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Potsdam Conference Timeline

(July 17, 1945 – August 2, 1945)

The Potsdam Conference was the final Allied summit of World War II, held in Potsdam, Germany, from July 17 to August 2, 1945. Leaders Harry Truman, Joseph Stalin, and Winston Churchill (later replaced by Clement Attlee) met to negotiate the terms for ending the war and organizing postwar Europe, including the occupation of Germany, borders, reparations, and the ultimatum to Japan known as the Potsdam Declaration. Less

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Background Context

Paris Peace Conference of 1919 as cautionary precedent

Jan 18, 1919 - Jan 21, 1920

The Paris Peace Conference of 1919, which ended World War I, was widely seen as having made punitive mistakes that contributed to future conflict. The Allies at Potsdam explicitly sought to plan the postwar peace while avoiding these mistakes.

Image source: Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920)

Paris Peace Conference of 1919 as cautionary precedent

William Bullitt serves as US ambassador to the Soviet Union

Nov 1, 1933 - May 31, 1936

William Bullitt served as the United States' first ambassador to the Soviet Union until 1936. His observations of Soviet behavior during this period later informed his skepticism about Stalin's intentions in eastern Europe, contrasting with President Roosevelt's more optimistic outlook.

Image source: William Christian Bullitt Jr.

William Bullitt serves as US ambassador to the Soviet Union

William Bullitt serves as US ambassador to France

Jan 1, 1936 - Dec 31, 1940

Following his posting in Moscow, William Bullitt served as the American ambassador to France until 1940, witnessing the fall of France to Nazi Germany before returning to Washington.

Bullitt falls out with Roosevelt and is demoted in State Department

Jan 1, 1941

After his diplomatic postings, William Bullitt had a falling out with President Roosevelt and was demoted within the State Department. This rift set the stage for his later public criticism of Roosevelt's policy toward the Soviet Union.

Roosevelt tells Bullitt he trusts Stalin's good intentions

Jan 1, 1943

In January 1943, Roosevelt told Bullitt regarding potential Soviet domination over eastern Europe: "I just have a hunch that Stalin is not that kind of a man... I think that if I give him everything I possibly can and ask for nothing from him in return, 'noblesse oblige', he won't try to annex anything and will work with me for a world of democracy and peace."

Bullitt's memo criticizing FDR's Europe-first focus is published

May 1, 1943

Bullitt wrote a memo criticizing Roosevelt and his focus on Europe over Asia, which was published in the press in May 1943. It publicly aired concerns that appeasing Stalin would lead to Soviet domination of eastern Europe.

Moscow Declaration of October 1943

Oct 30, 1943

The Moscow Declaration of October 1943 established Allied principles for prosecuting war crimes committed without geographical restriction. At the Potsdam Conference two years later, the three governments would try to agree on trial methods for such war criminals.

Lead-up to the Conference

Death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Apr 12, 1945

President Franklin D. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, and Vice President Harry Truman assumed the presidency. Truman would now lead the United States into the postwar negotiations, including the upcoming Potsdam Conference.

Image source: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Harry Truman assumes the presidency

Apr 12, 1945

Upon Roosevelt's death, Harry Truman became president. His tenure immediately saw VE Day within a month, and VJ Day on the horizon, placing him at the helm during the decisive final phase of World War II and its aftermath.

Image source: Harry S. Truman

Harry Truman assumes the presidency

Churchill writes to Truman proposing a three-power summit

May 1, 1945

In May 1945, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill wrote to President Truman hoping to arrange a meeting of the three leading Allied governments to occur in June. This correspondence helped set in motion what became the Potsdam Conference.

Image source: Potsdam Conference

Churchill writes to Truman proposing a three-power summit

Victory in Europe Day (VE Day)

May 8, 1945

VE Day marked the formal acceptance of Germany's unconditional surrender, ending the war in Europe less than a month after Truman took office. With Germany defeated, the Allied leaders could turn their attention to planning the postwar order.

Image source: Victory in Europe Day

Victory in Europe Day (VE Day)

Election results delayed for overseas armed forces votes

Jul 5, 1945 - Jul 26, 1945

Because ballots from servicemen overseas had to be counted in their home constituencies, the results of Britain's July 5 election were delayed until late July. When announced, they showed Labour under Clement Attlee had won, changing Britain's representation mid-conference.

