Stop Six: The House of Representatives, Washington, DC
In February 1945, the Big Three met at Yalta on the shores of the Black Sea to discuss the post-war future and organization of Europe. The tense and difficult negotiations regarding the location of the conference were an indication, and merely a precursor, of the disagreements in objective, vision, and interpretation that would emerge as the conference unfolded, as Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin arrived at the conference with clear agendas for the governing of post-war Europe. The resulting agreements at the conference, their implementation after the war, and the degree to which the agreements were followed or broken, has been the source of much controversy.
Primary Source: Roosevelt, Franklin D. “Report on the Yalta Conference,” 1 Mar 1945. Address to Congress. Accessed on the web. Miller Center at the University of Virginia <www.millercenter.org/president/fdroosevelt/speeches/speec-3338> 29 Apr 2015.
FDR on Yalta:
“There were two main purposes in this Crimea Conference. The first was to bring defeat to Germany with the greatest possible speed, and the smallest possible loss of Allied men. That purpose is now being carried out in great force… The second purpose was to continue to build the foundation for an international accord that would bring order and security after the chaos of the war, that would give some assurance of lasting peace among the Nations of the world. Toward that goal also, a tremendous stride was made.”
FDR on Poland:
“Our objective was to help to create a strong, independent, and prosperous Nation. That is the thing we must always remember, those words, agreed to by Russia, by Britain, and by the United States: the objective of making Poland a strong, independent, and prosperous Nation, with a government ultimately to be selected by the Polish people themselves. To achieve that objective, it was necessary to provide for the formation of a new government much more representative than had been possible while Poland was enslaved… However, the new Polish Provisional Government of National Unity will be pledged to holding a free election as soon as possible on the basis of universal suffrage and a secret ballot… Throughout history, Poland has been the corridor through which attacks on Russia have been made. Twice in this generation, Germany has struck at Russia through this corridor. To insure European security and world peace, a strong and independent Poland is necessary to prevent that from happening again.”
Analysis Questions:
Primary Source: Roosevelt, Franklin D. “Report on the Yalta Conference,” 1 Mar 1945. Address to Congress. Accessed on the web. Miller Center at the University of Virginia <www.millercenter.org/president/fdroosevelt/speeches/speec-3338> 29 Apr 2015.
FDR on Yalta:
“There were two main purposes in this Crimea Conference. The first was to bring defeat to Germany with the greatest possible speed, and the smallest possible loss of Allied men. That purpose is now being carried out in great force… The second purpose was to continue to build the foundation for an international accord that would bring order and security after the chaos of the war, that would give some assurance of lasting peace among the Nations of the world. Toward that goal also, a tremendous stride was made.”
FDR on Poland:
“Our objective was to help to create a strong, independent, and prosperous Nation. That is the thing we must always remember, those words, agreed to by Russia, by Britain, and by the United States: the objective of making Poland a strong, independent, and prosperous Nation, with a government ultimately to be selected by the Polish people themselves. To achieve that objective, it was necessary to provide for the formation of a new government much more representative than had been possible while Poland was enslaved… However, the new Polish Provisional Government of National Unity will be pledged to holding a free election as soon as possible on the basis of universal suffrage and a secret ballot… Throughout history, Poland has been the corridor through which attacks on Russia have been made. Twice in this generation, Germany has struck at Russia through this corridor. To insure European security and world peace, a strong and independent Poland is necessary to prevent that from happening again.”
Analysis Questions:
- What is most important to FDR at the Yalta Conference and in the final division of Europe?
- Why might the issue of Poland lead to tension between the US and the U.S.S.R., despite agreement at Yalta?