U.S. Army Courtesy Harry S. Truman Library

In the summer of 1945, world history was written at Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam, just southwest of Berlin. With the end of the combat operations in Europe, the three government leaders of the victorious powers, Harry Truman, Winston Churchill (replaced by Clement Attlee) and Joseph Stalin, met in person to discuss the new order in Europe and Germany. The ‘Big Three’ came to an agreement about the political principles for the government of Germany during the occupation: decentralization, demilitarization, denazification and democratization. The German-Polish border was to be shifted westwards to the Oder-Neiße line. But the ultimate determination of the German-Polish border was to be delayed until a later peace conference. Furthermore it was stipulated to suspend further expulsions of German populations from Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary and to insure an orderly transfer to Germany. It was decided that each occupying power was to meet its reparations claims from its own zone. Since the Soviet Union was not satisfied with that, it was agreed that additional reparations would be provided to it from the Western occupation zones. Although France was informed of the Potsdam decisions, it took no part in the decision-making process. On 7 August 1945 the French government acceded to the Potsdam Agreement, albeit with certain reservations with regard to a number of points. At the Potsdam Conference it became clear that the end of the war also meant the end of a common policy of the wartime Allies and the beginning of new conflicts. During this ‘Cold War’, there were repeated discussions about how the Potsdam Agreement was to be interpreted.

Germany

<strong>In the summer of 1945, world history was written in Potsdam, just outside Berlin. The three government leaders of the victorious powers met in person to discuss the new order in Europe and Germany. The results of the conference were contained in the Potsdam Agreement.</strong>

In the summer of 1945, world history was written at Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam, just southwest of Berlin. With the end of the combat operations in Europe, the three government leaders of the victorious powers, Harry Truman, Winston Churchill (replaced by Clement Attlee) and Joseph Stalin, met in person to discuss the new order in Europe and Germany. The ‘Big Three’ came to an agreement about the political principles for the government of Germany during the occupation: decentralization, demilitarization, denazification and democratization. The German-Polish border was to be shifted westwards to the Oder-Neiße line. But the ultimate determination of the German-Polish border was to be delayed until a later peace conference.

Furthermore it was stipulated to suspend further expulsions of German populations from Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary and to insure an orderly transfer to Germany.

It was decided that each occupying power was to meet its reparations claims from its own zone. Since the Soviet Union was not satisfied with that, it was agreed that additional reparations would be provided to it from the Western occupation zones.

Although France was informed of the Potsdam decisions, it took no part in the decision-making process. On 7 August 1945 the French government acceded to the Potsdam Agreement, albeit with certain reservations with regard to a number of points.

At the Potsdam Conference it became clear that the end of the war also meant the end of a common policy of the wartime Allies and the beginning of new conflicts. During this ‘Cold War’, there were repeated discussions about how the Potsdam Agreement was to be interpreted.

Conferentie van Potsdam