1. World War II And how it ended.

2. The war in Europe ends 1944 – Allied forces begin to take the upper hand on the European Front. 1945 - Allies (mostly US troops) take control of Fascist Italy (parts of Italy were more w/Allies by then) - Allies (mostly Soviet and Polish troops) capture Berlin, the capitol of Germany - Mussolini is killed; Hitler commits suicide - Germany surrenders; European war is over

4. Yalta Conference – February 1945 The “Big 3” – Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin Focus was on Post-War Europe – how to handle it? Differing agendas -Churchill wanted democratic elections in Europe -Roosevelt wanted Soviet support against Japan -Stalin wanted increased land and power

6. Yalta Conference The Big 3 agreed on several things, including the decision to split Berlin into 4 sectors, each to be controlled by a different Allied power Breakdown around some of the agreements made occurred later, increasing tensions between the US/UK and the USSR

7. Divided Germany

8. Potsdam Conference – July 1945 The Big 3 meet again, but: -Churchill is accompanied by Clement Atlee, who is soon to become the leader of the UK -Truman represents the US, following the death of Roosevelt (and he doesn’t trust Stalin) -The USSR now occupies much of Eastern Europe - The US has developed the Atomic Bomb

10. Potsdam Conference – general focus How to deal with Post-War Germany How to re-allocate land in Europe How to handle reparations Alerting Japan to the need to surrender, which it does in August of 1945, following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Tensions between the leaders continue

11. The Aftermath Europe is devastated, but the US economy benefits greatly from the war US institutes the European Recovery Plan (also called The Marshall Plan) - Many billions of $$$ go toward rebuilding/ upgrading infrastructure/technology/ industry in Europe - Soviets/Soviet allies do not participate, increasing political/economic divisions in Europe

12. More aftermath The United Nations is formed The balance of world power is massively altered US/USSR emerge as world powers with conflicting ideologies The era of European colonization begins to end, leaving questions and concerns – what forms of government will the newly independent nations take?