1945 Yalta Conference

Agreements

Stalin agreed to enter the war ==against Japan once Germany surrendered==
- Soviets put up a great sacrifice to win the war; 📈 20 million Soviets died
  - Stalin perhaps was seeking compensation for his people’s suffering
Germany was to be divided into four zones – American, French, British, Soviet
- this division would later cause problems
Countries liberated from Germany’s rule would be allowed to hold free and fair elections for the government they wanted
The Big Three agreed to join the United Nations, a new organisation to keep peace post-war
The Big Three agreed to punish war criminals responsible for genocide
Soviet Union held elections; both countries had differing interpretations of free elections
Eastern Europe was to be seen as a Soviet sphere of influence
- the Big Three worried about the risk of invasion from the USSR and its security
- if Greece turned Communist, the Mediterranean would have its first communist state; communism could spread outwards
  - that is what the Big Three were afraid of