WW2 & its Aftermath

Victory in Europe & the Pacific March 1945, Allies crossed the Rhine Soviets enter in East Axis armies begin to surrender April 25, 1945, Elbe River

April 28, 1945 Mussolini was executed

April 30, 1945 Hitler commits suicide in underground bunker

V-E Day May 7, 1945 – Nazis surrendered May 8, 1945 – Official, V-E Day

Reasons for Allied Victory Germany’s location Fought on multiple fronts Hitler took almost complete control of military Made some poor decisions Underestimated Soviet Union Strength of the USA 1944, US was producing twice as much as all Axis powers combined Allied bombing Hindered German production Made oil very scare (almost grounded German air force)

Struggle for the Pacific “A macabre litany of heat, dust, starvation, thirst, flies, filth, stench, murder, torture, corpses, & wholesale brutality that numbs the memory.” Until mid-1942, Japan won all battles Controlled much of Southeast Asia & Pacific islands By May, 1942, Japanese gained Philippines Bataan Death March (65 miles)

Defeat for Japan “Island-hopping” campaign Recapture some islands, bypass others Use as steppingstones to next objective US forces, lead by General Douglas MacArthur gradually moved towards Japan

Defeat for Japan Mid-1945, most of the Japanese navy & air force had been destroyed … But Japanese still had an army of 2 million 1945, Battles on Iwo Jima & Okinawa proved Japanese would fight to the death rather than surrender Kamikazes Suicide pilots

Manhattan Project Allied scientists (some German & Italian refugees) “If the dismissal of Jewish scientists means the annihilation of contemporary German science, we shall do without science for a few years” - Hitler Allied scientists (some German & Italian refugees) Understood that by splitting an the atom, they could create an explosion far more powerful than any known to man July 1945, successfully created it

Invasion or the Bomb? Operation Downfall Harry Truman FDR died April 12, 1945 Terrible new force of destruction But how many Allied lives could be saved? Allies issued warning to Japan, “Surrender or face complete destruction & utter devastation”

Hiroshima Little Boy August 6, 1945 Killed 70,000 people & flattened 4 square miles instantly Many more died of radiation Little Boy

j August 8, Soviet Union declares war on Japan Invades Manchuria Japanese leaders don’t respond

Emperor Hirohito surrendered Nagasaki August 9, 1945 40,000 people killed Fat Man August 10, 1945 Emperor Hirohito surrendered

V-J Day September 2, 1945 Japanese sign formal peace treaty

End of WWII Battle Deaths 15,000,000 Battle Wounded 25,000,000 Civilian Deaths 45,000,000

End of WWII

End of WWII Germany, Poland, Soviet Union, Japan, China, & other countries in ruins Total war More than 20,000,000 refugees in Europe Devastation, hunger, disease, mental illness Allies faced some difficult decisions

War Crimes Horrors of the Holocaust Allies charged Axis leaders with “Crimes against humanity” Top Japanese & Nazis received death sentences or were imprisoned How could all of this happen? Western Allies helped set up democratic constitutions protecting the people in Germany & Japan

United Nations April 1945 Delegates from 50 nations Each get one vote in General Assembly 5 permanent members Security council Much more power Can veto any decision Peacekeeping Today: prevent disease, ensure education, help refugees, help economies

2 countries emerge as world leaders

2 countries emerge as world leaders USA & Soviet Union US abandons policy of isolationism To battle communist threat Mutual distrust, different ideologies, disagreement on German reparations & governments of E. Europe Cold War

2 countries emerge as world leaders USA & Soviet Union US abandons policy of isolationism To battle communist threat Mutual distrust, different ideologies, disagreement on German reparations & governments of E. Europe Cold War

Cold War Begins Stalin’s goals in E. Europe 1. Spread communism 2. Create buffer from Germany

Truman Doctrine US policy for decades March 12, 1947 “I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.” Containment Limiting communism to the areas already under Soviet control

Marshall Plan USA offered massive aid packages Strengthen democratic governments (mostly in Western Europe) Billions of $ Helped war-shattered Europe recover quickly Offered help to everyone Stalin forbade countries to accept

Normandy

New Alliances North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Warsaw Pact 28 members today North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) USA, UK, Canada, France, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Luxemburg & Netherlands Pledged to attack if any member is attacked Warsaw Pact Soviet Union & 7 satellites in E. Europe People’s republic of Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Czechoslovak republic, & German Democratic Republic 1949 1955

Propaganda War USA defending capitalism and democracy against communism & totalitarianism Soviet Union claimed moral high ground in the struggle against Western imperialism "The people's of the world do not want a repetition of the deprivations of poverty. -Stalin."