Crisis Committee InteractMUN 2021 Review

The Potsdam Conference

The Crisis Committee of InteractMUN 2021

Abstract

Last weekend, InteractMUN completely outperformed all of my expectations of post-pandemic live Model United Nations conferences. Having chaired the Crisis committee alongside the wonderful Ana Aronescu, I can quite definitely say that it was one of the best committees I have ever been in: perfectly balanced delegations, continuous debate and fiery speeches that made the entire committee gasp. So, without further ado, the Crisis committee!

POZA

Introduction to the committee

Before delving into the intricacies and works of the crisis committee, we’ll make a quick rundown of the personalities present during the conference. The room was divided into three blocs: USA (led by Mr. Harry Truman, assisted by Mr. Byrnes and Mr. Leahy), USSR (led by Mr. Joseph Stalin, assisted by Mr. Molotov and Mr. Zhukov) and, last but not least, UK (containing Mr. Winston Churchill, Mr. Clement Attlee, Mr. Anthony Eden and Mr. Ernest Bevin). A mention that I would like to make is that the delegates chosen to represent the personalities were the best fit that I could have ever imagined and that the debate was very well-balanced as a result of this.

The Topic

The Potsdam conference takes place in the wake of the Second World War, soon after Germany’s capitulation following Adolf Hitler’s death. As the war in Europe came to an abrupt end in May 1945, the “Big Three” are now set to meet in Potsdam to decide the fate of Europe and the world in the post-war future. Immediate action is required on numerous fronts, and a large number of issues must be addressed in the coming days. From the issue of how to administer defeated Germany and demarcate the borders of Poland to the USSR’s role in Eastern Europe and how to manage the ongoing war with Japan, the task of keeping the precarious balance in the Allied bloc is ever more important.

The First Day

The first day of the Crisis committee started with an unimaginable amount of debate, on topics ranging from financing the Western economies in the wake of the war, to ending the war in the Pacific and drawing the new borders of Europe. During their opening speeches, each delegate clearly outlined what they wanted to get out of the Potsdam Conference, which helped establish the flow of the debate for the following days. Each bloc (UK, USSR and USA) had power delegates that furthered the discussions and pushed the boundaries of the committee with outstandingly well-thought directives.

The first directive of the day announced that Mr. Churchill had won the elections in the United Kingdom, with his Conservative party emerging victorious in a landslide election after information had come to light about Mr. Clement Attlee and his views regarding Germany. The update even quoted Mr. Attlee stated that “It's such a shame Germany lost the war.”, further accusing him of supporting Nazism and Fascism. This put the representatives of the Labour party in the conference between a rock and a hard place, with their leader being accused of Nazism and treason.

As the committee strayed further away from its main goal of achieving peace and more towards causing upheaval in Europe, the directives being sent and processed became more and more entertaining. During the third committee session of the day, civil war had started in the United Kingdom, with the two sides fighting fiercely. The UK became the Confederacy (led by Churchill) and the People’s Republic of England (led by Attlee).

Pictured above: the map of the British Civil War of 1945. In yellow, the People’s Republic of the British Isles and in pink, the Confederacy of the British Isles, along with their respective conquests.

As the committee descended into chaos, the two British leaders came together and resolved their internal conflict. The Republic of the British Isles was thus declared, combining both Churchill and Attlee’s conquests. The Republic was set to be ruled by a President and a Prime Minister with equal powers. After the election (decided quite literally by the throw of a coin), Clement Attlee became president and Anthony Eden became prime minister, concluding the first day of debate.

The Second Day

As the second day began, the delegates focused on the vital matters at hand. They forced Japan into surrendering unconditionally as the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Osaka during the first committee session of the day. The newly established democratic Japanese government puts Emperor Hirohito on trial for war crimes committed during WW2 who is responsible for implicating Japan in the War and attacking Pearl Harbor. The remaining members of the foster Japanese government rule will also be placed on trial for war crimes. This trial is supervised by the USA.

The next session is dedicated to striking a bargain between the three powers. Stalin and Truman fiercely negotiate the fate of Europe, while Churchill and Attlee try to maintain British sway over the Middle East and Greece. After long hours of debating, negotiation and compromise, the four leaders emerge with the final borders of Europe.

However, the conditions to which Stalin and Truman agreed in order to accept the new boundaries stipulated that both Churchill and Attlee were to be tried for their role in the Second World War and in the British Civil War, matters which were settled as punishments during the last committee sessions.

Final Thoughts

I see it only fair to take this section of the article to thank the wonderful Secretariat, my fellow Chairperson, the Staff and, of course, the delegates of the Crisis committee for making this the most amazing MUN experience I’ve ever had. It wouldn’t have been possible without them and I truly think that this conference wouldn’t have been possible without all of their hard work and dedication. A special thanks also goes to the fantastic Secretary-General of this edition of InteractMUN, Irina Grigore, for offering me the chance to chair the Crisis committee and for making sure that we had everything we needed for this conference to work like clockwork.

To conclude, InteractMUN has been an overwhelmingly positive experience and I cannot wait for the next edition!