Sally Perlman

Yalta and The Big Three

The Yalta Conference, held from February 4th to 11th, 1945, in the Crimean resort town of Yalta, marked a defining moment in the history of World War II and the shaping of the postwar order. It was the conference that drew out the terms of unconditional surrender for Nazi Germany”(Universal International News) joined by the three main allied leaders, Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom, and Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union. With the end of the war in Europe, the Big Three aimed to discuss the future of Europe and post-Nazi Germany and the recovery from the war. The Allies formed in 1941 played a huge role in taking down the Axis powers led by Germany, Japan, and Italy. What went down at Yalta remains an integral part of history for all nations involved, marking the long-awaited end of the Nazi reign. 

In February 1945, the Allies were winning the war and the new goal for Roosevelt and other leaders was to now create a safe yet powerful post-war world. Roosevelt and Churchill administered the Atlantic Charter in August 1941, a pivotal moment of WWII for the US and Great Britain. By the end of 1940 Hitler's Nazis forces had completely taken over Europe. Leaving Great Britain alone in the endless struggles against Nazi tyrants. Winston Churchill Roosevelt was in his third term and Winston Churchill reached out in his dark hour to Roosevelt who was running for his third term in office. Churchill pleaded for Roosevelt's help in ending mutual solidarity between the U.S. and Great Britain regarding trading, security, and overall rivalry. 

The Yalta Conference was the second of the three essential wartime conferences, the first one, was the Tehran Conference. Tehran's main goal was to plan a military strategy against Japan and Germany and to ensure that Stalin would join the Allies. France and Belgium had been liberated from the Nazis and the Germans were close to defeat.

The meeting focused on reorganizing Germany, one outcome was the division of Germany into 4 different zones owned by Great Britain, France, the U.S., and the Soviet Union. The group decided that Germany should go through full reparations of demilitarization and denazification to eradicate military and power from Germans. 

The conference led to lots of controversy. Americans were upset and disappointed in Roosevelt as it became apparent Stalin would not keep his promise of political freedom in Poland. The disputes over Poland led to the Big Three getting slightly tangled as the Soviet Union had betrayed both Britain and the U.S. In March 1946 Churchill declared the end of the Big Three and the start of the Cold War with his speech in Fulton, Missouri. 

Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during much of World War II, was a key figure in the Allied victory over the Axis powers. Churchill’s leadership was crucial in maintaining Britain's resolve during the darkest days of war. Unlike Roosevelt, whose foreign policy was very idealistic, Churchill was more pragmatic and focused on ensuring Britain's standing imperial interests and maintaining a balance of power in Europe. Churchill had deep worries about Stalin's intentions, particularly regarding Europe, and at Yalta, he sought to secure British influence in the region while also trying to navigate the complex relationship between the West and the Soviet Union. While relieved with the fall of Nazi Germany it was clear to Churchill that a new reign was taking over despite Stalin's promise. In this speech, Churchill used his address as a plea for the US and Britain to be guardians of peace and maintain stability against another dark chapter in history, Soviet communism. 

The Big Three

The Big Three was a name given to the Allied powers in WWII, President Franklin Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. After combining forces with the Atlantic Charter the three aimed to recover their countries after WWII and Nazi Germany. Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during much of World War II, was a key figure in the Allied victory over the Axis powers. Churchill’s leadership was crucial in maintaining Britain's resolve during the darkest days of war. Unlike Roosevelt, whose foreign policy was very idealistic, Churchill was more pragmatic and focused on ensuring Britain's standing imperial interests and maintaining a balance of power in Europe. Churchill had deep worries about Stalin's intentions, particularly regarding Europe, and at Yalta, he sought to secure British influence in the region while also trying to navigate the complex relationship between the West and the Soviet Union. The 32nd President of the United States is often known as one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. Leading the United States through the Great Depression and most of World War II, Roosevelt became an honorable symbol of democratic leadership. Known for keeping the country calm during many storms with his Fire Side chats. Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union. Stalin was born in 1878 and started reading the texts of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin in 1895. Stalin got in legal trouble for strikes and later joined the Bolshevik Party during the Russian Revolution in 1905. 

Works Cited

"1945 Yalta Conference." C-SPAN. 8 Feb. 2020. 

Churchill, Winston S. "Iron Curtain Speech." British Movietone. March 5th 1946.

Fried, Daniel. "The Yalta Conference at Seventy-Five: Lessons from History." New Atlanticist, 7 Feb. 2020. 

"Joseph Stalin." History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov, 2009.

"Yalta Conference: Big Three, World War II, and Cold War." History.com, A&E Television Networks.  1 Nov. 2022.

"Cold War on File: Roosevelt on Yalta." United Kingdom National Archives. March 1, 1945.

"Cold War on File: Yalta Conference." United Kingdom National Archives. February 1945.

"Joseph Stalin, Leader of the Soviet Union." Simple History. YouTube. February 27, 2018.

Preston, Diana. Eight Days at Yalta: How Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin Shaped the Post-War World. United States, Grove Atlantic, 2020.

"The Yalta Conference- World War II History." History on Maps. Youtube. 14 July 2022. 

Artist's Statement

I chose this topic, the Yalta Conference because I believe it is a crucial event to understand both the end of World War II and the start of the Cold War. I thought that focusing on a conference would be relatively straightforward to shoot, as it would make things easier for the actors and allow me to utilize the school classrooms as sets as opposed to green screens. In many ways, my film highlights Stalin and his inclusion in the Big Three after the Atlantic Charter. I imagine the dynamics of the meeting often felt like two against one. This project and video will stick with me because history teaches us the importance of leaders and their decision-making processes, something that feels especially relevant today, given the rise of power-hungry leaders in our own country.