AFTER THE WAR 50 million people died in World War II. Europe was in ruins. European powers lost their EMPIRES. Countries such as India and Israel gained their independence in the aftermath of WWII.
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AFTER THE WAR
50 million people died in World War II.
Europe was in ruins.
European powers lost their EMPIRES.
Countries such as India and Israel gained their independence in the
aftermath of WWII.
WAR CRIMES TRIALS
WHO: Nazis, Japanese officers
WHAT: trials for crimes against
humanity that had been
committed during WWII. Ex:
Holocaust, Japanese treatment
of prisoners of war
WHERE: Nuremberg (also
spelled Nürnberg)
WHEN: 1945
WHY: Justice
YALTA CONFERENCE
Winston Churchill,
Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Joseph Stalin
January 1945
Met in Russia at Yalta to
make plans for end of war
Agreed to divide Germany
AFTER THE WAR
U.S., Britain,
France took
control of West
Germany
USSR
controlled East
Germany
ESTABLISHMENT OF
SUPERPOWERS
A superpower is a nation that is very
strong (politically, economically, and
militarily) and is able to use that power to
influence other nations.
The two superpowers were the U.S. and
the U.S.S.R. (Soviet Union).
Cold War (1945-91):
--No direct fighting between US, USSR
--constant threat of nuclear war
SUPERPOWERS:
DEMOCRACY VS. COMMUNISM
United States responded to communism in
East Germany with
Truman Doctrine: the U.S. will do all it can
to fight communism.
Marshall Plan: U.S. gave $12 billion to help
Europe rebuild after World War II. They did
not want communists to get control.
DIVISION OF EUROPE—
IRON CURTAIN
In 1946,
Winston
Churchill said it
was like an
“iron curtain”
divided Europe
between free
countries and
communist
countries.
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
United Nations—formed after a conference at
Potsdam, Germany, 1945
•Members: all countries
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)—
formed in 1949 to defend Western Europe
•Members: U.S., Canada plus democratic
countries in western Europe
Warsaw Pact—formed in 1955 to defend
communist countries in Eastern Europe
•Members: USSR plus Soviet Satellite
countries
RECONSTRUCTION IN GERMANY
►Democratic government was installed in
West Germany and West BERLIN.
►Emergence of WEST GERMANY as an
economic power in post-war Europe
►Konrad Adenauer—West German
chancellor immediately after WWII
►Willy Brandt—next chancellor after
Adenauer
BERLIN WALL
Built by the Soviets, 1961
Nobody could travel between East and
West Berlin.
Torn down in 1989.
Soon after, East and West Germany
joined.
RECONSTRUCTION IN JAPAN
After the war, Gen. MacArthur became
the Supreme Commander of Allied
Powers (SCAP)
He was more powerful than Japanese
emperor.
Photo of MacArthur and Emperor
Hirohito made Japanese people upset.
They thought the emperor was a god.
U.S. OCCUPATION OF JAPAN
U.S. Army stayed in
Japan 1945-1952.
Japan faced famine
after WWII—
MacArthur’s first
job was food.
DEMOCRATIC JAPAN
Japan got
• A new democratic constitution.
• Public schools
• Women’s suffrage
• No secret police
INDEPENDENT JAPAN
Japan became free
in April 1952
They agreed to
support the U.S. in
the Korean War.
They became the 3rd
largest economy in
the world. (Sony,
Toyota, Honda, etc.)
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