The U.N., Yalta Conference and Potsdam Conference

Warm-up

•After World War II, how would you stop another World War from ever happening again?

Announcements

• Test- Tuesday• Debate-Monday

• Homework-Review sheet

The Yalta Conference (February, 1945)

• The Yalta Conference was a wartime conference of the United States, United Kingdom and Soviet Union to establish an agenda for governing post-war Germany.

• It led to new borders in Europe, the creation of the United Nations and increased tension between the United States and Soviet Union.

Leaders at the Yalta Conference

The Potsdam Conference (August, 1945)

• The Potsdam Conference was a meeting between the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union to decide on how to punish Germany and create a new world order after WWII.

• It led to the division of Germany, the agreement to prosecute Nazi war criminals, destruction of the German military and Soviety Union taking over much of Poland

Leaders at the Potsdam Conference

Both Conferences

• These two conferences were important because they set the stage for the Cold War, the founding of the United Nations and much of the military and economic future of the world.

What type of world was left?

• Allies were victorious in 1945• Political and social arrangements worldwide shift• Economy and population of European countries destroyed• Europe begins process of rebuilding and economic

recovery• Germany is occupied by other European countries and

Russia; split in two halves, east and west• The US and Russia emerge as the new superpowers • The United Nations is founded to foster international

cooperation and prevent further conflicts

The United Nations• 1. After World War I, President Wilson

proposed a new organization called the League of Nations.

• 2. The League of Nations would have allowed countries to mediate disputes and prevent future world wars from happening.

• 3. However, members of Congress were afraid of being drawn into foreign conflicts and would not join the League of Nations, so it failed.

League of Nations

The UN

• 4. During (and after) WWII, the following occurred that made America less isolationist:

• A. The bombing of Pearl Harbor• B. The Yalta Conference• C. The Potsdam Conference• D. The dropping of the atomic bomb

The UN

• 5. America (and other countries) were ready to join an organization to prevent these things from happening again.

• 6. On April 25th, 1945 the United Nations Conference on International Organizations was held.

The U.N.

• 7. The goals of the United Nations were to:• A. Prevent a future world war• B. Strengthen international cooperation• C. Create an organization to mediate conflicts

between countries• 8. The headquarters of the United Nations is

in New York City.

Document Analysis

• You have a sheet of paper with two documents on it. You will read/look at the documents you have and answer the questions at the bottom. • Be prepared to share your answers

to the questions with your partner.

Exit Slip

• You are going to make a yay or nay poster! You need to decide if the UN has been successful in bringing peace. Then create a poster that supports your point of view.

• Holocaust- a genocide against the Jews that happened during WWII

• 14 points- Wilson’s ideas for how to end WWI, include the League of Nations and the idea of self-determination

• Rosie the Riveter• NATO- was formed to what protect the

democratic nations from the Soviet Union• Pearl Harbor- attack on the United States by the

Japanese. Is the reason the U.S. entered WWII• Zimmerman Telegram- Germany’s message to

Mexico asking them to attack the U.S. in exchange for land (WWI)

• Unrestricted submarine warfare- German subs attacked U.S. ships, it led the U.S. closer to joining WWI

• Atlantic Charter- agreement between the U.S. and Great Britain to defend any country whose self determination was taken away (moved the U.S. closer to entering WWII)

• Trench warfare- the fighting style used in WWI• Lusitania- a British ship that was attacked by a

German U-boat, 128 Americans died.• D-day- when the allied troops landed on

Normandy beach in France (1944), started the liberation of Europe