The Yalta Conference of 1945: Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin Shaping the Post-War World

Whereas a number of the final battles of WWII had been being fought, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin―the so-called “Massive Three”―met from February 4-11, 1945, within the Crimean resort city of Yalta. Over eight days of bargaining, bombast, and intermittent bonhomie, whereas Soviet troopers and NKVD males patrolled the grounds of the three palaces occupied by their delegations, they determined, amongst different issues, on the endgame of the battle towards Nazi Germany and the way a defeated and occupied Germany ought to be ruled, on the structure of the nascent United Nations, on the value of Soviet entry into the battle towards Japan, on the brand new borders of Poland, and on spheres of affect elsewhere in Jap Europe, the Balkans, and Greece.

Drawing on firsthand accounts from key figures like Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin, as well as other influential personalities such as Averell Harriman and Anthony Eden, Diana Preston presents a gripping chronicle of the 1945 Yalta Conference. Commemorating its seventy-fifth anniversary, Preston expertly delves into the decisions made during this historic event, which continue to shape our world today. Through the eyes of individuals like Marian Holmes and Anna Boettiger, she offers a masterful and vivid portrayal of the conference that laid the foundation for the post-war era.

After the Yalta conference, the question of who truly "won" became a topic of heated debate. Just three months post-convention, President Roosevelt passed away. Shortly after Germany surrendered, Churchill, in a letter to the new President Truman, warned of an "iron curtain" falling across the Soviets' territory. Stalin, fully aware of his control over Eastern Europe, made a telling statement in April 1945: "Whoever occupies a territory also imposes on it his own social system." This pivotal moment in world history marked a shift in power dynamics.