February 4
Yalta Conference Opens in Crimea
Summary
As World War II neared its end in Europe, the Allied leaders needed to coordinate the final defeat of Nazi Germany and plan the postwar order. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin met at the Livadia Palace near Yalta in the Crimea. The conference began on February 4, 1945, and lasted until February 11. Discussions covered the occupation of Germany, the creation of the United Nations, Soviet entry into the war against Japan, and the future of Eastern Europe. Agreements reached at Yalta shaped the division of Europe and the onset of the Cold War.
Why It Matters
Yalta produced key decisions on Germany's division and the United Nations that structured international relations for the remainder of the twentieth century. The conference's outcomes regarding Eastern Europe contributed to the Iron Curtain and decades of superpower rivalry.
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US Military Atlas: Postwar diplomacy and World War II milestone involving Allied leaders.
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Sources
- Yalta Conference - Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed 2026-07-08.