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U.S. History II
The Postwar World
SOL 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d
Prepared by Judy Self
USII SOL 7a
Rebuilding Europe and
Japan
How did the United States help
rebuild postwar Europe and
Japan?
Learning from the mistakes after World
War I the U.S. accepted its role as a world
superpower
 U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall
prepared the Marshall Plan to help rebuild
Europe

How did the United States help
rebuild postwar Europe and
Japan?
Marshall Plan, the European Recovery
Plan, was to to provide massive financial
aid to rebuild European economies
 U.S. hoped the aid would help prevent the
spread of communism

How did the United States help
rebuild postwar Europe and
Japan?
Germany was partitioned into East and
West Germany
 West Germany became democratic and
resumed self-government after a few years
of American, British, and French
occupation

How did the United States help
rebuild postwar Europe and
Japan?

East Germany remained under the
domination of the Soviet Union and did not
adopt democratic institutions
How did the United States help
rebuild postwar Europe and
Japan?
Japan was occupied by American forces
 It adopted a democratic form of
government and resumed self-government
 Japan became a strong ally of the United
States

How did the United States help
rebuild postwar Europe and
Japan?
The United Nations was formed as a peace
keeping organization
 The UN was a way for the nations of the
world to try to prevent future global wars

USII SOL 7b
Shift from Wartime to
Peacetime Economy
What contributed to the
prosperity of Americans
following World War II?
Businesses converted from production of
war materials to consumer goods
 Americans purchased goods on credit

What contributed to the
prosperity of Americans
following World War II?

Workforce shifted back to men and most
women returned to family responsibilities
What contributed to the
prosperity of Americans
following World War II?
Labor unions merged and became more
powerful
 Workers gained new benefits and higher
salaries

What contributed to the
prosperity of Americans
following World War II?

As economic prosperity continued and
technology boomed, the next generation of
women re-entered the labor force in large
numbers
USII SOL 7c
The Cold War
What is the Cold War?
After World War II the United States and
the Soviet Union emerged as world powers
 The “Cold War” was the state of tension
between the two countries without actual
fighting
 It divided the world into two camps

How and why did the Cold War
begin?
 Differences
between the two
superpowers
 The United States was democratic and
capitalist
 The Soviet Union was dictatorial and
communistic
How and why did the Cold War
begin?
 The
Soviet Union’s domination over
Eastern European countries
How and why did the Cold War
begin?
 American
policy of containment;
stopping the spread of communism
How and why did the Cold War
begin?
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
versus Warsaw Pact
 NATO - United States and its allies
 Warsaw Pact - Soviet Union and its allies

What have been the major
conflicts and confrontations in
the post-World War II era?
South Korea and the United States resisted
Chinese and North Korean aggression
 The conflict ended in a stalemate
 North and South Korea remain divided

What have been the major
conflicts and confrontations in
the post-World War II era?
Cuban Missile Crisis occurred when the
Soviet Union placed missiles in Cuba
 Soviets removed the missiles in response to a
U.S. blockade

What have been the major
conflicts and confrontations in
the post-World War II era?
The United States believed that if one nation
in Asia became communist the rest would
fall to communism one after the other
 That belief is called the Domino Theory

What have been the major
conflicts and confrontations in
the post-World War II era?
The U.S. intervened to stop the spread of
communism into South Vietnam
 Americans were divided over whether the
U.S. should be involved militarily in
Vietnam
 Conflict ended in a cease-fire
agreement in which U.S. troops
withdrew

How did communism collapse
in Europe?
Economic problems led to the breakup of
the Soviet Union into independent countries
 The destruction of the Berlin Wall signaled
the collapse of communism in Europe

What new challenges did the
U.S. face after the Cold War?
The role of U.S. military intervention
 Environmental challenges
 Global issues, including trade, jobs, and
diseases

USII SOL 7d
Our Changing Society
What factors led to changing
patterns of society in the postWorld War II era?

The development of a strong economy
Healthy job market
Increased productivity
Increased demand for American products
What factors led to changing
patterns of society in the postWorld War II era?

Greater investment in education to meet the
challenges of the future
What factors led to changing
patterns of society in the postWorld War II era?

The sudden and large increase in births
after World War II, called the Baby Boom,
that led to a great change in demographics
in the United States
What factors led to changing
patterns of society in the postWorld War II era?

The building of the interstate highway
system
What factors led to changing
patterns of society in the postWorld War II era?
The evolving role of women from
homemaker to working outside the home
 Expanding women’s rights; one advocate
was Eleanor Roosevelt

What factors led to changing
patterns of society in the postWorld War II era?
 African Americans’ aspirations
equal opportunities
for
What factors led to changing
patterns of society in the postWorld War II era?
Changes in the make-up of immigrants
 More Asian and Hispanic Americans

What policies and programs
expanded educational and
employment opportunities for the
military, women, and minorities?
G.I. Bill of Rights gave educational,
housing, and employment benefits to World
War II veterans
 President Truman desegregated the armed
forces

What policies and programs
expanded educational and
employment opportunities for the
military, women, and minorities?

Civil Rights legislation led to increased
educational, economic, and political
opportunities for women and minorities
The End