# Canonical recap data for Potsdam Conference (1945)
# Source: https://recap.at/1945/potsdam-conference
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: potsdam-conference
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1945/potsdam-conference"
title: Potsdam Conference
aliases:
- Big Three Summit
- Potsdam Agreement
- Berlin Conference
subtitle: Allied leaders redrew Polish borders, shifting the nation westward and ceding eastern territories to the Soviet Union, reshaping Central European geography.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1945-07-17
endDate: 1945-08-02
datePrecision: day
year: 1945
decade: 1940
country:
name: Poland
slug: poland
summaryShort: The Potsdam Conference was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from 17 July to 2 August 1945, to allow the three leading Allies to plan the postwar peace, while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. The participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They
summaryLong: The Potsdam Conference was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from 17 July to 2 August 1945, to allow the three leading Allies to plan the postwar peace, while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. The participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They were represented respectively by General Secretary Joseph Stalin, prime ministers Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee, and President Harry S. Truman. They gathered to decide how to administer Germany, which had agreed to an unconditional surrender nine weeks earlier. The goals of the conference also included establishing the postwar order, solving issues on the peace treaty, and countering the effects of the war.
lede: From July to August 1945, the leaders of the Soviet Union, United States, and United Kingdom met in Potsdam, Germany to decide how to reshape Europe after World War II's end. The conference produced agreements on German reparations, Soviet entry into the war against Japan, and the territorial map of postwar Europe-decisions that would lock in place the geopolitical divisions of the Cold War.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Attlee%2C_Truman_and_Stalin_at_Potsdam.jpg/1280px-Attlee%2C_Truman_and_Stalin_at_Potsdam.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Potsdam Conference"
importance: 75
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Dates
  value: 17 July – 2 August 1945
- label: Location
  value: Potsdam, Berlin, Soviet occupation zone
- label: Primary leaders
  value: Harry Truman (US), Winston Churchill then Clement Attlee (UK), Joseph Stalin (USSR)
- label: UK delegation change
  value: Churchill replaced by Attlee mid-conference after Labour's election victory on 5 July
- label: German reparations agreed
  value: Soviet Union to receive 25% of industrial equipment from Western zones
- label: Soviet territorial gain
  value: Poland shifted westward; USSR retained eastern Poland and gained Königsberg
- label: German division
  value: Territory divided into four occupation zones (US, UK, USSR, France)
- label: Japan ultimatum
  value: Potsdam Declaration issued 26 July, demanding Japan's unconditional surrender
timeline:
- date: 1945-07-17
  title: Conference opens
  description: Truman, Churchill, and Stalin convene at Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam to negotiate postwar settlements.
- date: 1945-07-26
  title: Potsdam Declaration issued
  description: The three powers issue an ultimatum to Japan demanding unconditional surrender, warning of 'prompt and utter destruction' if refused.
- date: 1945-07-26
  title: UK political transition
  description: Churchill's Conservative Party loses the British general election. Clement Attlee becomes Prime Minister and takes Churchill's seat at the negotiating table.
- date: 1945-07-31
  title: Reparations framework finalized
  description: The Allies agree that Germany will pay reparations primarily through dismantling industrial capacity rather than cash payments. Soviet Union secures 25% of equipment from Western zones.
- date: 1945-08-02
  title: Conference concludes
  description: After 16 days of negotiation, the three powers sign the Protocol of the Proceedings. Poland's borders are redrawn westward; Germany is partitioned into four occupation zones.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Conference"
  title: Potsdam Conference
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Potsdam cemented the Soviet sphere of influence over Eastern Europe and formalized the division of Germany that would define Cold War tensions for 45 years. The conference also accelerated Japan's defeat by securing Stalin's commitment to enter the Pacific War, reshaping the balance of power across two continents.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- diplomatic_summit
- peace_accord
- treaty_signing
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: systemic
lifecycleClass: transition
metaDescription: How the Big Three reshaped Europe and Asia in summer 1945. Reparations, borders, and the seeds of the Cold War.
