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Aftermath of World War II. What issues arose in the aftermath of World War II and how did new tensions develop?. As many as 50 million people had been killed in World War II. After it ended, the Allies faced difficult decisions about the future.
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What issues arose in the aftermath of World War II and how did new tensions develop? As many as 50 million people had been killed in World War II. After it ended, the Allies faced difficult decisions about the future. The United Nations was formed as a peacekeeping and humanitarian group. The U.S. Marshall Plan offered aid in rebuilding Europe. But the Soviet Union and the West quickly developed into worldwide rivals—the beginning of the Cold War.
In 1945, Germany, Japan, China, the Soviet Union, and other countries were in ruins. • Cities, factories, harbors, bridges, and railroads were destroyed. • More than twenty million refugees wandered through Europe. • Hunger, disease, and mental illness were rampant. The Allies needed to help these devastated countries.
The full extent of the inhumanity of the Holocaust was revealed. • At the Nuremberg trials, a number of Nazi leaders were tried for war crimes and sentenced to death. Similar trials were held in Japan. • The Allies built new democratic governments in Germany and Japan to promote tolerance and peace. After the war, the horrors committed by the Axis powers became apparent to the world.
The United Nations was another attempt to promote peace. • In April 1945, delegates from 50 nations met to form a United Nations charter. • Each nation had one vote. However, the five permanent members of the Security Council—the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, and China—could veto any decision. • The UN was given the authority to back up its resolutions with economic sanctions or send a peacekeeping military force.
Stalin ignored his promise. He wanted to spread communism and make Eastern Europe a buffer against Germany. Plans for world peace did not go smoothly as conflicts developed between the former Allies. The United States and Britain wanted Stalin to honor his promise to hold free elections in Soviet-occupied Eastern Europe. Conflicting ideologies and mutual distrust soon led to the Cold War.
New conflicts developed outside of Eastern Europe. Stalin was menacing Greece, and also Turkey in the Dardanelles. President Harry Truman set forth the Truman Doctrine.This policy said that communism should be limited to the areas already under Soviet control. By 1948, pro-Soviet communist governments were ruling in Eastern Europe, backed by the Red Army.
The Marshall Plan provided food and economic assistance to decimated countries. • Truman hoped the Marshall Plan would strengthen democratic governments. • Stalin refused the aid and forbade Eastern European countries to accept aid. The United States helped relieve postwar hunger and poverty in Western Europe.
Germany became a focus of the Cold War. • Western Allies united their zones of control and extended the Marshall Plan. • The Soviets were furious at Western efforts to rebuild the German economy. • Stalin held on to East Germany.
In an effort to drive Western powers out of Berlin, Stalin blocked delivery of supplies to the parts of the city they controlled in June 1948. • The United States and Britain organized the Berlin Airlift to drop food and supplies into West Berlin. • After more than a year, Stalin was forced to end the blockade. Hungry Berlin residents greet planes delivering supplies during the Berlin Airlift.
The Soviet Union and its satellites in Eastern Europe formed the Warsaw Pact. The Soviets often used Warsaw Pact troops to keep its satellites in order. As tensions grew, two competing military alliances took shape. Twelve countries, including the United States and nations in Western Europe, formed NATO. Members pledged to defend one another against Soviet attack.
