Process Paper

Victor Cai

Word count: 468

How I chose my topic

I was looking through the long list of sample topics, carefully evaluating the conflicts that arose
and compromises made. It all comes down to the severity of the conflict and the impact of the
compromise. I came across the Big Three and the conflict and compromise at Yalta. After
researching, I decided to include the Tehran and Potsdam Conferences to capture the evolving
conflicts before and after the Yalta Conference. This was the settlement for the worst war of all
time. The impact of these compromises made over 70 years ago continues to affect politics
today. This huge impact raised my interests on these conferences and how exactly these
compromises were made.

How I conducted my research

The first part of my research was to read the three books by Charles River Editors on the Tehran,
Yalta, and Potsdam Conferences. These gave me a good idea of the conflicts and compromises
made at each of the Conferences. After that, I conducted research on the internet to find
answers to questions I still have. Third, journals by historians gave me a good idea of different
opinions on the three conferences and the evidence supporting their argument. Next, I email
interviewed Professor Nolan of NYU, Charles River Editors, and the FDR and Truman
Presidential Libraries for differing views regarding the shift from FDR to Truman and the
delineation of the Polish border. Finally, my personal interview with Professor Lea of Kutztown
University helped guide me in the right direction to understand the significance of these
conferences.

Why I choose and how created a website

The website is a modern media type that can reach out to a lot more audience than any other
form of presentation. It also supports a mixture of slideshows, videos, and images more easily
than a paper, documentary, performance, or exhibit. Last year, I made a website on the
Appeasement Policy and the start of WWII, and this year I continued my research on how the
Allies won the war. I chose to use the website format again as a series of websites under the
topic of WWII.
How my topic relates to the theme

The Big Three were not natural allies because of their ideological differences between
capitalism and communism. However, they were under a situation in which they had a common
enemy, the Axis Powers. Approaching the end of the war, and the Allies’ goals drifted further
apart, and many conflicts developed, such as the need for a second front and postwar
arrangements. The three conferences provided a platform for the allies to negotiate, and set
aside their differences to first defeat the Axis Powers, followed by compromising on post-war
settlements. This topic is a vivid demonstration and a classic case of the evolving conflict and
compromise in history.