Atlantic Charter Signed
Churchill and Roosevelt signed the Atlantic Charter, laying the foundation for the post-war world order
August 14, 1941
A Meeting on the High Seas
In August 1941, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met secretly aboard warships off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The United States had not yet entered World War II, but Roosevelt was committed to supporting Britain against Nazi Germany. Over three days of meetings, the two leaders drafted a joint statement of principles to guide the postwar world. Released on August 14, 1941, the Atlantic Charter outlined a vision of a world free from aggression, with self-determination for all peoples and freedom from want and fear.
Eight Principles for a New World
The Atlantic Charter's eight points covered a broad range of goals. The two leaders pledged not to seek territorial gains, to support the right of all peoples to choose their own governments, to promote free trade and economic cooperation, and to work toward a permanent system of general security after the defeat of Nazi tyranny. The charter was not a formal treaty, but it carried enormous moral and political weight. It was later endorsed by the Soviet Union and dozens of other Allied nations, forming the philosophical foundation for the United Nations Charter signed in 1945.
Seeds of the Postwar Order
The Atlantic Charter's promise of self-determination for all peoples had unintended consequences. Colonial subjects across Asia and Africa used its language to demand independence from European empires, including Britain's own. Churchill famously insisted he had not meant to apply it to the colonies, but the charter's words could not be unspoken. The postwar decolonization movement drew directly on its principles. The United Nations that emerged from the war was built directly on the Atlantic Charter's vision of collective security and human rights.