Download THE SECOND WORLD WAR (1939 – 1945) PART – 3 DEFEAT OF

THE SECOND WORLD WAR (1939 – 1945)
PART – 3
DEFEAT OF THE AXIS POWERS
In July 1943 the allies attacked Italy. After occupying Sicily, they marched on Rome. Mussolini was dismissed and the
new government of Badoglio surrendered to the allies. However minor battles continued until April 1945. Mussolini
managed to escape and tried to flee. On 28 April, 1945 he was caught by Italians themselves. He and his mistress
were shot dead. That was the end of Fascism in Italy.
In July 1944 the allied forced under General Eisenhower landed in Normandy and pushed forward to
liberate France. The German garrison in Paris surrendered on 25 August, 1944.
The fall of Berlin
The battle for Berlin began in April 1945. The Germans were caught between the British and Americans on one side
and the Russian on the other. When the armed forces closed in on Berlin, itself, Hitler committed suicide in an
underground bomb shelter. On 7th May, 1945 the last of the German armies surrendered to the representatives of
Britain, France, America and Russia. 8th May was the day of celebration of victory in Europe.
Victory over Japan
Japan conquered Thailand, Malaya, Burma and the Philippines and continued to fight against America in the Pacific.
The Americans started their offensive against Japan to liberate the islands in the south west pacific. The American
navy and air force destroyed the Japanese fleet, but Japan was still firmly and strongly established in China,
Manchuria and other places. she refused to surrender. America did not want to prolong the war. Therefore, the US
disclosed to the allies the atom bomb, the deadliest weapon which she had designed. They were told of the atom
bomb and its destructive potential.
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki :
On 6th August, 1945 America dropped the bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Within a few seconds nearly 80000 lives
were lost and another 70000 were grievously wounded. On 9th august another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The
atom bombs were too deadly and too destructive. Thousands of persons were killed and many more were left
crippled for the whole of their life.
With such destructive weapons in the possessions of America, the Japanese lost all hopes of winning the war. On
14th August Japan accepted the surrender terms dictated by Allies. She officially surrendered on 15 August 1945.
With that war came to an end. Japan was occupied by the allied forces under general Mac Arthur.
In Japan the future generations were also doomed. Those who survived were no better than the living corpses. They
had their skins hanging in shreds, their hair scorched to the roots.
CONSEQUENCES OF THE WAR
1. Death and Devastation on an Unprecedented Scale: It was the most devastating war in human history.
Millions of people were killed. Vast areas of Europe and Asia were left in ruins. The War created conditions
of acute scarcity of food stuff, essential goods and shelter.
2. The Overthrow and Destruction of Axis Powers: The War resulted in overthrow of the Fascist and Nazi
dictatorships. German, Italian and the Japanese dictatorial regimes surrendered to the allies. The allies
occupied Germany and it was partitioned into four zones.
3. Trial of the Most Serious Offenders: An international military tribunal was set up at Nuremberg in Germany.
The trial began in November 1945 and ended in September 1946. Those accused of violating the laws of war
and crimes against humanity were tried. 22 of them were held guilty, of whom eleven were sentenced to
death.
4. Rise of Communism: Russia, under Stalin, was successful in establishing communist governments in East
European countries – Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania and Czechoslovakia.
5. The Cold War: The US and Russia emerged as great powers in the world. The entire world seemed to be
divided into two power blocs. This led to the emergence of cold war between western powers led by USA
and the Communist bloc led by Russia.
The term ‘cold war’ was first used by Bernard Baruch, an American Statesman. In a speech on 16
April, 1947, he said “Let us not be deceived we are today in the midst of a cold war”. Cold war is “a state of
extreme political unfriendliness between two or more countries, although they do not actually fight each
other.” In fact, the cold war was neither a condition of war, nor a condition of peace, it was “a state of
uneasy peace”.
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Cold war set in motion a mad race for armaments. It also led to the formation of various
military alliances, such as the NATO under US leadership and Warsaw Pact signed by the representatives of
Russia and other communist countries.
The cold war led to one crisis after another, such as the Berlin Blockade (1948-49), Crisis over
Missiles in Cuba (1962) and military intervention in Czechoslovakia.
Michael Gorbachev introduced many reforms in Russia. His policies of political liberalization
went a long way in relieving the world of the tensions of cold war. The Warsaw pact was dissolved in July
1991 and in December 1991 came the collapse of Soviet Union.
Decolonisation and the Rise of Independent Nations: The European powers were weakened by World War
II. The demand for Independence received great stimulus among the oppressed peoples of Asia and Africa.
Many countries like India, Burma (Myanmar) and Sri Lanka became independent between the years 1947
and 1948.
The Birth of United Nations: Men looked for a better and happier world after the war. This led to the
establishment of the UNO on 24 October 1945.
Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes: Nuclear energy has brought about immense benefit to
humanity. Cobalt-60 and Caesium-137, which are obtained from the atomic furnaces as “ash” can be helpful
in fighting cancer. Nuclear energy contributed to growth both in industry and agriculture.
Disarmament Attempts: A Nuclear war, if it occurs, means the destruction of human race. Therefore, a
nuclear war must be stopped at all costs. The UN General Assembly decided to observe 1970s and 1980s as
the Disarmament Decade respectively. The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) provides that non-nuclear
states should not manufacture nuclear weapons. But India rejected it, because it did not lay down a timebound framework to eliminate all nuclear weapons from the earth.
What is Fascism?
It is derived from the term ‘fasces’ which in Italian language means “a bundle of rods”. Fascism was an intensely
nationalistic, anti-communistic and anti-democratic movement.
What is Nazism?
The Nazi Party was an abbreviated form of ‘the National Socialist Party’. In fact, it was far removed from being a
Socialist Movement. Nazism could be best defined as “Fascism plus Racialism”. Nazism was sworn enemy of
liberalism, parliamentary democracy, socialism and internationalism.