Subject Area
History
Description
Historians have largely agreed that the relationship among Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin began to deteriorate as World War II was coming to an end, but largely disagree as to why this is so. Many historians acknowledge the fact that negotiations on Poland were a serious issue at the Yalta Conference and contributed to the downfall of the alliance but fall short of labeling it as the main factor. Historians such as Jon Meacham and Vladislav Zubok tend to tell a broader timeline of the alliance and examine the uncertainty of Poland as a part of that story, but do not largely focus on the details. Others including Charles G. Stefan and David Reynolds discuss at length the details of Yalta Conference. Others largely view Yalta and Poland as being an important contributor to the downfall of the alliance.
Ultimately, historians largely do not discuss the publics’ opinion on the Yalta agreements, and I believe that this is an area of importance which needs exploration, especially regarding Poland. It is my view that Poland was the central issue at the Yalta Conference which resulted in a compromise that favored Stalin. This was revealed in the actions taken by the Russians following the meeting. The West’s alliance with Russia deteriorated as a direct result of Polish agreements and it is important to understand public sentiment revealed in newspapers and polling following the conference.
Publisher
Providence College
Academic Year
2019-2020
Date
Fall 2019
Type
Thesis
Format
Text
Language
English
