Studying for the AP® US History exam can seem like an endless cycle of memorizing dates and names. Sure, if you’ve got a great memory, you may end up with a brain full of lists and numbers, but can you explain the historical connections between every person and event that you’ve memorized? That’s why we’ve created this AP® US History Crash Course Review—we get right to the historical significance of the Yalta conference and tell you how it might pop up on a future APUSH exam.
What is the Yalta Conference?
The Yalta Conference (it has also been called the Crimea Conference) was a weeklong meeting between the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union that took place during World War II (the “Big Three). It was held from February 4 to11, 1945 with the purpose of figuring out what to do with a war-torn Europe following the defeat of the Nazi regime.
In particular, it is essential to note that the Yalta conference took place in a twentieth century defined by a growing US presence in the international political arena. The APUSH exam is fond of comparing WWI and WWII, especially in terms of the US growing presence around the globe. So, you want to think about this event in relation to the WWI and post-WWII eras, putting it into context.
What was the Purpose of the Yalta Conference?
By the time the Big Three met in February, 1945 the war in Europe appeared to be coming to an end, with the Allied Powers closing in on Nazi Germany. But this was not always the case. During the early years of the war, the Soviet Union had an awkward alliance with Nazi Germany, London was nearly obliterated by Luftwaffe raids, and the United States would not join the war effort until the end of 1941.
But after a Soviet alliance with the Allied powers and a number of key victories, Europe’s war was coming to a close by early 1945. This led to two key questions that would come to characterize the postwar era: What are we going to do to rebuild Europe after this war is over? And who’s going to be the one to decide these changes?
The Big Three had previously met in Tehran, Iran in 1943 with similar intentions, but their differences slowed the negotiation process, resulting in little vision for the future of Europe. The United States held fast to their principles of liberalism and capitalism when they envisioned a postwar Europe, while the Soviet Union had their eyes on expanding their territory through the eastern half of the continent, and the United Kingdom still had visions of a strong imperial presence throughout not only Europe, but the world.
Due to these ideological conflicts, the Tehran conference resulted in little in terms of a unified postwar vision. It did, however result in an agreement to open up another front in Europe, giving all three a more equal stake in the war effort.
The Yalta Conference’s Postwar Vision
In 1945, when Franklin D. Roosevelt for the US, Winston Churchill for the UK, and Joseph Stalin for the USSR met in Yalta in the Crimea, they did so with a much clearer vision of a peaceful postwar vision, but the results of the conference ended in contradiction.
The Yalta Conference helped to ensure that Germany would be divided into occupied zones administered by U.S., British, French, and Soviet forces. On top of this, the Big Three agreed that the Allies had no duty toward the Germans after the war except to provide minimum subsistence, declared that the German military industry would be abolished or confiscated, and decided that major war criminals would be tried before an international court at Nuremberg. They also discussed the details of when and how the Soviet Union would join in the battles that were taking place in the Pacific theater.
But the biggest question remained what to do with those who had been liberated in Eastern Europe. It was agreed that the Soviet Union would help to set up non-permanent governments in Eastern Europe and assist the people with the creation of democratic institutions and a democratic election process. This turned out to be a hugely controversial agreement, since many Americans were suspicious of the communist country’s intentions and desire to remain true to the arrangement.
In the end, these concerns proved true when the Soviet Union absorbed these countries, calling them Soviet Satellite States and used them as a sort of buffer zone between the USSR and the rest of the West.
And this is important to remember. The Yalta conference is essential for understanding global politics after WWII. The negotiation and mounting tension between the USSR and the US explain quite a bit about the origins of the Cold War, which is another topic that pops up in the APUSH exam quite a bit.
What Did They Agree On? Make sure you understand these key points for the APUSH exam.
1. The Soviet Union agreed to enter the war against Japan once Germany had surrendered.
2. Germany was to be divided into four different zones, one each for the US, Britain, the Soviet Union, and France.
3. Berlin, the capital of Germany, was also to be divided into four zones.
4. The Allies agreed to hold trials for Nazi war criminals to hold them accountable for their atrocities.
5. There were to be free elections held in countries that had been recently liberated from German occupation.
6. The United Nations was to be set up to maintain peace. 7. Stalin was to be allowed a “sphere of influence” in Eastern Europe in return for going to war with Japan.
What Did They Disagree On?
1. The Allied powers disagreed on how much Germany should pay in war reparations. Stalin demanded huge amounts of money from Germany, but FDR and Churchill did not. This is a key area of conflict between the two
sides.
2. Poland was a major bone of contention. Stalin wanted a communist government in control of the country, but FDR and Churchill insisted on free elections. The Soviet Union even wanted to move the Polish-German border to the west. Stalin reminded the two leaders that they had agreed on allowing him a “sphere of influence” in Eastern Europe. Clearly, the two sides had a different view of exactly what a “sphere of influence” meant.
Significance and Aftermath of the Yalta Conference
You cannot overstate the importance of these three countries and their three vastly different political ideologies coming together in order to create a unified vision of how Europe would look after the war. How do you think it must have felt to be in the same room as these three representatives met one another?
Nevertheless, when the three met in Yalta, they attempted to envision a postwar era in which international cooperation would define modern Europe. Peace and mutual collaboration were the goals; whereas the empires of the past often turned to national strength and warfare as a way to interact with the world, the Tehran, Yalta, and (eventually) Potsdam Conferences represented a new vision for the future.
But they were ultimately short-lived and a new bipolar Cold War order began to emerge from the ashes of WWII. Although the Yalta Conference was meant to be used as a symbol of international cooperation, it ultimately set the stage for the Cold War era.
The Yalta Conference and the APUSH Exam
Now for the real significance: how might the College Board use this topic in their exams?
It’s always a good idea to understand the quick and dirty details of any event when studying for the AP® US History exam. So, you are going to want to add the details to your flashcard list/notes/or whatever else you are using. You need to know the names of the three representatives, the dates of the conference, and the fact that it was not the only conference between these three countries. This kind of information is going to help if it comes up in one of the many multiple-choice questions you’ll be tackling during the exam.
For example, a DBQ from the 2014 AP® US History exam asked: How and why did the goals of United States foreign policy change from the end of the First World War (1918) to the end of the Korean War (1953)? One of the documents presented was from the Tehran Conference. It could have just as easily been an excerpt from the Yalta conference, so make sure you are thinking about this event in terms of shifting US international relations.
But like with any good AP® US History Crash Course Review, there’s a reason we emphasize significance. An excerpt from the Yalta conference (alongside other WWII era peace negotiations like the Atlantic Charter) might pop up in a DBQ asking you to explain whether or not the postwar era resulted in peace. Who fully knows, but be prepared by remembering the importance of this event and how it not only relates to the war itself, but is actually representative of the events that were taking place before and after the actual fighting as well.
Let’s put everything into practice. Try this AP® US History practice question:
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