Europe, America and Asia in ruins

 After six long years of war, the Allies finally were victorious. However, their victory had been
achieved at a very high price.
 Europe
o London, Berlin and Poland are some of the cities that have been damaged badly by war
o Paris, Rome and Brussels are some of the cities that remained largely undamaged by
war
o “Wherever we looked we saw desolation. It was like the city of dead”.
o “Across Europe a wild tide of frantic survivors was flowing. . . . Many of them didn’t
really
know where to go. . . . And yet the survivors continued their pilgrimage of despair. . . .
“Perhaps someone is still alive. . . .” Someone might tell where to find a wife, a mother
children, a brother—or whether they were”.
-Simon Weisenthal
o Lack of food, destruction of roads, factories lead to hardship
o Many people suffer from hunger, disease after war
o New leaders needed in Germany, Italy, and France
o Communist parties make gains in Italy, France by promising change
o Communist interest fades as economies recover
o Nuremberg Trials—trials of 22 Nazi leaders for war crimes

 Japan
o In war, Japan loses two million people; severe damage to many cities
o MacArthur takes charge of U.S. occupation of Japan
o Starts process of demilitarization—disbanding Japan’s armed forces
o Also launches democratization—creating democracy in Japan
o Japanese people adopt new constitution in 1947
o Emperor kept on, but he loses power and becomes figurehead
o Japanese people elect two-house legislature
o Bill of rights guarantees freedoms; women also have right to
o Constitution says Japan cannot attack another country
o In 1951, peace treaty with Japan signed; U.S. occupation ends

 America
o federal tax revenue grew from about 8 percent of GDP to more than 20 percent
o the number of Americans required to pay federal taxes increased in 1945
o war bonds -- valuable source of revenue for the federal government and an extremely
important investment for many Americans.
o The first war bond was purchased by President Roosevelt on May 1, 1941 (“Introduction
to Savings Bonds”)
 o “General Maximum Price Regulation” (also known as “General Max”) --attempt to
curtail inflation by maintaining prices at their March 1942 levels.
o Neither “General Max” nor the wage-increase limit was entirely successful, though
federal efforts did curtail inflation.
o The Manhattan Project – create an atomic weapon was a direct and massive result of a
stunning scientific breakthrough: the creation of a controlled nuclear chain reaction by a
team of scientists at the University of Chicago in December 1942
o The Manhattan Project climaxed in August 1945, when the United States dropped two
atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan
o American aid to Europe ($13 billion via the Economic Recovery Program (ERP) or
“Marshall Plan,” 1947-1951)

 Global Superpower
o A superpower is a state with a dominant position chracterized by its extensive ability to
exert ifluence ot project power on a global scale. Combined means of economic,
military, technological and cultutral stength, as well as diplomatic and soft power
influence
o The Soviet Union and the United States emerged from the war as the world’s two
major powers.
o Soviet Union –
 Soviet troops occupied countires like Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, and
others
 they wanted europe to be rebuilt along Marxist lines
 they established communist puppet goverments
 At the Yalta conference in February 1945 and Postdam Conference in July 1945,
Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin pledged to refrain from Soveitization of Europe and
allowed free elections in occupied countries
 Stalin failed his promise through falsified elections and other subersive means
 Soviet Union helped install communist governments
 Eastern Bloc (Countries ruled by the Soviet Union – East Germany, Poland,
Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Albania, Bulgaria
The Eastern bloc is under the Warsaw Pact
Winston Churchill described the Eastern Bloc as Iron Curtain
o America –
 wanted Europe to be built along Democratic-Capitalist lines
 they failed to curb Soviet expansion
 unwilling to risk was, there was little the western democracies could do except
stand by and watch as the eastern Europe fell into communism