living did not exceed the European average. The types and amounts of industry to dismantle to achieve this was to be determined later. (see The industrial plans for Germany)
- Destruction of German industrial war-potential through the destruction or control of all industry with military potential. To this end, all civilian shipyards and Aircraft parts industry were to be dismantled or otherwise destroyed. All production capacity associated with war-potential, such as metals, chemical, machinery etc were to be reduced to a minimum level which was later determined by the Allied Control Commission. Manufacturing capacity thus made "surplus" was to be dismantled as reparations or otherwise destroyed. All research and international trade was to be controlled. The economy was to be decentralized (decartelization). The economy was also to be reorganized with primary emphasis on agriculture and peaceful domestic industries. In early 1946 agreement was reached on the details of the latter: Germany was to be converted into an agricultural and light industry economy. German exports were to be coal, beer, toys, textiles, etc — to take the place of the heavy industry products which formed most of Germany's pre-war exports.James Stewart Martin. All Honorable Men (1950) pg. 191.
- Poland:
- ::See also Western betrayal and Territorial changes of Poland after World War II
- A Provisional Government of National Unity recognized by all three powers should be created (known as the Lublin Poles). Recognition of the Soviet controlled government by the Western Powers effectively meant end of recognition for the existing Polish government in Exile (known as the London Poles).
- Poles who were serving in the British Army should be free to return to Poland, with no security upon their return to the communist country guaranteed.
- The provisional western border should be the Oder-Neisse line, defined by the Oder and Neisse rivers. Parts of East Prussia and the former free City of Danzig should be under Polish administration. However the final delimitation of the western frontier of Poland should await the peace settlement, which would take place at the Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany in 1990.
- The Polish share of German war reparation should be taken by Soviet Union instead of Poland.
- All other issues were to be answered by the final peace conference to be called as soon as possible.
Potsdam Declaration
Main article the Potsdam Declaration
In addition to the Potsdam Agreement, on
July 26 Churchill, Truman and Chiang Kai-shek (the Soviet Union was not at war with Japan during the Conference) issued the
Potsdam Declaration which outlined the terms of surrender for Japan during WWII in Asia.
Other issues
The western allies, and especially Churchill, were suspicious of the motives of Stalin, who had already installed Communism governments in the central European countries under his influence; the Potsdam conference turned out to be the last conference among the allied leaders.
During the conference, Truman mentioned to Stalin about an unspecified "powerful new weapon"; Stalin, who knew of its existence long before Truman ever knew through placing spies inside US borders, encouraged the usage of any weapon that would hasten the end of the war. Towards the end of the conference,
Japan was given an ultimatum (threatening "prompt and utter destruction", without mentioning the new bomb), and after rejecting Japan's conditional surrender, atomic bombs were dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki on
August 6 and
August 9, 1945 respectively. Truman made the decision to use atomic weapons to end the war while at the conference.
The Potsdam Conference was preceded by
- the Yalta Conference, February 4 to February 11, 1945
- the Second Quebec Conference, September 12 to September 16, 1944
- the Tehran Conference, November 28 to December 1, 1943
- the Cairo Conference, November 22 to November 26, 1943
- the Casablanca Conference, January 14 to January 24, 1943
See also
External links
- United States Department of State Foreign relations of the United States : diplomatic papers : the Conference of Berlin (the Potsdam Conference) 1945 Volume I Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1945
- United States Department of State Foreign relations of the United States : diplomatic papers : the Conference of Berlin (the Potsdam Conference) 1945 Volume II Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1945
- European Advisory Commission, Austria, Germany Foreign relations of the United States : diplomatic papers, 1945.
- Cornerstone of Steel, Time Magazine, January 21, 1946
- Cost of Defeat, Time Magazine, April 8, 1946
- Pas de Pagaille! Time Magazine, July 28, 1947
- Agreements of the Berlin (Potsdam) Conference
- Interview with James W. Riddleberger Chief, Division of Central European Affairs, U.S. Dept. of State, 1944-47
- "The Myth of Potsdam," in B. Heuser et al, eds., Myths in History (Providence, RI and Oxford: Berghahn, 1998)
- "The United States, France, and the Question of German Power, 1945-1960," in Stephen Schuker, ed., Deutschland und Frankreich vom Konflikt zur Aussöhnung: Die Gestaltung der westeuropäischen Sicherheit 1914-1963, Schriften des Historischen Kollegs, Kolloquien 46 (Munich: Oldenbourg, 2000).