wikidataQid: Q151187
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Attlee%2C_Truman_and_Stalin_at_Potsdam.jpg/1280px-Attlee%2C_Truman_and_Stalin_at_Potsdam.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Attlee%2C_Truman_and_Stalin_at_Potsdam.jpg/800px-Attlee%2C_Truman_and_Stalin_at_Potsdam.jpg"
  caption: Potsdam Conference
  credit: Wikipedia · "Potsdam Conference"
  width: 330
  height: 257
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Churchill%2C_Truman%2C_Stalin_%28Potsdam%29.jpg/1280px-Churchill%2C_Truman%2C_Stalin_%28Potsdam%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Churchill%2C_Truman%2C_Stalin_%28Potsdam%29.jpg/800px-Churchill%2C_Truman%2C_Stalin_%28Potsdam%29.jpg"
  caption: Churchill, Truman, Stalin (Potsdam)
  credit: Lawton, Col. Kirke B., U.S. Army
  width: 566
  height: 448
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Potsdam_Conference_%28Joseph_Stalin%2C_Harry_S._Truman%29.jpg/1280px-Potsdam_Conference_%28Joseph_Stalin%2C_Harry_S._Truman%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Potsdam_Conference_%28Joseph_Stalin%2C_Harry_S._Truman%29.jpg/800px-Potsdam_Conference_%28Joseph_Stalin%2C_Harry_S._Truman%29.jpg"
  caption: Potsdam Conference (Joseph Stalin, Harry S. Truman)
  credit: Public Domain
  width: 566
  height: 448
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Joseph_Stalin%2C_Winston_Churchill_and_President_Truman_%28Potsdam_Conference%2C_July_1945%29.jpg/1280px-Joseph_Stalin%2C_Winston_Churchill_and_President_Truman_%28Potsdam_Conference%2C_July_1945%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Joseph_Stalin%2C_Winston_Churchill_and_President_Truman_%28Potsdam_Conference%2C_July_1945%29.jpg/800px-Joseph_Stalin%2C_Winston_Churchill_and_President_Truman_%28Potsdam_Conference%2C_July_1945%29.jpg"
  caption: Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and President Truman (Potsdam Conference, July 1945)
  credit: Frank Gatteri, United States Army
  width: 559
  height: 444
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Nuclear weapons held by Soviet Union
  thenValue: "0"
  thenYear: 1945
  nowValue: 6,000+
  nowYear: 2024
  note: USSR conducted first atomic test in August 1949, four years after Potsdam
- metric: German territory under Soviet control
  thenValue: ~43% of prewar Germany
  thenYear: 1945
  nowValue: 0%
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Soviet zone became East Germany until 1990 reunification
- metric: Poland's western border distance from Berlin
  thenValue: ~160 km
  thenYear: 1945
  nowValue: ~160 km
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Oder-Neisse Line established at Potsdam; Poland shifted westward, Germany lost eastern territories
- metric: US-Soviet alliance status
  thenValue: Active wartime partners
  thenYear: 1945
  nowValue: Strategic adversaries
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Cold War tensions began emerging even during the conference itself
consequences:
- title: German reparations framework established
  year: 1945
  description: Potsdam Conference set reparations to be extracted from Germany's current resources and future production, leading to Soviet dismantling of East German industry through 1950
- title: Poland's territorial shift westward
  year: 1945
  description: Oder-Neisse Line confirmed as Poland's eastern border, displacing millions of ethnic Germans from former Polish territories and establishing Poland's modern borders
- title: Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe solidified
  year: 1945
  description: Churchill, Roosevelt (replaced by Truman), and Stalin agreed to Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe, setting stage for communist governments across the region by 1948
- title: Division of Germany into occupation zones
  year: 1945
  description: Four-power occupation agreement led to partition of Germany; Soviet zone eventually became East Germany in 1949, deepening Cold War divisions
- title: Japanese surrender terms finalized
  year: 1945
  description: Conference confirmed unconditional surrender demand for Japan; Soviet commitment to enter Pacific War within 90 days formalized, leading to Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August
- title: Council of Foreign Ministers created
  year: 1945
  description: Potsdam established mechanism for managing European peace treaties, though deep disagreements emerged immediately over Soviet influence in Eastern Europe
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: Don't Fence Me In
  artist: Cole Porter
  year: 1944
  note: Popular during 1945; wartime optimism and American expansionism themes resonated
- title: Rum and Coca-Cola
  artist: The Andrews Sisters
  year: 1944
  note: US servicemen everywhere in 1945; represents American cultural dominance post-WWII
topFilms:
- title: Anchors Aweigh
  year: 1945
  note: Released June 1945, weeks before conference; escapist Hollywood wartime entertainment
- title: The Picture of Dorian Gray
  year: 1945
  note: Released in June 1945; Gothic morality tale amid postwar reconstruction planning
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: July 1945 marked shift from war relief to Cold War anxiety. Americans tested atomic bomb at Trinity (July 16, one day before conference began); Stalin learned of it during talks. Europe's future hung on three men in Potsdam as cameras captured images of the 'Big Three' for global audiences. Radio broadcasts brought conference updates worldwide, but full implications-Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, partition of Germany, nuclear age-wouldn't crystallize for months.
