Results and Consequences of WWII

End of the War in Europe  The End of the Dictators  Hitler committed suicide April 30, 1945  Italian resistance members executed Mussolini  V-E Day  Soviet Union and American troops moved into Germany in May of 1945  May 7 th, Germany surrendered unconditionally  May 8 th is celebrated as Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day)  Germany was divided among the allies  Captured territory was redistributed

Nuremburg Trials  November September 1946  Trials held in Nuremburg, Germany to bring Nazi leaders to justice  Crimes:  Pursuing “aggressive war”  Crimes against humanity

Europe in Ruins  WWII was the most destructive war in history  Heavy bombing campaigns, shifting battles lines  12 million homeless  Food, medicine, and clothing in short supply

The End in Japan  American forces had gotten close to mainland Japan by 1945  Island hopping strategy  Brutal, deadly fighting in the Pacific  Japanese culture- no surrender, fight to the death  America gave an ultimatum in July 1945, Japan rejected

The Atomic Bomb  Led by Robert Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project successfully produced two Atomic bombs  Rationale- end the war quickly, avoid enormous loss of life that would result from an American invasion of Japan  “Show off” for the USA- growing rivalry with the Soviet Union  On August 6 th, 1945 a B-29 bomber called the Enola Gay dropped the first Atomic bomb (the Little Boy) on Hiroshima, Japan  Three days later, a second bomb (the Fat Man) exploded over Nagasaki

The Bombs and V-J Day  Japan surrendered on August 14 th, 1945—thus ending World War II and beginning the Atomic Age  Victory in Japan (V-J Day) declared September 2nd  The blasts leveled the cities  Killing 200,000 on impact  Many more in the following months and years due to radiation

Effects of Global War  More than 70 million people fought in WWII  55 million dead  Soviet Union- 22 million  Germany- 8 million  Japan- 2 million  United States- 300,000  Millions more in genocides in the Holocaust, in the Soviet Union, and in Asia  USA is a superpower- not devastated by war  Devastated European countries can no longer control colonies around the globe

The UN  In 1945, nations were in ruins. World War II was over, and the world wanted peace  51 countries gathered in San Francisco that year to sign a Charter  creating a new organization called the United Nations  70 years later, the United Nations is still working to maintain international peace and security  Promotes development with humanitarian assistance  Upholds international law, protects human rights, and promotes democracy

Seeds of “Cold” War….  The USA and Soviet Union emerge from the war as superpowers  Divided Germany  Democratic West, Communist East  Europe “divided by an Iron Curtain” –Winston Churchill  USA and Japan become allies  Growing hostility between US and USSR will last decades

YouTube Clips  Crash Course on WWII:  Oppenheimer’s A-Bomb:  Churchill’s Iron Curtain:  How does the UN work?: