At the Potsdam meeting, the most pressing issue was the fate of Germany after the war. The Soviets wanted a united Germany, but they also insisted that Germany be completely disarmed. Truman, along with a growing number of American officials, had a deep distrust of Soviet intentions in Europe. The massive Soviet army already occupied much of Eastern Europe. A strong Germany may be the only obstacle to Soviet domination over all of Europe. In the end, the Big Three agreed to divide Germany into three occupation zones (one for each nation) and to postpone discussions on German reunification to a later date. The other notable topic in Potsdam was one that was practically unsaid. Just as he came to the conference, Truman was informed that the United States had successfully tested the first atomic bomb. Hoping to use the weapon as a means of exerting pressure on the Soviets in the postwar world, Truman casually mentioned to Stalin that America was now in possession of a weapon of monstrously destructive power. The president was disappointed when the Soviet leader simply replied that he hoped the United States would use this to quickly end the war with Japan. Conference participants discussed the content and procedures of peace agreements in Europe, but did not attempt to conclude peace treaties. This task has been left to a Council of Foreign Ministers. The main concerns of the Big Three, their foreign ministers and their staffs were the immediate administration of defeated Germany, the demarcation of Poland`s borders, the occupation of Austria, the definition of the Role of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe, the determination of reparations and the continuation of the war against Japan.
The friendship and goodwill that had largely characterized previous war conferences was lacking in Potsdam, for each nation was most concerned with its own interests, and Churchill was particularly suspicious of Stalin`s motives and intransigent position. The Soviet Union submitted to the Conference a proposal for the mandated territories in accordance with what was decided at the Yalta Conference and the Charter of the United Nations. To remember the things that were discussed at each conference, use the PEER mnemonic conflict between management and work, which was one of the biggest challenges for the transition from economy to production in peacetime. The unions had kept their promise not to strike during the war, but union leaders were eager to share the gains of a post-war economic resurgence. After several workers` struggles broke out in September and October 1945, Truman convened a national conference between business leaders and organized workers in November, where he advocated collective bargaining to avoid labor-related economic disruption. The conference did not have much impact; An unprecedented wave of large-scale strikes affected the United States, and by February 1946 nearly 2 million workers were involved in strikes or other workers` struggles. [175] Many strikes were led by John L. Lewis of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), whom Truman despised.
[176] Truman was much more suspicious of the Soviets than Roosevelt and became increasingly suspicious of Stalin`s intentions. [11] Truman and his advisers saw Soviet actions in Eastern Europe as aggressive expansionism incompatible with the agreements to which Stalin had committed himself at Yalta in February. Moreover, Truman became aware of possible complications elsewhere when Stalin rejected Churchill`s proposal for an allied withdrawal from Iran before the timetable agreed at the Tehran conference. The Potsdam Conference was the only time Truman met Stalin in person. [13] [14] Foreign ministers from the three governments – James F. Byrnes, V.M. Molotov and Anthony Eden and Ernest Bevin – as well as other advisers also attended the conference. Nine meetings were held from 17 to 25 July.
After that, the conference was suspended for two days when the results of the British general election were announced. On the 28th. In July, Clement Attlee defeated Winston Churchill and replaced him as Britain`s representative, with the new British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin replacing Anthony Eden. This was followed by four days of additional discussions. During the conference, there were meetings of the three Heads of Government with their Foreign Ministers, as well as only meetings of the Foreign Ministers. The committees appointed by the Latter for the pre-examination of issues prior to the conference also met daily. Important decisions and agreements were made and opinions were exchanged on a variety of other issues. However, consideration of these issues was continued by the Council of Foreign Ministers subsequently established by the Conference. The conference ended with a closer relationship between the three governments through their cooperation.
This renewed confidence in the fact that they will ensure, together with the other United Nations, the establishment of a just and lasting peace. [6] [7] The G.I. The bill was passed in 1944 by a Conservative coalition that wanted to limit benefits to “deserving” veterans, as opposed to the broader welfare program favored by the Roosevelt administration, which would reach both veterans and non-veterans. [183] The Truman administration, passed during the Roosevelt years, would guide much of the implementation of the law. [Citation needed] The most famous element of the G.I. bill provided veterans with free college, vocational and secondary education – not only free tuition, but also full housing and support allowances for veterans and their families. There has been a remarkable transformation in higher education as 2.2 million veterans have crammed into hastily built classrooms. [184] To a large extent on the G.I. Bill`s college degrees rose from just over 200,000 in 1940 to nearly 500,000 in 1950. [185] Although they never reached the gravity of the strike wave of 1945-1946, workers` defeats continued to affect the country after 1946. [257] When a steel strike arose in April 1952, Truman instructed Secretary of Commerce Charles W.