1. World War II Effects of the War

2. WWI vs. WWII WWI 1918; Kaiser surrendered before Allies invade Germany War did not end with massive destruction WWII Japan & Germany fought long after defeat was certain Lost battle after battle Retreated from conquered lands Saw slow destruction of military forces Allied bombing devastated cities & industries Germans fought until Hitler’s suicide Japan refused surrender until Hiroshima & Nagasaki

3. Allies Make Plans FDR, Churchill, Stalin met at Yalta Feb 1945 (Big 3) – Met to discuss final strategy – Wanted to answer questions about postwar Germany, Europe, & Asia – Agreed that Poland, Bulgaria, & Romania would hold free elections – Stalin would eventually renege on his promise FDR & Churchill could not press Stalin about decision – Red Army occupied Europe – FDR wanted Soviet help against Japan

4. Truman Faces Stalin July 1945: Big 3 met again in Potsdam – This time, Truman was president – After conference started, Clement Atlee replaced Churchill – During conference, Truman learns about successful A-Bomb test – Truman’s focus was on Europe & Russia, not Asia – Big 3 formalized decisions to divide Germany into 4 zones of occupation Soviet, American, British, French – Agreed to new borders for Poland – Recognized Soviet’s rights to claim reparations for war damages – Stalin reaffirmed pledge to enter war against Japan

5. New World Takes Shape Map starts to take different shape after WWII Differences between Soviet Union & Allies would lead to division of Germany – Communist East Germany – Noncommunist West Germany Most E. European countries Would become communist under Soviet control Many countries experience political change as well – Communist/noncommunist interests clash in Europe – Civil war btwn. Nationalists & communists resumed

6. Japan’s New Look General MacArthur helping in Japan – Headed up military occupation – Supervised writing of new constitution Abolished arm forces (except for purposes of defense) Gave women right to vote Enacted democratic reforms Established groundwork for full economic recovery

7. Imperialism Imperialism: creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, & territorial relationships, usually between states & often in the form of an empire, based on domination & subordination End of war marked end of European domination Countries had large influence on global development – Colonized Africa, Middle East, Asia, & the Americas – Controlled world trade & finance – Led industrial revolution – Controlled military power

8. Imperialism Declines End of WWII led to decline of Imperialism – Colonial peoples renewed drive for independence from European powers – East Indies freed from Japanese domination No interest in returning to Dutch colonial status – Indochina did not want to return to French rule – India, Burma, Middle East & Africa all want independence British Empire came out of war suffering severe economic shortages & would eventually see loss of its colonies

9. Balance of Power U.S. & Soviet Union become superpowers – Played the most decisive roles in defeating Axis Powers – Emerged from war confident & strong U.S. was clearly stronger of the two superpowers – No major battle found on U.S. soil – Industry boomed during the war – Wealthy, militarily powerful, & confident Much of war fought on Soviet soil – Industries, cities, & people had suffered during war – Red Army still controlled Eastern Europe U.S. had A-bomb Soviet Union had the Red Army

10. Atomic BombRed Army

11. International Cooperation America realized quickly its position as superpower Changes after WWI – Senate rejected Treaty of Versailles – Refused to join the League of Nations Americans viewed these decisions as mistakes – Contributed to fascism – Led to outbreak of another war Americans now ready to embrace idea of world organizations

12. New World Economy U.S. takes on responsibilities in shaping postwar world economy 1944: Allies met in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire – Govt. pushed for establishment of International Monetary Fund & World Bank U.S. provided most of working capital for these organizations – Worked to foster global economic & financial stability – Signed General Agreement on Tariffs & Trade (GATT) – Designed to expand world trade by reducing tariffs

13. United Nations April 1945- delegates from 50 nations met in San Francisco – Charter for UN written – Senate ratified charter – Permanent home later set up in NYC Organized on basis of cooperation between Great Powers, not subsequent equality of all nations – All members had seat on General Assembly – Five major Allies assigned to Security Council UN achieved successes in later decades – Aided the move from colonialism – Helped create Jewish state of Israel – Mediated regional conflicts – Provided food & other aid to the world – Issued Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948

14. Declaration of Human Rights Declaration set several expectations – Condemned slavery & torture – Upheld freedom of speech & religion – “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health & well-being of himself & his family”

15. War Crimes & Criminals Geneva Convention violated by Axis during WWII – International agreement governing humane treatment of wounded soldiers & prisoners of war More than 1,000 Japanese tried For atrocities in China, Korea, & SE Asia & for brutality against Prisoners of war – Hundreds put to death – Prime minister Tojo included – General responsible for Bataan Death March also put to death

16. Nuremberg Trials Nazis prosecuted for their war crimes Opened may eyes to the evil of the Third Reich First trials involved key leaders of Nazi party – Hermann Goring (ex) – Prosecutors detailed the holocaust – Defendants pleaded they were following orders – Blamed Hitler for their actions – Judges did not accept that as an excuse – Some Nazis hanged, others received long terms Adolf Eichamnn, architect of “Final Solution”, eventually captured and tried

17. American Identity Americans created new identity for the country Nazis seen as totalitarian, racist, & warlike Americans were democratic, tolerant, peaceful Many Americans were hopeful that postwar period would bring new challenges

18. Global Leadership Many Americans followed activities of the war – Attached maps to their walls – Traced paths of U.S. troops as they traveled Americans called for less isolationism – Recognized that what happened elsewhere in the world affected America – Recognized that economic & political health of U.S. was tied to world peace & economic development – America’s security, involved world security

19. A Prosperous Nation WWII ended Great Depression Brought about decades of economic growth Wealth redistributed across the country Defense industries & military bases motivated people to move to South & West regions Fed govt. was driving force behind recovery – WWII let to more govt. involvement in economy – Govt. made important decisions to guide economy – Established economic role that govt. would play in postwar America