Potsdam Conference

• Held in July 1945
• Took place at Potsdamn, Germany
• Roosevelt had died and was replaced by Harry Truman
  • Truman was different than Roosevelt, much more anti-communist and suspicious of Stalin
• Churchill was defeated in election and replaced by Clement Attlee
• This changing in the big three caused issues to arise

Disagreements at Potsdamn

What to do with Germany

• They agreed to split Germany into 4 zones
• However, Stalin wanted to cripple Germany to protect the USSR from future threats
• Truman didn't want a mistake from the Treaty of Versailles

Reparations

• 20 million Soviet people had died after WW2
• Stalin demanded $10 billion in compensation from Germany
• Truman didn't want a mistake from the Treaty of Versailles and create a bitter, unstable Germany
  • Therefore he resisted this demand

Soviet Policies in Eastern Europe

• At Yalta, Stalin had won agreement from the allies that he could set up a pro-Soviet government in Eastern Europe
• He stated "if the slav people are united, no one will dare move a finger against them"
• Stalin saw this as a way to protect the USSR from future attack
• Truman saw this as evidence that Stalin wanted to build up a Soviet empire in Europe
  • He adopted a "get tough" attitude to Stalin