- U.S. Economic Policy Towards defeated countries April, 1946.
Notes
Bibliography
- Michael Beschloss. The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945 (2002)
- Farquharson, J. E. "Anglo-american Policy on German Reparations from Yalta to Potsdam." English Historical Review 1997 112(448): 904-926. Issn: 0013-8266 Fulltext: in Jstor
- Gimbel, John. "On the Implementation of the Potsdam Agreement: an Essay on U. S. Postwar German Policy." Political Science Quarterly 1972 87(2): 242-269. Issn: 0032-3195 Fulltext: in Jstor
- Gormly, James L. From Potsdam to the Cold War: Big Three Diplomacy, 1945-1947. Scholarly Resources, 1990. 242 pp.
- Mee, Charles L., Jr. Meeting at Potsdam. 1975. 370 pp.
- Thackrah, J. R. "Aspects of American and British Policy Towards Poland from the Yalta to the Potsdam Conferences, 1945." Polish Review 1976 21(4): 3-34. Issn: 0032-2970
- Zayas, Alfred M. de. Nemesis at Potsdam: The Anglo-Americans and the Expulsion of the Germans, Background, Execution, Consequences. Routledge, 1977. 268 pp.
- Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers. The Conference of Berlin (Potsdam Conference, 1945) 2 vols. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1960
Online resources
- Truman and the Potsdam Conference
- Annotated bibliography for the Potsdam Conference from the Alsos Digital Library
, Secretary of State
James F. Byrnes, and Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov. Second row: Truman confidant
Harry Vaughan , Russian interpreter
Charles Bohlen, Truman naval aide James K. Vardaman, Jr., and Charles Griffith Ross (partially obscured) .The
Potsdam Conference was held at
Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzolern, in
Potsdam, Germany, from
July 17 to
August 2, 1945. The participants were the Soviet Union, the
United Kingdom, and the United States. The three nations were represented by
General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill and later Clement Attlee, and
President of the United States Harry S. Truman. Although Poland made the fourth-largest troop contribution to the Allied war effort, after the Soviets, the British and the Americans, Polish leaders were not invited to participate in the conference even though earlier they had been promised entry.
Stalin, Churchill, and Truman—as well as Attlee, who replaced Churchill after the Labour Party (UK)'s defeat of the Conservative Party (UK) in the United Kingdom general election, 1945—had gathered to decide how to administer the defeated
Nazi Germany, which had agreed to unconditional surrender nine weeks earlier, on May 8 (
V-E Day). The goals of the conference also included the establishment of post-war order, peace treaties issues, and countering the effects of war.
Participants
- Soviet Union, represented by Joseph Stalin.
He arrived at the conference a day late, citing "official business" that required his attention, but in fact may have suffered a minor heart attack.
The results of the British election became known during the conference. As a result of the
Labour Party (UK) victory over the Conservative Party (UK) the leadership changed hands.
- United States, represented by the new President Harry S Truman. It was here where Truman announced that the Americans had developed an atomic bomb, and may use it over Japan, which they later did on August 6th and August 9th. Joseph Stalin suggested that Truman preside over the conference as the only head of state attending, a recommendation accepted by Churchill.
Primary results of the conference
===Potsdam Agreement===
Main article the Potsdam Agreement
At the end of the conference, the Three Heads of Government agreed on the following actions:
(click to enlarge)
- Germany:
- ::See also Expulsion of Germans after World War II, The industrial plans for Germany and Oder-Neisse line
- Issuance of a statement of aims of the occupation of Germany by the Allies: demilitarization, denazification, democratization and decartelization.
- Division of Germany and Austria respectively into four occupation zones (earlier agreed in principle at Yalta Conference), and the similar division of each's capital, Berlin and Vienna, into four zones.
- Agreement on the prosecution of Nazism Nuremberg Trials.
