Potsdam Declaration

Allied leaders in conference in the German city of Potsdam, after Germany's defeat but before Japan's surrender

Historical Context

After Germany's surrender in World War II, the leaders of the major Allied powers gathered in the ruined city of Potsdam to focus on the one remaining Axis powers member: Japan. The country was still holding out, and fighting was fierce, particularly on the island of Okinawa, which had just fallen after three months of heavy fighting.

The major powers were represented primarily by President Harry Truman (USA), Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee (UK, Churchill having been voted out of office partway through) and General Secretary Joseph Stalin (USSR). The declaration, issued on July 26, 1945 (also Churchill's last day as Prime Minister) set out the terms by which Japan had to surrender.

The statement called for the elimination "for all time of the authority and influence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on world conquest." As well as disarming the Japanese military and an Allied occupation, otherwise Japan would face "prompt and utter destruction."

The Japanese government intensely debated the proclamation, but did not directly respond. On August 6 and 9, 1945, two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, one at Hiroshima and the other at Nagasaki. Also on the 9th, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded Manchuria. These events led the country to announce its acceptance of the Potstdam conditions and its unconditional surrender, ending World War II after 6 years.

Photo Info

Photographer: Unknown
Location taken: Potsdam, Germany
Source: Wikimedia Commons

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