The End of WWII Chapter 17, Section 5
Main Idea: What issues arose in the aftermath of WWII and how did new tensions develop?
The War’s Aftermath… Which country suffered the most casualties? _________________ How many casualties were there in that country? _________________ How many military casualties did the U.S. have? _________________ How many civilian casualties did the U.S. have?
Give me 10 years and you will not be able to recognize Germany! 1933… Give me 10 years and you will not be able to recognize Germany!
Nuremberg, 1945…
Horrors of the Holocaust: The Nuremberg Trials “Crimes against humanity” 200 Austrians and Germans tried (later, Japan) Most found guilty: death or prison First time political/military leaders could be held accountable
Nuremberg video
Why had ordinary people in Germany, Poland, France, and elsewhere accepted—and even collaborated in– Hitler’s “Final Solution”?
Our new mission: Strengthen democracy to ensure tolerance and peace. Allies helped build new democracies in Germany and Japan.
Establishing the U.N. April 1945: delegates from 50 nations convened in San Francisco General Assembly: each nation has one vote Security Council: U.S., Russia, Britain, France, China (each has the right to veto any decision)
What powers do they have? Economic sanctions Send peace-keeping military force Prevent outbreak of disease Improve education Protect refugees WHO, FAO, etc.
Alliance Breaks Apart… During WWII, USSR and US cooperated to defeat Nazi Germany After the war, conflicting ideologies and mutual distrust led to Cold War
The Cold War: A state of tension and hostility between nations aligned with US on one side and the USSR on the other, without armed conflict between the major rivals
Stalin’s Goals in Eastern Europe: Spread communism Create buffer zone of friendly governments as protection against Germany By 1948, pro-Soviet communist gov’ts were in place throughout Eastern Europe
The Truman Doctrine Britain could no longer aid Greece and Turkey Truman said U.S. must step in Congress approved $400 million Set precedent for U.S. involvement in world affairs (to keep democracy safe)
The Marshall Plan AKA: The ERP (European Recovery Plan) $13 billion to rebuild war-torn Europe Offered also to USSR but they turned it down
Germany Stays Divided
The Berlin Airlift June 27, 1948 – May 12th 1949
NATO v. WARSAW PACT
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) United States, Canada, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Italy, Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg
The next 50 years or so would be a standoff between the world’s two superpowers: The United States (NATO) and the Soviet Union (Warsaw Pact)