- Reversion of all German annexations in Europe, including Sudetenland, Alsace-Lorraine, Austria and Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany
- Germany's eastern border was to be shifted westwards to the Oder-Neisse line, effectively reducing Germany in size by approximately 25% compared to her 1937 borders. The territories east of the new border comprised East Prussia, Silesia, West Prussia, and two thirds of Pomerania. These areas were mainly agricultural, with the exception of Upper Silesia which was the second largest centre of German heavy industry.
- Expulsion of Germans after World War II remaining beyond the new eastern borders of Germany.
- Agreement on war reparations to the Soviet Union from their zone of occupation in Germany. It was also agreed that 10% of the industrial capacity of the western zones unnecessary for the German peace economy should be transferred to the Soviet Union within 2 years. Stalin proposed and it was accepted that Poland was to be excluded from division of German compensation to be later granted 15% of compensation given to Soviet Union (this has never happened).
- Ensuring that German standards of living did not exceed the European average. The types and amounts of industry to dismantle to achieve this was to be determined later. (see The industrial plans for Germany)
- Destruction of German industrial war-potential through the destruction or control of all industry with military potential. To this end, all civilian shipyards and Aircraft parts industry were to be dismantled or otherwise destroyed. All production capacity associated with war-potential, such as metals, chemical, machinery etc were to be reduced to a minimum level which was later determined by the Allied Control Commission. Manufacturing capacity thus made "surplus" was to be dismantled as reparations or otherwise destroyed. All research and international trade was to be controlled. The economy was to be decentralized (decartelization). The economy was also to be reorganized with primary emphasis on agriculture and peaceful domestic industries. In early 1946 agreement was reached on the details of the latter: Germany was to be converted into an agricultural and light industry economy. German exports were to be coal, beer, toys, textiles, etc — to take the place of the heavy industry products which formed most of Germany's pre-war exports.James Stewart Martin. All Honorable Men (1950) pg. 191.
- Poland:
- ::See also Western betrayal and Territorial changes of Poland after World War II
- A Provisional Government of National Unity recognized by all three powers should be created (known as the Lublin Poles). Recognition of the Soviet controlled government by the Western Powers effectively meant end of recognition for the existing Polish government in Exile (known as the London Poles).
- Poles who were serving in the British Army should be free to return to Poland, with no security upon their return to the communist country guaranteed.
- The provisional western border should be the Oder-Neisse line, defined by the Oder and Neisse rivers. Parts of East Prussia and the former free City of Danzig should be under Polish administration. However the final delimitation of the western frontier of Poland should await the peace settlement, which would take place at the Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany in 1990.
- The Polish share of German war reparation should be taken by Soviet Union instead of Poland.
- All other issues were to be answered by the final peace conference to be called as soon as possible.
Potsdam Declaration
Main article the Potsdam Declaration
In addition to the Potsdam Agreement, on
July 26 Churchill, Truman and Chiang Kai-shek (the Soviet Union was not at war with Japan during the Conference) issued the
Potsdam Declaration which outlined the terms of surrender for
Japan during WWII in Asia.
Other issues
The western allies, and especially Churchill, were suspicious of the motives of Stalin, who had already installed
Communism governments in the central European countries under his influence; the Potsdam conference turned out to be the last conference among the allied leaders.
During the conference, Truman mentioned to Stalin about an unspecified "powerful new weapon"; Stalin, who knew of its existence long before Truman ever knew through placing spies inside US borders, encouraged the usage of any weapon that would hasten the end of the war. Towards the end of the conference,
Japan was given an ultimatum (threatening "prompt and utter destruction", without mentioning the new bomb), and after rejecting Japan's conditional surrender, atomic bombs were dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and August 9, 1945 respectively. Truman made the decision to use atomic weapons to end the war while at the conference.
The Potsdam Conference was preceded by
- the Yalta Conference, February 4 to February 11, 1945
- the Second Quebec Conference, September 12 to September 16, 1944
- the Tehran Conference, November 28 to December 1, 1943
- the Cairo Conference, November 22 to November 26, 1943
- the Casablanca Conference, January 14 to January 24, 1943
See also
External links
- United States Department of State Foreign relations of the United States : diplomatic papers : the Conference of Berlin (the Potsdam Conference) 1945 Volume I Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1945
- United States Department of State Foreign relations of the United States : diplomatic papers : the Conference of Berlin (the Potsdam Conference) 1945 Volume II Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1945
- European Advisory Commission, Austria, Germany Foreign relations of the United States : diplomatic papers, 1945.
