The Influence Of The Yalta Conference And The Korean War

The Yalta Conference and the Korean War influenced the peacemaking process on American-Soviet relations in the period following World War II. In February 1945, Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin gathered together for a peace conference in Yalta, a Soviet city. It was agreed that the Soviet Union should regain some of the Pacific land lost in the 1904 Russo-Japanese War in return for Stalin’s renewed assurance to enter the Pacific war. They also decided on a plan for new international organization – United Nations. The new United Nations would contain represented members of respective nations, a Security Council would be comprised of temporary global delegates and permanent representatives of the five major powers (United States, Great Britain, France, China and the Soviet Union), each with veto power over the others. However, at conclusion of the conference, basic disagreements and problems remained regarding postwar government of Poland, unification of Germany, war reparations to the Soviet Union and “occupation zones” of Germany. Roosevelt envisioned a Polish government based on free, democratic elections; Stalin agreed only to an unspecified number of pro-Western Poles to be granted a place in the government. Roosevelt preferred a reconstructed and reunited Germany, while Stalin sought to enforce heavy reparations on Germany and ensure a permanent disintegration of the country. The decision on reparations would be referred to a future command. The United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union would each control its own “zone of occupation” in Germany – zones were determined by the position of troops at the end of the war. Germany would be reunited at an unspecified date. Although, the negotiators returned home convinced that the mutual arrangements had been met and completely understood by all parties, it was apparent that the Soviet interpretation of the agreements differed significantly from the United States interpretation that the impression did not last long. Between the Yalta Conference and his death, President Franklin Roosevelt became increasingly concerned that Stalin was not going to fulfill the conference promises. In the weeks following the Yalta Conference, Stalin refused to make the changes in Poland as promised and he methodically progressed into one Central or Eastern European country after another to establish pro-communist governments. Still optimistic in settling the differences, Roosevelt took a vacation from Washington but later died from a sudden massive stroke. When World War II ended, both the United States and the Soviet Union had troops in Korea; neither was willing to leave. Instead, the country was divided, supposedly temporarily, along …show more content…
It produced a limited American military obligation overseas but significantly boosted economic growth at home when many believed it was about to decline. Also, it increased insecurities and frustration in the American public about America’s position in the world and it heightened anxiety about communism causing many to believe there was something wrong with the United States. Frustration turned to anger due to the lengthy, continuous stalemate which caused over one hundred thousand wounded Americans and deaths. In the end, the United States working through the United Nations was able to to drive the North Koreans out of South Korea and stabilize the original division of the peninsula. Eventually, it strengthened an already powerful movement against communists, and those who were believed to be communists, within the United