From World War to Cold War: The Aftermath and the Alliance Breaks Apart

1. From World War to Cold War Chapter 31 Section 5

2. Setting the Scene "Give me ten years and you will not be able to recognize Germany,” said Hitler in 1933. His prophecy proved correct— although not in the way he had intended. In 1945, Germany was an unrecognizable ruin. Poland, Russia, Japan, and many other countries also lay in ruins. Total war had gutted cities, factories, harbors, bridges, railroads, farms, homes—and lives. Millions of refugees, displaced by the fighting or liberated from prison camps, wandered the land. Amid the devastation, hunger and disease took large tolls for years after the fighting ended.

3. I. Aftermath of War WWII killed up to 65 million people worldwide. The Soviet Union lost more than 22 million The Allies lost 51 million people The Axis lost 11 million people

4. I. Aftermath of War War crimes trials in Nuremberg, Japan, and Italy held Axis leaders accountable for "crimes against humanity” Goering testifying at Nuremberg

5. I. Aftermath of War Allied troops occupied Germany and Japan, building new governments with democratic constitutions to protect the rights of all citizens

6. II. The United Nations In April 1945, delegates from 50 nations met in San Francisco to draft a charter for the United Nations

7. II. The United Nations The UN's work includes peacekeeping, education, preventing disease, and economic development

8. III. The Alliance Breaks Apart After WWII, the US and USSR emerged as superpowers with the resources and military power to dominate the globe

9. III. The Alliance Breaks Apart Conflicting ideologies and mutual distrust led to conflict known as the Cold War - a state of tension and hostility without armed conflict

10. III. The Alliance Breaks Apart Stalin had two goals in Eastern Europe -spreading communism and creating a buffer zone as a defense against Germany

11. III. The Alliance Breaks Apart By 1948, Stalin had installed pro-Soviet communist governments throughout Eastern Europe

12. III. The Alliance Breaks Apart The Truman Doctrine made clear that the US would resist Soviet expansion and was based on the idea of containment

13. III. The Alliance Breaks Apart To strengthen European governments and rebuild Europe, the US offered a massive aid package called the Marshall Plan

14. III. The Alliance Breaks Apart Germany became divided - West Germany was democratic while the Soviets installed a communist government in East Germany

15. III. The Alliance Breaks Apart Berlin was divided between the 4 allied powers but lay within the Soviet zone

16. III. The Alliance Breaks Apart In 1948, Stalin tried to force the western Allies out of Berlin by sealing off every railroad and highway into the western sectors of the city

17. III. The Alliance Breaks Apart The West responded to the blockade with the Berlin Airlift – a year-long operation that supplied West Berliners with food and fuel

18. III. The Alliance Breaks Apart In 1949, the US, Canada, and nine Western European countries formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

19. III. The Alliance Breaks Apart In 1955, the USSR and seven satellites nations in Eastern Europe formed the Warsaw Pact

20. III. The Alliance Breaks Apart For 40 years, the superpowers were in an arms race to develop new, more deadly nuclear and conventional weapons - MAD

21. Looking Ahead In 1945, the world hoped for an end to decades of economic crisis, bloody dictators, and savage war. Instead, it faced new tensions. The Cold War would last for more than 40 years. Rivalry between the hostile camps would not only divide Europe but also fuel crises around the world. It would strain the resources of the United States and exhaust those of the Soviet Union. Though it would not erupt into large-scale fighting between the two superpowers, many small wars would break out, with the superpowers championing opposite sides. Meanwhile, the spread of ominous new weapons would raise the specter of global destruction.