Image source: 1945 United Kingdom general election

Election results delayed for overseas armed forces votes

United Kingdom general election held

Jul 5, 1945

A general election was held in the United Kingdom on July 5, 1945, but its results were delayed to allow the votes of armed forces personnel serving overseas to be counted in their home constituencies, leaving Churchill's political fate uncertain during Potsdam.

Potsdam Conference Decisions

Agreement on shifting Germany's border to the Oder–Neisse line

Jul 17, 1945 - Aug 2, 1945

At Potsdam it was decided that Germany's eastern border would be shifted westwards to the Oder–Neisse line, effectively reducing Germany in size by approximately 25% from its 1937 borders and approximately 34% from its 1913 borders.

Image source: Oder–Neisse line

Agreement on shifting Germany's border to the Oder–Neisse line

Potsdam Conference opens in Soviet occupation zone

Jul 17, 1945 - Aug 2, 1945

The Potsdam Conference (German: Potsdamer Konferenz) was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from July 17 to August 2, 1945, allowing the three leading Allies—Truman, Stalin, and Churchill (later Attlee)—to plan the postwar peace while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.

Allies negotiate trial methods for war criminals at Potsdam

Jul 17, 1945 - Aug 2, 1945

At the Potsdam Conference, the three governments tried to reach an agreement on trial methods for war criminals whose crimes under the Moscow Declaration of October 1943 had no geographical restriction, aiming for the London negotiations to yield a positive result validated by an agreement.

Potsdam Conference concludes

Aug 2, 1945

The Potsdam Conference concluded on August 2, 1945, issuing the Potsdam Agreement, which covered the occupation of Germany, its eastern border shift, war criminal trials, and other arrangements shaping the postwar world.

Decision on Poland's western frontier deferred to peace settlement

Aug 2, 1945

While the Oder–Neisse line was agreed upon, the final delimitation of the western frontier of Poland was left to await a peace settlement—one that would only take place 45 years later, in 1990, with the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany.

Image source: Potsdam Agreement

Decision on Poland's western frontier deferred to peace settlement

Council of Foreign Ministers first meeting set for London by Sep 1, 1945

Aug 2, 1945

As part of the conference agreements, it was decided that the first meeting of the new Council of Foreign Ministers should be held in London not later than September 1, 1945, providing an ongoing forum for postwar diplomacy among the major powers.

Agreement to revise the 1936 Montreux Convention

Aug 2, 1945

In accordance with the decision at the Potsdam Conference, the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union agreed that the 1936 Montreux Convention governing the Turkish Straits should be revised, reflecting Soviet desires for greater access through the straits.

Image source: Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits

Agreement to revise the 1936 Montreux Convention

Aftermath and Implementation

Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima

Aug 6, 1945

During the Potsdam Conference, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The bombing demonstrated America's devastating new weapon while the Allied leaders were still gathered in Potsdam.

Image source: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima

London Charter signed establishing the Nuremberg trials framework

Aug 8, 1945

The leaders' objective at Potsdam was that the London negotiations would have a positive result validated by an agreement, which was duly signed in London on August 8, 1945, creating the legal basis for trying Axis war criminals at Nuremberg.

Image source: Nuremberg trials

London Charter signed establishing the Nuremberg trials framework

Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki

Aug 9, 1945

Three days after Hiroshima, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, hastening Japan's surrender and bringing the war in the Pacific to an end.

Agreement on converting Germany to an agrarian and light industrial economy

Feb 1, 1946

In early 1946, an agreement was reached on the details of the economic plans outlined at Potsdam, in which Germany was to be converted into having an agricultural and light industrial economy, reflecting the Allies' initial deindustrialization policy.

Key Facts

  1. The Potsdam Conference took place at Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam, Germany, near Berlin, from July 17 to August 2, 1945.
  2. It was attended by U.S. President Harry Truman, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was replaced mid-conference by newly elected Prime Minister Clement Attlee.
  3. The conference established the Potsdam Agreement, outlining plans for the occupation of Germany, denazification, demilitarization, democratization, and the payment of reparations.
  4. During the conference, Truman informed Stalin about the successful test of the atomic bomb, and on July 26, 1945, the Allies issued the Potsdam Declaration demanding Japan's unconditional surrender.
  5. The conference confirmed the transfer of German territory east of the Oder-Neisse line to Poland and the Soviet Union, leading to large-scale population expulsions.

Source

This Potsdam Conference timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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