The Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was a 1945 meeting among Allied leaders Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin, shaping the postwar political order and setting the stage for the Cold War.
Bringing together the leaders of three major Allied powers as World War II neared its end, this conference's decisions about postwar Europe would directly shape the decades-long Cold War divide that followed.
The "Big Three" Allied Leaders
The conference brought together the "Big Three" Allied leaders — Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin — to plan the postwar political order as World War II neared its conclusion.
Dividing Postwar Europe
The conference's decisions significantly influenced the postwar division of Europe, including agreements on occupation zones that would later harden into Cold War divisions.
Planning for the United Nations
The conference included significant planning discussions for the establishment of the United Nations, the postwar international organization intended to maintain global peace.
Setting the Stage for the Cold War
Many of Yalta's agreements and unresolved tensions between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union directly contributed to the emerging Cold War divide in the years immediately following the conference.
