Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Thursday, January 26
    Trending
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on January 26th
    • History Short: Who is the Octomom?
    • This Day in History on January 25th
    • History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh
    • Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!
    • Headlines: 2023 Oscar Nominations Released!
    • This Day in History on January 24th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»July»July 26»July 26, 1945: Potsdam Declaration Japan Surrender Terms and Churchill Swept from Office
    July 26

    July 26, 1945: Potsdam Declaration Japan Surrender Terms and Churchill Swept from Office

    Major DanBy Major DanJuly 26, 2014Updated:April 29, 202077 Comments3 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On July 26, 1945, the leaders of the major Allied countries fighting Japan in World War II met in Potsdam, Germany to issue the conditions by which the Japanese were to surrender to the Allies.  Also known as “unconditional surrender” the Allies left no room for negotiation, which soon became a point of controversy and is debated to this day, as the declaration is seen by some as having prolonged the war by leaving Japan no honorable way to stop the fighting.

    Digging Deeper

    President Truman, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, and Chinese premier Chiang Kai Shek representing the Allies formed the committee that made the declaration.  Incredibly, on the same day of the Potsdam Declaration the British electorate voted Winston Churchill out of office in a landslide.  In spite of relying on Churchill’s indomitable character to lead them out of the darkest days of the war with Germany, the British people discarded him before the entire war was even over.

    The Potsdam Declaration included clauses to disarm and disband the Japanese military, and remove from office and put on trial those Japanese the Allies deemed responsible for the war.  The Japanese feared this meant their emperor would be placed on trial, something that was unacceptable to them, a serious impediment to their surrender.  It has been speculated that if the Allies had publicly stated the emperor could stay on the throne a surrender would have come earlier, perhaps without the use of atomic bombs.  Additionally, the Allies would dictate what territories Japan would retain as part of their nation, and what territories would be returned to their previous countries or given independence.  The Japanese people would not be enslaved, but would have democratic government, and war criminals would be tried.

    The Allies pledged various human rights clauses to be given to the Japanese people, and promised to end the occupation as soon as Allied conditions had been met.  The words “unconditional surrender” came in the last paragraph of the declaration.  The Japanese were left threatened with “prompt and utter destruction” if they did not comply with the declaration and surrender, though we never did warn them about the atomic bombs.

    Leaflets describing the declaration were dropped over Japan, and radio broadcasts were made informing the Japanese and the world of the Allies terms.  Given what they thought were intolerable conditions, the Japanese leadership refused to surrender and fought on several more weeks until Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuked, at which time the emperor himself insisted on the surrender of Japan before the country was annihilated.

    As things turned out, Japan got to keep their emperor, the country was rebuilt, and today is more prosperous and important on the world scene than ever before in their history.

    Japanese came to revere and trust Douglas MacArthur, once their enemy, as a benevolent and understanding administrator, mindful of Japanese needs and desires.  

    Winston Churchill will always be remembered for his fiery leadership of Britain during the war, and was a revered elder statesman later.

    Question for students (and subscribers): Were the peace terms to end World War II too harsh?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please read…

    Dobbs, Michael.  Six Months in 1945: FDR, Stalin, Churchill, and Truman–from World War to Cold War.  Knopf, 2012.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleTop 11 Hottest Young Actresses (2013 Edition)
    Next Article 10 Foreign Mistresses to Royalty
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023

    Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!

    January 24, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 26th

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: Who is the Octomom?

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 25th

    January 25, 2023

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.