Yalta: The Price of Peace

Well worth revisiting Yalta

Unlike most Yalta Conference books that focus on how ill FDR was going into the meetings, Plokhy focuses on what goals the major players came with and how they ended up. Understanding how much FDR was willing to bargain to get the Soviets to support the UN and join the war against Japan; what he "gave away" is put in better perspective. Likewise, how Churchill's relative influence as an equal among the Big Three had diminished by that time is well treated. Perhaps most interesting is how well Stalin, armed with the results of his espionage, deftly played his hand in those negotiations.

If you are interested in the politics of WWII, and not just the battles, I would highly recommend this book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very thorough

As a child of the Cold War who frequently wondered, "how did such a terrible four decades happen", this book gives some answers, with a very thorough and informative description of the Yalta conference: its discussions, what each of the parties wanted, and the outcome.

Never knew, for example, that it was Stalin who wanted Poland's border with German to be moved as far westward as possible but the western Allies were opposed, giving more territory to a new Communist government. The details are all here.

Key decisions that affected the world post World War II

If you love world history and how it effects todays world you will enjoy this book. I learned a great deal about Stalin in this book.

No text was provided for this review.