what caused the armed conflict in europe in 1939

Unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, the division of Germany and Berlin into four occupational zones controlled by the United States, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union.Clearly there were some key conflicting interests that needed to be addressed.Īfter much negotiation, the following outcomes of the Yalta Conference emerged: Stalin, on the other hand, wanted Soviet “sphere of influence” in Central and Eastern Europe, starting with Poland, in order to provide the Soviet Union with a geopolitical buffer zone between it and the western capitalist world. Churchill argued for free and fair elections leading to democratic regimes in Central and Eastern Europe, especially Poland. Roosevelt wanted Soviet participation in the newly formed United Nations and immediate support from the Soviets in fighting the ongoing war in the Pacific against Japan. Each country’s leader had his own set of ideas for rebuilding and re-establishing order in the war-torn continent. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Stalin met near Yalta, Crimea, to discuss the reorganization of post-WWII Europe. In February 1945, when they were confident of an Allied victory, U.S.

Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin (left to right) at the Yalta Conference. These conferences set the stage for the beginning of the Cold War and of a divided Europe. Post-war negotiations took place at two conferences in 1945, one before the official end of the war, and one after. The End of WWII and the Division of Europe The End of WWII and the Division of Europeĭespite their wartime alliance, tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States and Great Britain intensified rapidly as the war came to a close and the leaders discussed what to do with Germany.

What caused the armed conflict in europe in 1939