end of world war ii & beginning of cold war
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End of World War II & Beginning of Cold War. 1945-1950. Legacies of WWII: Death and Destruction. Most European cities were destroyed by bombing from both sides About 50 million people were killed around the world Homelessness was a huge problem in Europe as well as Displaced Persons - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
End of World War II & Beginning of
Cold War1945-1950
Legacies of WWII: Death and Destruction
Most European cities were destroyed by bombing from both sides
About 50 million people were killed around the world
Homelessness was a huge problem in Europe as well as Displaced Personso People without a home (ex. Jews sent to concentration
camps)
Ruins of Berlin
German women cleaning up Berlin
Legacy of World War II: War Crimes
Horrific actions of Nazis had to be addressed Genocide is defined Nuremberg Trials
o Main Nazi leaders put on trial for “crimes against humanity”
o Most found guilty and sentenced to death for their role in Hitler’s Final Solution
o Set precedent for future; atrocities cannot be committed in war and go unpunished
Peace Agreements and Division
Tehran Conference (1943)
Meeting on war strategy
Soviets would attack from East
US & Britain promise to invade France (D-Day) and attack from West
Yalta Conference (1945)
Discussion on post-war Europe
Divide Germany into 4 zones
Reparations and territorial loss for Germany
Allow Eastern Europe to determine their own governments
The Big Three @ Yalta
Postwar Europe & Origins of Cold War:Division of Germany
After the war, Germany was divided by the Allieso West Germany: controlled by U.S., G.B. and Franceo East Germany: controlled by Soviet Union
City of Berlin was divided tooo West Berlin: controlled by U.S., G.B. and Franceo East Berlin: controlled by Soviet Union
Division of Germany
Postwar Europe & Origins of Cold War:Rising Antagonisms
US cuts off economic aid to USSR Stalin forces communist dictatorships on Eastern
Europe Winston Churchill gives “Iron Curtain” speech Communist revolutionaries wage civil wars in
Greece and China
Postwar Europe & the Origins of the Cold War:Truman Doctrine
Policy of “containment”o United States would stop the spread of communism into
non-communist areas through economic or military means
Postwar Europe & the Origins of the Cold War: The Marshall Plan
US feared the destruction of war would lead to communist takeovers throughout Europe
Marshall Plano Economic aid open to all European nations to rebuildo Money accepted by Western European nations onlyo $13 billion ($200 billion today) spent in Europe
Propaganda supporting Marshall Plan
Postwar Europe & the Origins of the Cold War: The Berlin Blockade
Berlin located deep in East Germany Stalin orders closure of roads into West Berlin to
force western powers out US airlifts supplies for over a year to beat the
blockade; USSR lifts blockade in 1948
Postwar Europe & the Origins of the Cold War: NATO and the Warsaw Pact
Defensive alliances created by US and Soviet Union
NATO (1949): US and Western Europe Warsaw Pact (1955): Soviet Union and Eastern
Europe Impact: assured that Europe would be
divided into two armed blocs
