The Atom Bomb and the New World Order The End of World War II The Atom Bomb and the New World Order

OVERVIEW In this lesson you will examine: Context of the major conferences The end of war in Europe Justifications for using atomic weapons Foundations of a new world order

“The Big Three” Although the Allies declared support for democracy and self-determination, they also had other priorities: Casablanca – Britain and the US began to draw up post-war occupation plans Tehran – The Big Three begin to discuss “spheres of influence” Yalta – Formal divisions of Germany and disagreements over reparations and Polish governance Notes: US entry into the war brought about discussion between the Allies on various issues. Through the conferences, the Allies agreed to wage war upon the Axis until unconditional surrender, creation of the second front, entry of USSR against Japan, free elections in occupied Europe and agreements to establish the United Nations

The End of the Third Reich After the Battle of Kursk and the “Battle of the Bulge”, Germany was forced into a full retreat to its own borders: Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945 German military forces surrendered in May 1945 Allied forces scrambled for technology and resources in occupation zones “De-Nazification” sent Nazi leaders to trial for crimes against humanity Notes:

The Manhattan Project In 1942, the US began secret development of atomic weapons. The “Manhattan Project”… Included many top refugee scientists from the Nazi and Fascist regimes Produced 4 fission devices, each equivalent to 15,000-20,000 tons of TNT Cost $2 billion USD (modern cost: $23 billion USD)

Reasons American leaders decided to use the atomic bomb for several reasons: Projected casualties and resistance Failure of firebombing campaign Fear of Soviet domination in Asia Scientific and experimental knowledge Notes: With Germany defeated in May 1945, the only remaining Axis power was Japan. President Truman, who came to power after FDR’s death, began considerations for the use of the atomic weapons to end the war. The scientists who developed the bomb argued for a demonstration rather than use on a viable target but their voices were drowned out by the need to end the war decisively.

Consequences On Aug 6, 1945, the US bomber, “Enola Gay” dropped “Little Boy” upon the city of Hiroshima 140,000 people were killed or wounded and another 200,000 would suffer long-term effects Japanese military leaders debated surrender “Fat Man” was dropped onto Nagasaki on Aug 9, 1945; another 80,000 people were killed or injured Japan surrendered on August 14, 1945 Notes: The Japanese ignored the deliberately vague American threats of “complete and utter destruction”. Even after the first bomb had been dropped, the Japanese leadership debated an appropriate response because they did not completely understand what had happened.

A “new world order” The total cost and outcome of the war had changed realities in many ways: Total war: the USSR had lost over 17,000 cities and 70,000 villages – total war dead was projected at over 20 million Europe bottoms out: Germany was only at 14% of its 1936 industrial output – by 1947, the British government was close to bankruptcy The superpower: the US emerged unscathed with a monopoly on atomic weapons

SUMMARY QUESTIONS In what ways were the Allies hypocritical about portraying themselves as the defenders of democracy? What were the major reasons for dropping the atomic bomb on Japan? What early signs of the future conflict between the US and the USSR became obvious by the end of WWII?