The Aftermath

Considering both the European and Pacific theaters of war, what were the post-war successes, and what were the post-war failures? The war was hard on everyone involved and included both great successes and awful failures. From Germany and the Soviet Union to the United States and Japan, conflict and suffering were major parts of WWII. After the war ended, figuring out relationships between each country was complex. These new relationships led to tensions and allyship, leading to more success and further failure.

What happened in Europe after the war? Millions of Europeans had been killed and even more, were wounded. Buildings everywhere were ruined. Because the war disrupted farming, Europe was on the verge of famine. Globally, transportation was a complete mess. The United States was the only major world power that came out of WWII mostly ok. Because of this, they were able to offer support to other countries. They offered economic support to Europe starting in 1945, and also offered military assistance in Greece and Turkey. The UN had recently been formed and was also offering assistance. President Harry Truman appointed George Marshall to be the Secretary of State. This was a great decision, as Marshall was incredible. With the help of others, he was able to create the Marshall Plan, also known as the European Recovery Program. It was announced on June 5th, 1947, and was designed to rebuild aspects of Europe, specifically Western Europe, and to achieve stability once again. Marshall believed that to achieve stability he must promote national economies and that this would also help reduce the spread of communism. The plan worked well. The European economy saw massive growth between 1948 and 1952. Better trade systems as a result of the better economy led to the creation of the North Atlantic Alliance. Because Europe was rebuilt so well it allowed the whole world to grow, change, and recover. The success of the Marshall plan is what gave us the world we know today.

What was the relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States like during WWII? Between 1941 and 1945 the United States had a surprising alliance with the soviet union that helped them defeat Nazi Germany. Until this point, the relationship between the two had been tense, so building this relationship was not easy. It started with President Roosevelt becoming warier about Hitler and seeking out the Soviets for assistance. The Soviets did not want to ally, but when Hitler launched an attack on the Soviet Union in 1941, against a previous contract, Roosevelt sent assistance to the Soviets. This led to the U.S. joining the war in 1941 and finally being able to work with the Soviets, forming the Allies with Britain, the U.S., and the Soviet Union. The alliance was fragile and almost broke at many points during the war. The most significant breaking point was when Stalin’s troops were struggling to stay strong against Nazi forces in the West, and the Soviets wanted Britain to invade France. This was immediately following the Nazi invasion of France. Roosevelt falsely promised that he would invade in the fall. He had to keep postponing the invasion until Stalin withdrew his supporting ambassadors in London and Washington. It was feared that because of this Stalin would ally with Germany. Regardless, with Britain, the U.S., and the Soviet Union working together they were able to defeat Nazi Germany and Hitler.

What was the relationship between the Soviet Union and Germany like during WWII? Around the beginning of the war, in 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union made a pact that they would not attack each other for 10 years. However, only two years after the pact was signed, Germany invaded the soviet union. Because of the pact, the Soviet Union was entirely unprepared and suffered greatly. It wasn’t until December of 1941 that the Soviet Union was finally able to launch a significant attack on the German forces, but Germany recovered quickly. In 1942 the Soviets were finally able to launch a huge attack on the German forces and after six gruesome weeks of fighting, Germany was forced to surrender. This greatly changed the course of the war as Germany began to lose more and more in the following battles. In August of 1944, Soviet troops were able to enter German property in East Prussia, and by January of 1945, they were only 100 miles out of Berlin. Finally, in April of 1945, the Soviet Army launched an assault on Nazi Germany capturing Vienna on April 31st and then encircling Berlin on April 21nd. By the 25th, the Soviet troops had met the American troops in central Germany, cutting the country in half. For about a week intense fighting in Berlin persisted as troops got closer and closer to Hitler’s bunker. On April 30th, Hilter committed suicide, and Berlin surrendered to the Soviet forces on May 2nd. This is when news of the death camps started getting out. Though the first death camps had been released by the Allies as they made their way into Germany, images and news had been kept from the public because it was seen as too awful to share. Even the Allies didn’t know the full extent, because Heinrich Himmler had the camps evacuated so that the Allied troops would not set anyone free. Those who were able to be forced to walk “death marches” to get to the next camp, meaning that Allies only found those too weak to walk. It wasn’t until April 6th that Ohrdruf, a camp in Germany, was discovered and was so awful that the photos and information were released to the public so that the true horror of the war could be known and seen by all.

What happened to the alliance between Great Britain, the U.S., and the Soviet Union after the war? The alliance ended with the end of the war. President Roosevelt died in April of 1945, causing the United States to close relations with the Soviet Union. There were arguments between the Soviets and Great Britain and the U.S. that led to the official end of the alliance. Stalin wanted to expand his power and the U.S. and Britain did their best to stop him from starting more wars, but tensions grew and the Cold War started.

What was happening in the Pacific during WWII? America bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII. Hiroshima was bombed on August 6th of 1945, while Nagasaki was bombed on August 9th. The bombing marked the first time atomic weapons had been used in war. The aftermath was horrific. Over 130,00 people were killed, and the cities were obliterated. On the 10th, Japan agreed to the Allies' terms of surrender. After the war, relations between the U.S. and Japan healed. The United States aided Japan in rebuilding, and from 1945-1952 the U.S. helped with political, economic, and social reforms. They also wanted to find a balance between punishing Japan for poor behavior while also helping out. Between 1948 and 1950, the main goal was to help with Japan’s economy and the fear of Communism. The start of the Korean War greatly helped with this, as it was a cause to strengthen the economy. After the economy had settled in 1950, the U.S. and the Allies set to create a peace treaty. This ended the conflict between the United States and Japan.

As WWII ended, countries were able to see the true damage and horror of the war for the first time. They looked to allies for help rebuilding economies that had broken and reshaped their relationships with other countries. Through many successes and failures, the dust settled and allowed for the world we know of today.