16.5: The Devastation of Europe and Japan

1. 16.5: The Devastation of Europe and Japan World War II cost millions of human lives and billions of dollars in damages. It left Europe and Japan in Ruins. By: Emily Haines Corrin Rodriguez Hannah Guerrero http://www.nps.gov/archive/amme/wwiimuseum/endofbattle/aerial.jpg

2. Key Terms • Nuremburg trials- a series of court proceedings held in Nuremburg, Germany, after World War II, in which Nazi leaders were tried for aggression, violations of the rules of war, and crimes against humanity • Demilitarization- a reduction in a country’s ability to wage war, achieved by disbanding its armed forces and prohibiting it from acquiring weapons • Barter- to trade goods and services without money

3. Europe in RuinsLife after the War • By the end of the war, approximately 60 million people had died--two-thirds of them civilians. The war also left about 50 million people that were uprooted from their homes • Before the war, Warsaw, the capitol of Poland, had a population of about 1,289,000 people. After the war, there were only 153,000 • Over 95% of the city of Berlin was demolished by 25,000 tons of bombs. Obviously, this war caused more death and destruction than any other conflict in history

4. Effects on the people • After the war, many civilians were left to live in partially destroyed homes or caves and cellars under the rubble. Without water, food, and electricity, the civilians had a very difficult time surviving. • Some survivors of concentration camps, prisoners of war, and refugees fleeing the soviet army joined the army of displaced persons who wandered Europe post war. • After the war ended, Everything was disrupted, including: • Agriculture • Transportation • Widespread famine and disease • Just to get a few potatoes, people would barter any valuable items they had left.

5. Postwar Government and Politics • Hitler’s Nazi government had brought Germany to ruins which made it hard for Germany, Italy, and France to get back to their old leadership • Mussolini had led Italy to defeat. • After the war, the Communist party promised change which caused their party to make huge gain in the first postwar election. • Communist membership and influence started to decline after they staged a series of violent strikes. • The French and Italians voted for anti-Communist parties.

6. The Nuremberg Trials • In 1946, an International Military Tribunal representing 23 nations put Nazi war criminals on trial in Nuremberg, Germany. • In the first of the trials, 22 Nazi leaders were charged with waging a war of aggression and were accused of violating the laws of war and committing “crimes against humanity”- the murder of 11 million people • Four of the Nazi leaders escaped trial by committing suicide. The others had to face the charges. • 12 out of 22 defendants were sentenced to death. • On October 16,1946 the defendants were hanged then cremated at the same concentration camp where many of their victims were killed.

7. Effects of Defeat in Japan The defeat Japan suffered after the war left the country in ruins. The atomic bomb left nothing but rubble and waste of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan’s colonial empire, and land that had belonged to them was taken by the allies. The U.S. occupies Japan • Though many Japanese military leaders wanted to continue the fight, Emperor Hirohito told the people if they continued to fight, it would end in “ultimate collapse of the Japanese nation.” • Two weeks after the Emperor’s broadcast, the supreme commander for allied powers, Douglas MacArthur, accepted the surrender & took charge of U.S. occupation.

8. Demilitarization in Japan • MacArthur began a process of demilitarization in which he quickly disbanded the Japanese armed forces leaving only a small police force to ensure an end to fighting. • February 1946: MacArthur and his American political advisers drew up a new constitution which changed the empire into a parliamentary democracy formed after Great Britain’s government. • May 3,1947: The Japanese accepted the constitution and it went into effect. • MacArthur was instructed to broaden land ownership and increase participation of workers and farmers in the new democracy. • Still bitter about Pearl Harbor, the United States sent $2 billion in emergency relief, which was a small amount considering all the work that had to be done

9. U.S. Occupation Brings Change • The most important achievement brought by the occupation of the U.S. was the new constitution • The occupation of the U.S. brought other changes that forced the Emperor to declare he was not a god. This was extremely shocking because the emperor had been seen as a god forever in the Japanese culture • September 1951: The United States, and 48 other nations signed a peace treaty with Japan. The treaty ended the war and six months after it was signed, U.S. occupation was over. • After the occupation ended, Japan’s economy quickly recovered, and allowed Japan and the United States to become allies.

10. Questions 1. Out of the 60 million people that died during World War II, how many were civilians? a. 1/3 b. 2/3 c. 100% 2. What shocking fact is World War II known for? a. It started the potato famine b. It ended the potato famine c. It caused more death and destruction than any other conflict in history 3. Why did the communist party gain in the first postwar election? a. They promised change b. Everyone that survived the war was communist c. The Communist party was the only party running