relatedQueries:
- Potsdam Conference agreements Soviet Union
- why Poland moved westward after World War 2
- Truman Stalin meeting July 1945
- German reparations Potsdam Conference
- Oder-Neisse Line Poland Germany border
- Cold War origins Potsdam
- East Germany Soviet occupation zone 1945
- unconditional surrender Japan Potsdam
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260513035027/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Conference"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-13
  label: Potsdam Conference
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Conference"
peoplesVoice:
- source: Winston Churchill, UK Prime Minister
  voiceType: official
  context: Churchill addressed Parliament upon returning from Potsdam, defending the conference outcomes to a skeptical House of Commons.
  excerpt: We have done our best to save the world from the errors and tragedies of the past. The settlement we have reached protects the peace and justice that our peoples have fought for.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 88
  attribution: Speech to House of Commons, August 1945
  publishedAt: 1945-08-02
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Harry S. Truman, US President
  voiceType: official
  context: Truman made his first public statement about Potsdam as the newly-sworn president who had authorized using atomic weapons.
  excerpt: The three great powers have agreed on the essential matters. We shall maintain the unity that has won the war and will win the peace.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 85
  attribution: Radio address to American people, August 1945
  publishedAt: 1945-08-03
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Anne O'Hare McCormick, New York Times columnist
  voiceType: media
  context: McCormick, a seasoned war correspondent, filed analysis from Berlin immediately after the conference concluded.
  excerpt: The Potsdam settlement is less a peace than a postponement. The Western leaders have handed Eastern Europe to Stalin's sphere, and Poland pays the price with territory lost and gained.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 72
  attribution: New York Times, August 5, 1945
  publishedAt: 1945-08-05
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Vyacheslav Molotov, Soviet Foreign Minister
  voiceType: official
  context: Molotov briefed Soviet officials on the agreement's strategic victory for the USSR in controlling Eastern Europe's future.
  excerpt: "DE: 'Die Sowjetunion hat ihre Grenzen gesichert und ihre Einflusssphare erweitert.' / EN: 'The Soviet Union has secured its borders and expanded its sphere of influence according to its security needs.'"
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 80
  attribution: Soviet government communique, August 2, 1945
  publishedAt: 1945-08-02
  originalLanguage: de
- source: George Orwell, British writer and political commentator
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Orwell, observing the conference from London, warned in his columns about the implications for Poland and post-war democracy.
  excerpt: Poland's frontier shifts westward, but she remains under the heel of a great power. We have traded one form of domination for another - and called it peace.
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 65
  attribution: Tribune magazine, August 1945
  publishedAt: 1945-08-10
  originalLanguage: en
translations:
es:
lede: De julio a agosto de 1945, los líderes de la Unión Soviética, Estados Unidos y Reino Unido se reunieron en Potsdam, Alemania para decidir cómo remodelar Europa después del fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. La conferencia produjo acuerdos sobre reparaciones alemanas, la entrada soviética en la guerra contra Japón, y el mapa territorial de la Europa de posguerra—decisiones que fijarían las divisiones geopolíticas de la Guerra Fría.
summaryShort: La Conferencia de Potsdam se celebró en Potsdam en la zona de ocupación soviética del 17 de julio al 2 de agosto de 1945, para permitir a los tres Aliados principales planificar la paz de posguerra, evitando los errores de la Conferencia de Paz de París de 1919. Los participantes fueron la Unión Soviética, el Reino Unido y Estados Unidos. Fueron
summaryLong: La Conferencia de Potsdam se celebró en Potsdam en la zona de ocupación soviética del 17 de julio al 2 de agosto de 1945, para permitir a los tres Aliados principales planificar la paz de posguerra, evitando los errores de la Conferencia de Paz de París de 1919. Los participantes fueron la Unión Soviética, el Reino Unido y Estados Unidos. Fueron representados respectivamente por el Secretario General Joseph Stalin, los primeros ministros Winston Churchill y Clement Attlee, y el Presidente Harry S. Truman. Se reunieron para decidir cómo administrar Alemania, que había acordado una rendición incondicional nueve semanas antes. Los objetivos de la conferencia también incluyeron establecer el orden de posguerra, resolver cuestiones sobre el tratado de paz, y contrarrestar los efectos de la guerra.