- Cornerstone of Steel, Time Magazine, January 21, 1946
- Cost of Defeat, Time Magazine, April 8, 1946
- Pas de Pagaille! Time Magazine, July 28, 1947
- Agreements of the Berlin (Potsdam) Conference
- Interview with James W. Riddleberger Chief, Division of Central European Affairs, U.S. Dept. of State, 1944-47
- "The Myth of Potsdam," in B. Heuser et al, eds., Myths in History (Providence, RI and Oxford: Berghahn, 1998)
- "The United States, France, and the Question of German Power, 1945-1960," in Stephen Schuker, ed., Deutschland und Frankreich vom Konflikt zur Aussöhnung: Die Gestaltung der westeuropäischen Sicherheit 1914-1963, Schriften des Historischen Kollegs, Kolloquien 46 (Munich: Oldenbourg, 2000).
- U.S. Economic Policy Towards defeated countries April, 1946.
Notes
Bibliography
- Michael Beschloss. The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945 (2002)
- Farquharson, J. E. "Anglo-american Policy on German Reparations from Yalta to Potsdam." English Historical Review 1997 112(448): 904-926. Issn: 0013-8266 Fulltext: in Jstor
- Gimbel, John. "On the Implementation of the Potsdam Agreement: an Essay on U. S. Postwar German Policy." Political Science Quarterly 1972 87(2): 242-269. Issn: 0032-3195 Fulltext: in Jstor
- Gormly, James L. From Potsdam to the Cold War: Big Three Diplomacy, 1945-1947. Scholarly Resources, 1990. 242 pp.
- Mee, Charles L., Jr. Meeting at Potsdam. 1975. 370 pp.
- Thackrah, J. R. "Aspects of American and British Policy Towards Poland from the Yalta to the Potsdam Conferences, 1945." Polish Review 1976 21(4): 3-34. Issn: 0032-2970
- Zayas, Alfred M. de. Nemesis at Potsdam: The Anglo-Americans and the Expulsion of the Germans, Background, Execution, Consequences. Routledge, 1977. 268 pp.
- Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers. The Conference of Berlin (Potsdam Conference, 1945) 2 vols. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1960
Online resources
- Truman and the Potsdam Conference
- Annotated bibliography for the Potsdam Conference from the Alsos Digital Library
Potsdam Conference
Spartacus, USA History, British History, Russian Revolution, First World War, Journalists, Votes for Women,
Potsdam Conference - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, Germany, from July 16, 1945 to August 2, 1945.
The Potsdam Conference::
The Potsdam Conference was held from July 16th, 1945 to August 2nd 1945. The Potsdam Conference is considered to be the last of World War Two's conferences. At Yalta and ... The ...
POTSDAM CONFERENCE
Return to Naval Historical Center home page. Return to Online Library listing. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER 805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
Potsdam conference 1945 Foreign & Commonwealth Office
The Documents Database provides access to official FCO documents published since 1997: annual reports, command papers, consultation documents, historical and research papers ...
The National Archives Learning Curve | Cold War
The Cold War; This case study looks at the wartime alliance as it stood at the Potsdam Conference, using documents held at the Public Record Office.
Potsdam Conference
Truman, Churchill, Stalin met in a suburb of Berlin for the Potsdam Conference July 17-Aug. 2 Truman came on the USS Augusta that FDR used for the 1941 Atlantic Conference
Potsdam Conference definition of Potsdam Conference in the Free Online ...
Potsdam Conference, meeting (July 17–Aug. 2, 1945) of the principal Allies in World War II (the United States, the USSR, and Great Britain) to clarify and implement agreements ...
Potsdam Conference
Posted by Robert Lillywhite on April 01, 1999 at 14:09:52: The second announcement and registration/booking form is now available on the website
Category:Potsdam Conference - Wikimedia Commons
Pages in category "Potsdam Conference" This category contains only the following page. P. Potsdam Conference
