The End of WWII

Chapter 17, Section 5

Main Idea:

• What issues arose in the aftermath of WWII and how did new tensions develop?

The War’s Aftermath…

1. Which country suffered the most casualties? _________________

2. How many casualties were there in that country? _________________

3. How many military casualties did the U.S. have? _________________

4. How many civilian casualties did the U.S. have?

1933…

Nuremberg, 1945…

Horrors of the Holocaust: The

Nuremberg Trials• “Crimes against humanity”

• 200 Austrians and Germans tried (later, Japan)

• Most found guilty: death or prison

• First time political/military leaders could be held accountable

Nuremberg video

Why had ordinary people in Germany, Poland, France, and elsewhere accepted—and even

collaborated in– Hitler’s “Final Solution”?

Our new mission:

• Strengthen democracy to ensure tolerance and peace.

• Allies helped build new democracies in Germany and Japan.

Establishing the U.N.

• April 1945: delegates from 50 nations convened in San Francisco

• General Assembly: each nation has one vote

• Security Council: U.S., Russia, Britain, France, China (each has the right to veto any decision)

What powers do they have?

• Economic sanctions

• Send peace-keeping military force

• Prevent outbreak of disease

• Improve education

• Protect refugees

• WHO, FAO, etc.

Alliance Breaks Apart…

• During WWII, USSR and US cooperated to defeat Nazi Germany

• After the war, conflicting ideologies and mutual distrust led to Cold War

The Cold War:

A state of tension and hostility between nations aligned with US on one

side and the USSR on the other, without armed conflict between the

major rivals

Stalin’s Goals in Eastern Europe:

• Spread communism

• Create buffer zone of friendly governments as protection against Germany

• By 1948, pro-Soviet communist gov’ts were in place throughout Eastern Europe

The Truman Doctrine

• Britain could no longer aid Greece and Turkey

• Truman said U.S. must step in

• Congress approved $400 million

• Set precedent for U.S. involvement in world affairs (to keep democracy safe)

The Marshall Plan

• AKA: The ERP (European Recovery Plan)

• $13 billion to rebuild war-torn Europe

• Offered also to USSR but they turned it down

Germany Stays Divided

The Berlin AirliftJune 27, 1948 – May 12th 1949

NATO v. WARSAW PACT

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

United States, Canada, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Italy, Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg

The next 50 years or so would be a standoff between the world’s two superpowers: The United States (NATO) and the Soviet Union (Warsaw Pact)