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Yalta
 When
it was clear that the Allies had gained the upper hand in the war against
Hitler, the leaders met to determine the shape of the post-war world.
Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met in Yalta on the Black Sea and
agreed on several key provisions. First, they created the United Nations,
based on the provisions in the Atlantic Charter. Second, the Soviets
agreed to enter the war against Japan within three months after the
end of the war in Europe in exchange for Kuril and Sakhalin Islands
from Japan. Third, the powers agreed that Eastern Europe would be reconstructed
as free states with democratic elections, but Russia was allowed a
portion of Poland. Fourth, the leaders divided Germany and Berlin into
four occupation zones, one for each of the major powers. At the Yalta
Conference Roosevelt made concessions to the Soviets for the sake
of getting their help against Japan, and considering the cost of the
war for Russia it was difficult to get greater assurances on the future
of Eastern Europe. In addition, the Soviet army firmly controlled Eastern
Europe, and dislodging Stalin's forces was an impossibility. The best
Roosevelt could have hoped for was the agreement signed at Yalta, even
though it was clear that the Soviet leader was unlikely to honor the
agreement.
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