The Yalta Conference and the Potsdam Conference ( 1945)

The Yalta Conference and the Potsdam Conference (1945)

• L/O: to know the decisions made about Germany by the allies• Starter: If you were Winston Churchill in 1945 what would be your

priority in deciding Germany’s future?

• You have been given a number of choices, in your books complete the following;

If I was Churchill, my priority would be:

Extension: Explain your decision Grade C

• All: will describe the decisions made at Yalta and Potsdam Conference (D)• Most: will explain the reasons for the allies decisions at Yalta and Potsdam (C)• Some: will evaluate the decisions made at Yalta and Potsdam (B-A)

STARTER: If you were Winston Churchill in 1945 what would be your priority in deciding

Germany’s future?1.Ridding Germany of “Nazism” i.e. “denazification”2.Punishing Germany and making them pay financially for the damage to European cities and Russia3.Making sure that German war criminals were tried in court e.g. people who ran concentration camps4.Helping Germany to get back on it’s feet5.Something else







After WW2• The Allies (the big three) decided that

Germany should never have the opportunity to destroy European peace again

• They met twice:1. Yalta Conference Feb 19452. Potsdam Conference July 1945

• The aim was to ensure that Germany could never surge up again as a powerful and aggressive power

ROOSEVELT - USA

STALIN - SOVIET UNION

CHURCHILL - BRITAIN


Can you spot the

difference?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybnzMnFEWJY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_QgY8vL5qM

In your pairs you will be given an information sheet.

1. The Yalta Conference (Feb 1945)

2. The Potsdam Conference (July 1945)

You have 5 minutes to read through the information

You and your partner will be completing your table


Event When did it happen? Who was involved?

What did they agree on?

What did they disagree on?Extension why did they disagree? (B)

How do you think this impacted on the German people? (B)

Do you think the allies made the right decisions? Explain your answers (A)

Yalta

Potsdam

• The Yalta Conference February 1945The Yalta Conference took place before the German surrender in May. However, although they had not surrendered they were close to defeat with Allied armies closing in on Berlin. “The Big Three” (US President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Churchill and Soviet leader Stalin met in Yalta Feb 1945 to discuss what to do with Germany after the war. They were still very scared of Hitler and were able to agree on the key issues. The only thing that was disagreed about was reparations. Stalin (the Soviet leader wanted Germany to pay massive reparation repayments but the US and Britain did not think it was sensible to punish Germany too harshly). They also could not agree on what to do with Poland.They agreed on the following• The Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan once Germany had surrendered to end the war for good.•They would divide Germany and Berlin into 4 zones (British, American, French, Soviet)•Nazi war criminals would be hunted down and tried in an international court of justice•Countries that had been under Nazi control would have free elections to choose a new Government

• The Potsdam Conference (July 1945)The Potsdam Conference took place 5 months after the Yalta Conference. In this time relationships between the Soviet Union and the other Allies were not as strong. The Soviet Union had not removed their troops from Eastern European countries they had liberated from the Nazis and by July 1945 the Soviets occupied Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and many more. At Potsdam the Allies agreed the following• Divide Germany and Berlin into 4 zones (as decided at Yalta). Each of the 4 zones would be run by one of the Allies (France, Germany, Soviet Union, USA)•To demilitarise Germany (there armed forces would be disabled)•To re-establish democracy in Germany (free elections and freedom of speech)•The Germans would pay reparations in materials e.g. industrial goods and coal. The majority of this would go to the Soviet Union who had suffered most)•The Nazis would be banned. Nazis were removed from important positions and leading Nazis would go on trial for war trials at Nuremburg in 1946.•Poland’s borders would be moved Westwards to gain some of Germany’s territory/land.

• The Yalta Conference February 1945The Yalta Conference took place before the German surrender in May. However, although they had not surrendered they were close to defeat with Allied armies closing in on Berlin. “The Big Three” (US President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Churchill and Soviet leader Stalin met in Yalta Feb 1945 to discuss what to do with Germany after the war. They were still very scared of Hitler and were able to agree on the key issues. The only thing that was disagreed about was reparations. Stalin (the Soviet leader wanted Germany to pay massive reparation repayments but the US and Britain did not think it was sensible to punish Germany too harshly). They also could not agree on what to do with Poland.They agreed on the following• The Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan once Germany had surrendered to end the war for good.•They would divide Germany and Berlin into 4 zones (British, American, French, Soviet)•Nazi war criminals would be hunted down and tried in an international court of justice•Countries that had been under Nazi control would have free elections to choose a new Government

• The Potsdam Conference (July 1945)The Potsdam Conference took place 5 months after the Yalta Conference. In this time relationships between the Soviet Union and the other Allies were not as strong. The Soviet Union had not removed their troops from Eastern European countries they had liberated from the Nazis and by July 1945 the Soviets occupied Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and many more. At Potsdam the Allies agreed the following• Divide Germany and Berlin into 4 zones (as decided at Yalta). Each of the 4 zones would be run by one of the Allies (France, Germany, Soviet Union, USA)•To demilitarise Germany (there armed forces would be disabled)•To re-establish democracy in Germany (free elections and freedom of speech)•The Germans would pay reparations in materials e.g. industrial goods and coal. The majority of this would go to the Soviet Union who had suffered most)•The Nazis would be banned. Nazis were removed from important positions and leading Nazis would go on trial for war trials at Nuremburg in 1946.•Poland’s borders would be moved Westwards to gain some of Germany’s territory/land.

Group Quiz

• We are now going to complete a quiz based on what we have taught each other

• You will complete this quiz as a group


Quiz QuestionsPotsdam 1945• What month did the Potsdam conference happen?•Why did the Allies not trust the Soviets?•How many zones would Berlin and Germany be divided into?•What did Germany pay their reparations in?•What happened to Germany’s army?•How did the Allies decide to re-establish democracy in Germany?•What happened to Poland’s borders?•Where would Nazis go on trial?

Yalta 1945• What month did the Yalta conference happen?•Who were the Big Three?•Name one thing the Allies disagreed about?•How many zones did they decide to split Germany and Berlin into?•What would happen to Nazi criminals?•What would happen in countries which had been controlled by the Nazis?•How were they going to ensure the war against Japan was won once the Allies had surrendered?

Use Source A and your own knowledge describe the decisions made about Germany in 1945 [6]

Source A Extract from a history textbook written in 1965

The Potsdam Conference took place in July 1945. Many decisions were made about what to do with Germany and how to control it’s future. They decided that the best way to ensure Germany succeeded without Nazi influence would be to split the country and capital, Berlin into 4 zones which would be controlled by a different Allied power (Soviet, French, US, British).

Success Criteria:•Clear use of the content of the source•Using detailed background knowledge used to explain the issue. Highlighting how this does not include the discussions at Yalta

•Sentence starters1.CONTENT: This source is useful as it tells us how the Allies were planning on treating Germany after WW2. It tells us…

2.Own knowledge: This source does not show how the allies also decided that……

Plenary

Speed dating…kind of!

A word will appear on the board.

In pairs, one student will have their back to the board while the other person describes the word.

DON’T TURN AROUND & DON’T USE THE WORD!• All: will describe the decisions made at Yalta and Potsdam Conference (D)• Most: will explain the reasons for the allies decisions at Yalta and Potsdam (C)• Some: will evaluate the decisions made at Yalta and Potsdam (B-A)

THE SOVIET UNION


D-DAY


EDELWEISS PIRATES


ALBERT SPEER


SWAP PLACES!

THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE


YALTA


JOSEPH STALIN


THE FINAL SOLUTION


Documents

The Yalta Conference and the Potsdam Conference ( 1945)