WW II Casualties Country Men in war Battle deaths Wounded Australia1,000,00026,976180,864 Austria800,000280,000350,117 Belgium625,0008,460 55,513 1 Brazil 2 40, ,222 Bulgaria339,7606,67121,878 Canada 1,086, , ,145 China 3 17,250,5211,324,5161,762,006 Czechoslovakia— 6, ,017 Denmark—4,339— Finland500,00079,04750,000 France—201,568400,000 Germany20,000,000 3,250, ,250,000 Greece—17,02447,290 Hungary—147,43589,313 India2,393,89132,12164,354 Italy3,100, , ,716 Japan9,700,0001,270,000140,000 Netherlands280,0006,5002,860 New Zealand 194,000 11, ,000 Norway75,0002,000— Poland—664,000530,000 Romania 650, ,000 6 — South Africa 410,0562,473— U.S.S.R.— 6,115, ,012,000 United Kingdom 5,896, , ,267 United States 16,112,566291,557670,846 Yugoslavia3,741,000305,000425,000 1.Civilians only. 2.Army and navy figures. 3.Figures cover period July 7, 1937 to Sept. 2, 1945, and concern only Chinese regular troops. They do not include casualties suffered by guerrillas and local military corps. 4.Deaths from all causes. 5.Against Soviet Russia; 385,847 against Nazi Germany. 6.Against Soviet Russia; 169,822 against Nazi Germany. 7.National Defense Ctr., Canadian Forces Hq., Director of History.
Massive Human Dislocations
The Nuremberg War Trials: Crimes Against Humanity
Japanese War Crimes Trials General Hideki Tojo Bio-Chemical Experiments on humans!
7 Future American Presidents Lives Were Formed by Their Service in World War II
The Creation of the U. N.
The De-Colonization of European Empires
The Emergence of Third World Nationalist Movements
The COLD WAR between the U. S. & the U. S. S. R. ( )
The Division of Germany:
The Race for Space
The Division of Europe Yalta Conference –Germany to be divided into four zones –free elections allowed in the states of eastern Europe. Potsdam Conference –Germany was to be disarmed –Germany should pay some reparations
The Iron Curtain Falls Soviets satellite states –Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Albania, Romania, Czechoslovakia Truman Doctrine –Greece and Turkey Marshall Plan Stalin’s Response The Berlin Blockade –Berlin Airlift –Permanent division of Germany
Alliances and the Arms Race NATO formed in 1949 –Mutual defense treaty –Balance to soviet forces –11 nations of Western Europe Arms Race –Soviet develop nuclear weapon –US and Soviets compete to develop more powerful weapons –Policy of Deterrence Korean War –Korea divided after war –North invades south in 1950 –UN force intervenes –China Intervenes –Armistice signed 1953
Economic Reconstruction Common Market 1950 –Proposed by France to pool resources and aid reconstruction –Comprised of France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands –Evolved into the European Union West Germany becomes a republic in 1949 –Due to skilled labor and the Marshall Plan, economy is quickly rebuilt –West Germany becomes main economic power in Europe The French Republics –4 th republic established in 1947 Colonial revolts –5 th republic established in 1957 Charles De Gaulle policy of an independent France Pulls France out of NATO Rise of Socialist Democracies
Cooperation and Confrontation Destalinization –Stalin dies 1953 –Khrushchev's Secret Speech Relations Improve –Soviets renounce force as means to spread communism Warsaw Pact 1955 Berlin Crisis 1961 –Professionals flee to the west –US & Soviet tanks face off –Berlin Wall created Cuban Missile Crisis 1962
Behind the Iron Curtain Maintaining control East Germany 1953 Poland 1956 Hungary 1956 Czechoslovakia 1968
The First Crack in the Iron Curtain Poland: First challenges –Worker unrest in the 1970’s –John Paul Jones II elected Pope in 1978 First Polish Pope The Solidarity Movement –Established by Lech Walesa in 1980 –First labor union in Eastern Europe Soviets apply pressure –Pope’s stance deters Soviet crackdown –Walesa is imprisoned by Polish government, but solidarity gains strength.
Increased Tension with the West Ronald Reagan –Elected 1980 –Strongly anti-communist –Promised to rebuild military US escalates tensions –Evil Empire Speech –Increased defense spending Increases size of military SDI “Star Wars” Program Stealth technology –Support for Afghanistan against Soviet invasion
Soviet Union Goes Bankrupt High cost of subsidizing other communist countries High cost of Soviet Space Program Lack of incentives for innovation and hard work among the workforce Increasing costs associated with reliance on western food and technology imports Rising military expenditures –Arms Race –Afghanistan Campaign –Maintaining forces in Europe
Soviets turn to new Leadership Mikhail Gorbachev Perestroika: policy of restructuring –Meets with Reagan to discuss disarmament Glasnost: policy of openness –Increased ties with West –New found freedom leads to increased dissent –Ethnic and national forces rise up Gorbachev reduces the use of military forces for intimidation –Soviet troops removed from Eastern Europe –Soviets withdraw from Afghanistan Soviets begin to lose control
Winds of Change 1989
Poland June 1989: Poland holds first free election Solidarity wins a majority, Lech Walesa becomes first prime minister.
Hungary September 1989: Communist party calls for multiparty elections October 1989: Communists are defeated New government opens border to Austria East Germans allowed to flee through Hungary to the West
East Germany October 1989: Protesters gather at the Berlin Wall Gorbachev refuses to send troops, causing East German government to fall. East and West Germans tear down the wall In 1990 the Germanys unite
Communism Collapses in Eastern Europe December 1989: Bloody revolution overthrows the communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania. December 1989: Popular uprising peacefully overthrows communist government in Czechoslovakia. November 1989: Internal coup overthrows the communist dictatorship of Todor Zhivkov in Bulgaria.
Soviet Union Collapses 1991:Soviet republics begin declaring independence from the Soviet Union 1991: A hardliner coup against Gorbachev fails 1991: Boris Yeltsin proclaims Russia’s independence 1991: The Soviet Union ceases to exist
The Spread of Democracy Continues……