Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
12/6/13, 8:45 PM
Potsdam Declaration
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Potsdam Declaration or the Proclamation Dening Terms for Japanese Surrender is a statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. On July 26, 1945, United States President Harry S. Truman, United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chairman of the Nationalist Government of China Chiang Kai-shek issued the document, which outlined the terms of surrender for the Empire of Japan as agreed upon at the Potsdam Conference. This ultimatum stated that, if Japan did not surrender, it would face "prompt and utter destruction"[1][2] although the document did not make any mention of atomic weapons.
Contents
1 Terms of the Declaration 2 Leaets and radio broadcasts 3 Aftermath 4 See also 5 References 6 External links
12/6/13, 8:45 PM
"Japan shall be permitted to maintain such industries as will sustain her economy and permit the exaction of just reparations in kind, but not those which would enable her to rearm for war. To this end, access to, as distinguished from control of, raw materials shall be permitted. Eventual Japanese participation in world trade relations shall be permitted." "The occupying forces of the Allies shall be withdrawn from Japan as soon as these objectives have been accomplished and there has been established, in accordance with the freely expressed will of the Japanese people, a peacefully inclined and responsible government." The only mention of "unconditional surrender" came at the end of the declaration:[1] "We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction."[1] Contrary to what had been intended at its conception, disenfranchising the Japanese leadership so the people would accept a mediated transition, the declaration made no direct mention of the Emperor at all. It did, however, insist that "the authority and inuence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on world conquest must be eliminated for all time".[4] Allied intentions on issues of utmost importance to the Japanese, including whether Hirohito was to be regarded as one of those who had "misled the people of Japan" or even a war criminal, or alternatively whether the Emperor might potentially become part of a "peacefully inclined and responsible government" were thus left unstated.[5] The "prompt and utter destruction" clause has been interpreted[citation needed] as a veiled warning about American possession of the atomic bomb which had been successfully tested on July 16, 1945, the day before the Potsdam Conference opened. Although the document warned of further destruction like aerial bombings, it didn't mention anything about nuclear bombing.
12/6/13, 8:45 PM
The extent of the Allies' demands brought home to the Japanese leaders and people the extent of the success Japan's enemies had achieved in the war.[9]
Aftermath
Main article: Surrender of Japan Subsequently, the United States atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by airplane-dropped nuclear weapons took place on 6 and 9 August 1945 respectively. Two cities were totally devastated by the atomic bomb killing tens of thousands of civilians in a matter of seconds within a radius that stretched for more than 1 mile (1.6 kilometers). The number of casualties in the months after the war is estimated to range from 150,000 to over 200,000. The SovietJapanese War was declared on Japan on August 9, 1945. Soviet invasion of Manchuria quickly defeated the Japanese army in Chinese Manchukuo and other areas.
See also
Cairo Declaration (1943) Second Sino-Japanese War (19371945) Pacic War (19411945) General Order No. 1 (Aug. 1945) Japanese Instrument of Surrender (Sep. 1945) Treaty of San Francisco (1951)
References
1. ^ a b c d e "Potsdam Declaration: Proclamation Dening Terms for Japanese Surrender Issued, at Potsdam, July 26, 1945" (http://www.atomicarchive.com/Docs/Hiroshima/Potsdam.shtml). National Science Digital Library. 2. ^ "Milestones: 1937-1945 / The Potsdam Conference, 1945" (http://history.state.gov/milestones/19371945/PotsdamConf). United States Department of State, Ofce of the Historian. 3. ^ http://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/etc/c06.html 4. ^ "Potsdam Declaration" (http://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/etc/c06.html). Birth of the Constitution of Japan. National Diet Library. 5. ^ "'Potsdam Declaration'". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan 2. 1966. 6. ^ Hellegers, Dale M. We the Japanese People: World War II and the Origins of the Japanese Constitution. Volume I. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2002. Page 134. (http://books.google.com/books? id=GL8h6wZPqIoC&pg=PA134&dq=%22potsdam+declaration%22+transmitted+to+japan&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rAN2Ut WUEvLesASs4HwAw&ved=0CFgQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=%22potsdam%20declaration%22%20transmitted%20to%20japan&f=f alse) 7. ^ Foreign Relations of the United States: diplomatic papers: the Conference of Berlin (the Potsdam Conference) 2: 1376-1377. 1945. 8. ^ Scoenberger, Walter (1969). Decision of Destiny. Columbus: Ohio University Press. pp. 248249. 9. ^ Rhodes, Anthony (1976). Propaganda: The art of persuasion: World War II. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. p. 262.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Declaration Page 3 of 4
12/6/13, 8:45 PM
External links
Potsdam Declaration (http://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/etc/c06.html) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Potsdam_Declaration&oldid=583851984" Categories: Aftermath of World War II History of Potsdam 1945 in international relations Democracy Proclamations This page was last modied on 30 November 2013 at 00:58. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-prot organization.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Declaration
Page 4 of 4