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War Crimes Trials•The Nuremberg trials put high-ranking Nazi officials on trial.•The International Military Tribunal of the Far East put Japanese officials on trial.•Established that individuals must be held responsible for committing war crimes, even when acting on behalf of a government
Main Idea 1: As World War II ended, leaders began planning the future of the postwar world.
Potsdam Conference•Allied leaders divided conquered Germany into four zones.•Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union would each control one zone.•Berlin also divided into four zones
Yalta Conference•Leaders met to discuss Europe’s future.•Supported creation of international peacekeeping organization•Agreed on free elections for countries liberated from German control
• In 1944, American, British, Soviet, and Chinese representatives met to draft a plan for the United Nations– an organization dedicated to resolving international conflicts.
• In 1945, representatives from 50 countries met to write the UN Charter.
• One of its first major actions was to divide Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish states.
–May 14, 1948– Jewish leaders announced the creation of nation of Israel.
–Arab leaders protested and invaded.
–Israeli forces drove Arabs back and a truce was made.
•Stalin established Communist governments in Poland and Eastern Europe, cutting them off from the rest of the world.
— The term iron curtain came to be used to describe this division.
•The phrase Cold War came to be used to describe the struggle for global power between the Soviet Union and the United States.
Main Idea 2: The United States and the Soviet Union went from being allies to enemies after World War II.
From Allies to Enemies•After the war, differences arose between United States and Soviet Union. — Americans committed to capitalism and democracy — Soviets hoped to spread communism around the world.
Truman Doctrine– policy of providing aid to help foreign countries fight communism
North Atlantic Treaty Organization– a coalition of the United States, nine Western European countries, Canada, and Iceland.
— Members promised to defend each other if attacked.— Soviet Union responded by creating Warsaw Pact, a military alliance with its Eastern European satellite countries.
Marshall Plan– Western Europe received more than $13 billion in U.S. loans and grants for European economic recovery between 1948 and 1952.
Goal– containment, or preventing the Soviet Union from expanding its influence around the world
Main Idea 1: The United States fought Communist North Korea in the Korean War.
• Cold War quickly spread to Asian nations of China and Korea.
– China: in 1949 the People’s Republic of China was established by Communists, led by Mao Zedong.
– Korea: after World War II, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel with a Soviet-implemented government in North Korea and a U.S.-implemented government in South Korea.
A Congressional committee known as the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was in charge of investigating Communist influence in America.
Explosive spy cases also fed fears that Communists were at work in the United States.
In 1947 HUAC launched hearings to expose supposed Communist influence in movie industry— They branded as “red,” or Communist, actors and writers whowould not answer questions or refused to reveal names.— People suspected of Communist sympathies were often blacklisted, or denied work.
Cold War fears led to a new Red Scare in the late 1940s and 1950s.
Main Idea 2: Fear of Communists led to a new Red Scare at home.
Music•New styles of music helped reshape American culture.•New style of jazz, known as bebop, became popular.•Rock ’n’ roll swept the nation.•Teenage fans bought more than 70 percent of all records sold in the late 1950s.
Main Idea 2: Americans enjoyed new forms of popular culture.
Television•By end of 1950s, nearly 90 percent of American families owned television sets.•Americans shared the experience of watching the same news, comedies, and sports shows.•American families watched about six hours of television a day.
Main Idea 3: Social critics found fault with 1950s society.
• Some women were frustrated at lack of opportunities.–Could only find work in limited fields–Discouraged by expectation that they would give up jobs when they got
married• Novelists commented on society in their work.
–J.D. Salinger criticized culture filled with love of money and conformity.–Ralph Ellison wrote of how African Americans were excluded by society.
• Young people known as beatniks, or beats, criticized society with unusual writing styles and rebellious behavior.
–Beat authors inspired many to question the rules of mainstream society.–Many identified with rebellious characters in popular movies of the 1950s.