Online History Simulation: WWII Yalta Conference involving Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States

Abstract

Students take on the personality of Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin at the Yalta Conference representing Britain, Soviet Union, and the United States. On alternating days, each student will assume the personality of one of the three leaders. This is a creative writing activity and can be a challenging experience for some. Students work as individuals though they can see the online work being completed by others. A major objective of this activity is to understand the point-of-view of a world leader based on their country's history. While national leaders have their own personalities that impact their style of communication, understanding their country's history provides deeper influences on their desires for their homeland. Their individual actions reflect their historical culture and values. Three times before the end of World War Two, the leaders of Great Britain, Soviet Union, and the United States met to decide how to bring the war to a quick conclusion and how the world would look after World War Two. Only the top leader from each country was authorized to speak on behalf of their nation's interests. Not only were they influenced by the immediate decisions needed to end the war, but also they were consciously or unconsciously influenced by their nation's history while they negotiated with each other. These meetings sometimes took weeks to complete. During the breaks during the meetings, the leaders conferred with their staff to discuss negotiation strategies. These strategies changed dynamically based on the flow of conversations. Reaching agreements was difficult since it required the unanimous agreement of all three nations. Since two of the three countries (Great Britain and the U.S.) represented democratic political systems, the USSR was naturally suspicious when they both agreed on a negotiating item since they feared it would be harmful to interests of the Soviet Union who employed a totalitarian government system. Learning Goal: Understand the point-of-view of a world leader based on their country's history. While national leaders have their own personalities that impact their style of communication, understanding their country's history provides deeper influences on their desires for their homeland.