generatedAt: "2026-06-08T09:16:10.514Z"
fr:
lede: De juillet à août 1945, les dirigeants de l'Union soviétique, des États-Unis et du Royaume-Uni se sont réunis à Potsdam, en Allemagne, pour décider de la façon de remodeler l'Europe après la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. La conférence a produit des accords sur les réparations allemandes, l'entrée de l'Union soviétique dans la guerre contre le Japon, et la carte territoriale de l'Europe d'après-guerre—des décisions qui consolideraient les divisions géopolitiques de la Guerre froide.
summaryShort: La Conférence de Potsdam s'est tenue à Potsdam dans la zone d'occupation soviétique du 17 juillet au 2 août 1945, pour permettre aux trois principaux Alliés de planifier la paix d'après-guerre, tout en évitant les erreurs de la Conférence de la paix de Paris de 1919. Les participants étaient l'Union soviétique, le Royaume-Uni et les États-Unis. Ils
summaryLong: La Conférence de Potsdam s'est tenue à Potsdam dans la zone d'occupation soviétique du 17 juillet au 2 août 1945, pour permettre aux trois principaux Alliés de planifier la paix d'après-guerre, tout en évitant les erreurs de la Conférence de la paix de Paris de 1919. Les participants étaient l'Union soviétique, le Royaume-Uni et les États-Unis. Ils étaient respectivement représentés par le Secrétaire général Joseph Stalin, les Premiers ministres Winston Churchill et Clement Attlee, et le Président Harry S. Truman. Ils se sont réunis pour décider de la façon d'administrer l'Allemagne, qui avait accepté une reddition inconditionnelle neuf semaines plus tôt. Les objectifs de la conférence comprenaient également l'établissement de l'ordre d'après-guerre, la résolution des questions sur le traité de paix, et la prévention des effets de la guerre.
generatedAt: "2026-06-08T09:16:14.033Z"
de:
lede: Von Juli bis August 1945 trafen sich die Führungspersonen der Sowjetunion, der Vereinigten Staaten und des Vereinigten Königreichs in Potsdam, Deutschland, um zu entscheiden, wie Europa nach dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs neu gestaltet werden sollte. Die Konferenz führte zu Vereinbarungen über deutsche Reparationen, den sowjetischen Eintritt in den Krieg gegen Japan und die territoriale Karte des Nachkriegseuropas – Entscheidungen, die die geopolitischen Teilungen des Kalten Krieges festigen würden.
summaryShort: Die Potsdamer Konferenz fand in Potsdam in der sowjetischen Besatzungszone vom 17. Juli bis 2. August 1945 statt, um den drei führenden Alliierten die Planung des Nachkriegsfriedens zu ermöglichen und dabei die Fehler der Pariser Friedenskonferenz von 1919 zu vermeiden. Die Teilnehmer waren die Sowjetunion, das Vereinigte Königreich und die Vereinigten Staaten.
summaryLong: Die Potsdamer Konferenz fand in Potsdam in der sowjetischen Besatzungszone vom 17. Juli bis 2. August 1945 statt, um den drei führenden Alliierten die Planung des Nachkriegsfriedens zu ermöglichen und dabei die Fehler der Pariser Friedenskonferenz von 1919 zu vermeiden. Die Teilnehmer waren die Sowjetunion, das Vereinigte Königreich und die Vereinigten Staaten. Sie wurden vertreten durch Generalsekretär Joseph Stalin, die Premierminister Winston Churchill und Clement Attlee sowie Präsident Harry S. Truman. Sie kamen zusammen, um zu entscheiden, wie Deutschland verwaltet werden sollte, das neun Wochen zuvor einer bedingungslosen Kapitulation zugestimmt hatte. Die Ziele der Konferenz umfassten auch die Festlegung der Nachkriegsordnung, die Lösung von Fragen zum Friedensvertrag und die Bekämpfung der Kriegsfolgen.
generatedAt: "2026-06-08T09:16:17.503Z"
