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Home Front and the
Aftermath of War
Chapter 26
Section 4
How did World War II
contribute to racial
tensions in the United
States?
How did WWII end in Europe?
• Allies divide Germany up between them.
– This helps start the Cold War.
• Trials are held in Germany (and Japan) to
try the people responsible for the war.
– Many are executed and jailed for war crimes.
What was the intended
effect of bombing
German Cities?
How did WWII end in the
Pacific?
• “Island-Hopping” – Invading throughout
the pacific Island by Island
– Costly in lives, resources; bloody battles
– Battle of Midway – US destroys Japanese
fleet [turning point in the pacific]
– Japan continues to fight despite losses
– Truman doesn’t want to invade mainland
Japan (projected too costly in lives)
– Aug. 6 Hiroshima; Aug 9. Nagasaki
Why were Civilian
populations bombed?
Quick Facts
• War Costs
– US Debt 1940 - $9 Billion
– US Debt 1945 - $98 Billion
• WWII cost $330 billion – 10 times the
cost of WWI & equivalent to all
previous federal spending since 1776
Losses of the Major Wartime Powers in WWII,
1939-1945
• Germany
– 4.5 million military
– 2 million civilian
• Japan
– 2 million military
– 350,000 civilians
• Italy
– 400,000 military
– 100,000 civilian
• China
– 2.5 million military
– 7.4 million civilians
• USSR
– 10 million military
– 10 million civilians
• Great Britain
– 300,000 military
– 50,000 civilians
• France
– 250,000 military
– 350,000 civilian
• United States
– 274,000 military
Postwar Efforts
at Revenge
• The Nuremberg Trials of 1945-46
– After, WWII the Allied powers decided to place on trial
the highest-ranking Nazi officers for “crimes against
humanity”
– Allied forces had attempted to do this after WWI, but
had released them on the grounds that they “were just
following orders”
– Hitler, Goebbels, and Himmler were dead; but, 22 Nazi
leaders (including Goring) were tried at an international
military tribunal at Nuremburg, Germany. 12 were
sentenced to death. Similar trials occurred in the east
and throughout the world.
• The Tokyo Trial (1946-48)
Postwar Efforts at Peace
• The United Nations – There was some hope
when, in 1945, the United Nations was created;
an organization to promote international stability
– A General Assembly where representatives from
all countries could debate international issues.
– The Security Council had 5 permanent members
– U.S., Soviet Union, Britain, France, and China
could veto any question of substance. There were
also 6 elected members.
– Key: the U.S. joined [in contrast to League of
Nations]
Wartime
Agreements
• Unlike WWI, there was no Peace of Paris to
reshape Europe.
– Instead, the Yalta agreement of February 1945,
signed by Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, turned
the prevailing military balance of power into a
political settlement.
– Potsdam Conference, in suburban Berlin (July
1945)—Truman, Stalin, Churchill – Finalized plans
on Germany. Germany would be demilitarized and
would remain divided.
Postwar Reality:
Soviet Control of Eastern Europe
• Europe was politically cut in half; Soviet
troops had overrun eastern Europe and
penetrated into the heart of Germany.
• During 1944-1945, Stalin starts shaping
the post-war world by occupying SE
Europe with Soviet troops that should
have been on the Polish front pushing
toward Berlin.
• Roosevelt did not have postwar aims
because he still had to fight Japan; Stalin
did have postwar aims.
Postwar Reality
• Consequences of World War II
– Soviet Union with agenda
– Unlike the isolation after WWI, the U.S.
was engaged in world affairs
– The triumph of Communists in China
– Decolonization
• The independence of nations from
European (U.S. & Japan) colonial
powers.
What caused the major
split between the
United States and the
Soviet Union following
World War II?
Create a list to compare and contrast
the impact of lives of civilians.
Country
Soviet Union
United States
Japan
Germany
Impact on Lives of Civilians