1. World War II
The Impact of Total War

2. Economic Damage: Western Europe
Impact of Strategic Bombing
75% of Berlin Uninhabitable
20 million homeless in Germany
Dutch lose 219,000 hectares of land
French lose 40% of pre-war transportation systems
Norway lost 14% pre-war capital
Dresden After Allied Bombing

3. The Human Cost 36½ million Europeans die!
Deadliest and Most Destructive Conflict in Human History

4. Military Deaths COUNTRY MILITARY DEATHS USSR 8.6 million Germany
Italy
400,000
Rumania
300,000
D-Day Invasion

5. Civilian Deaths COUNTRY CIVILIAN DEATHS USSR 16 million Poland
Yugoslavia
1.4 million
Greece
430,000
France
350,000
Hungary
270,000
Netherlands
204,000
Rumania
200,000
ALL EUROPE
19 million
Civilian Deaths

6. Eastern Europe
Soviet troops physically occupied E. Europe at end of WWII.
USSR viewed E. Europe as essential to its security… It wanted a sphere of influence.

7. Potsdam July 17-August 2, 1945
Agreement to prosecute Axis war criminals (Nuremberg Trials)
Temporary division of Germany into 4 zones
German question to be decided at final peace conference, which never occurs.
Atlee Truman Stalin
(GB) (USA) (USSR)

8. Divided by Default
US came to favor a unified Germany w/ reconstructed economy.
USSR still saw a restored Germany as a major threat.
Britain, France, USA merged zones to form West Germany (May, 1949).
USSR established East Germany as a satellite state (Oct. 1949).
Divided Berlin
East Germany
West Germany

9. The Nuremburg Trials (1946)
First known war crimes trial.
No clear legal precedent.
Most suspects claimed the court had no jurisdiction… Claimed it was “victor’s justice”
In all, about 1800 Germans tried after WWII
Similar trials were held in Japan & Italy

10. Truman Addresses the UN Conference (1945)
The United Nations
Truman Addresses the UN Conference (1945)
UN founded Oct. 1945
Security Council
Five permanent members w/ vetoes:
United States, Great Britain, France, USSR & China