en

The Potsdam Conference ended. It agreed provisional plans to administer post-war Germany and punish Nazi war criminals

Add an event picture!
Date:
02.08.1945

The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 17 July to 2 August 1945. (In some older documents it is also referred to as the Berlin Conference of the Three Heads of Government of the USSR, USA and UK.

Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. The three powers were represented by Communist Party General Secretary Joseph Stalin, Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and, later, Clement Attlee, and President Harry S. Truman.

Stalin, Churchill, and Truman—as well as Attlee, who participated alongside Churchill while awaiting the outcome of the 1945 general election, and then replaced Churchill as Prime Minister after the Labour Party's defeat of the Conservatives—gathered to decide how to administer the defeated Nazi Germany, which had agreed to unconditional surrender nine weeks earlier, on 8 May (V-E Day). The goals of the conference also included the establishment of post-war order, peace treaty issues, and countering the effects of the war.

Truman had mentioned an unspecified "powerful new weapon" to Stalin during the conference. Towards the end of the conference, Japan was given an ultimatum to surrender (in the name of the United States, Great Britain and China) or meet "prompt and utter destruction", which did not mention the new bomb. Prime minister Kantarō Suzuki did not respond (mokusatsu, which was interpreted as a declaration that the Empire of Japan should ignore the ultimatum).

Therefore, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The justification was that both cities were legitimate military targets, to end the war swiftly, and preserve American lives. However, to some the timing has suggested that Truman did not want Stalin involved in the terms of Japan's surrender. It is important to note that Truman delayed the Potsdam Conference in order to be sure of the functionality of this "powerful new weapon."

Notably, when Truman informed Stalin of the atomic bomb, he did not explicitly mention its atomic nature, just vaguely saying that the United States “had a new weapon of unusual destructive force”; Stalin, though, had full knowledge of the atomic bomb's development due to Soviet spy networks inside the Manhattan Project, and told Truman at the conference to "make good use of this new addition to the Allied arsenal".

The Soviet Union converted the other countries of eastern Europe into Soviet Satellite states within the Eastern Bloc, such as the People's Republic of Poland, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, the People's Republic of Hungary, the Czechoslovak Republic, the People's Republic of Romania, and the People's Republic of Albania.

The Soviets later formed the puppet state of East Germany (officially The German Democratic Republic) from the Soviet zone of German occupation

Related events

NameDateLanguages
1Albāniju satricinājusi 5,8 balles stipra zemestrīce. Cietuši vairāk nekā 100 cilvēki. Bojātas ēkas un infrastruktūraAlbāniju satricinājusi 5,8 balles stipra zemestrīce. Cietuši vairāk nekā 100 cilvēki. Bojātas ēkas un infrastruktūra21.09.2019lv
2A huge explosion has ripped through a chemical plant in eastern China, killing at least six people and injuring dozensA huge explosion has ripped through a chemical plant in eastern China, killing at least six people and injuring dozens21.03.2019en, lv
3Lorry drives into Christmas market in Berlin; 12 people murderedLorry drives into Christmas market in Berlin; 12 people murdered19.12.2016de, en, lv, pl, ru
4Polijā apmēram 10,000 nacionāli noskaņotu poļu izgājuši ielās, lai atzīmētu Neatkarības dienuPolijā apmēram 10,000 nacionāli noskaņotu poļu izgājuši ielās, lai atzīmētu Neatkarības dienu11.11.2016lv
5Latvija pievienojas NATOLatvija pievienojas NATO29.03.2004lv, pl, ru
6Polijas pagrīdes valsts diena Polijas pagrīdes valsts diena 27.09.1998lv, pl, ru
7US President Ronald Reagan challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall in BerlinUS President Ronald Reagan challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall in Berlin12.06.1987en, lv
8Argentīnas militāristi okupē Folklendu salasArgentīnas militāristi okupē Folklendu salas02.04.1982lv, pl, ru
9The UK officially became a member of the European Economic Community (EEC)The UK officially became a member of the European Economic Community (EEC)01.01.1973en, lv
10Ričards Niksons tiek ievēlēts par 37. ASV prezidentuRičards Niksons tiek ievēlēts par 37. ASV prezidentu05.11.1968lv, pl
11El Al plane carrying 51 passengers and 7 crew was shot down by 2 fighter jets belonging to the Bulgarian air force,El Al plane carrying 51 passengers and 7 crew was shot down by 2 fighter jets belonging to the Bulgarian air force,27.07.1955en
12Communist Control Act of 1954Communist Control Act of 195424.08.1954en, lv, pl, ru
13USSR communist crimes against civilians. Operation "West"("Zahid"). More than 76,000 West-Ukraine nationals deportedUSSR communist crimes against civilians. Operation "West"("Zahid"). More than 76,000 West-Ukraine nationals deported21.10.1947en, lv, ru, ua
14Okupētais Kēningsbergas (Kaļiņingradas) apgabals tiek iekļauts PSRS. Visi iedzīvotāji tiek padzītiOkupētais Kēningsbergas (Kaļiņingradas) apgabals tiek iekļauts PSRS. Visi iedzīvotāji tiek padzīti07.04.1946lv, pl
15Soviet genocides. Balkar operation.  37,713 persons deportedSoviet genocides. Balkar operation. 37,713 persons deported08.03.1944en, lv, ru
16Beidzas Teherānas konferenceBeidzas Teherānas konference01.12.1943lv, pl, ru
17Sākās Teherānas konferenceSākās Teherānas konference28.11.1943lv, pl, ru
18Casablanca ConferenceCasablanca Conference14.01.1943en, lv, pl, ru
19Operation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa22.06.1941en, lv, pl, ru
20Otrais pasaules karš. Kauja par Britāniju. Luftwaffe uzbrūk Apvienotās Karalistes iznīcinātāju bāzēm un radariemOtrais pasaules karš. Kauja par Britāniju. Luftwaffe uzbrūk Apvienotās Karalistes iznīcinātāju bāzēm un radariem13.08.1940lv

Map

Sources: wikipedia.org

    Persons

    Name Born / Since / At Died Languages
    1Alexander PoskrebyshevAlexander Poskrebyshev07.08.189103.01.1965de, en, fr, pl, ru
    2Vyacheslav MolotovVyacheslav Molotov09.03.189008.11.1986de, en, fr, lt, lv, pl, ru
    3Harry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman08.05.188426.12.1972de, en, fr, lt, lv, pl, ru
    4Joseph StalinJoseph Stalin18.12.187805.03.1953de, ee, en, fr, lt, lv, pl, ru, ua
    Tags