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

2. 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

3. “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

4. 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:

5. 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)

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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?