American History
Chapter 24-5
World War II Ends
Germany: Stuck in the Middle
• 4 million Allied troops on the west, millions of
Soviets on the east.
• The “Big Three,” held the Yalta Conference.
– Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin
– Discussed what to do with Germany.
Battle at the Rhine
• Hitler orders his troops to defend the Rhine River.
– The Germans failed in their attempt to blow up the bridges.
– The Allies surrounded & captured ¼ million German troops.
The Deaths of Leaders
• April 12, 1945 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
died unexpectedly.
Adolph Hitler Dies
• April 30, 1945: Adolph Hitler committed suicide in his
Berlin Bunker.
• May 8, 1945: Germany surrendered.
• V-E Day: Victory in Europe.
U.S. Full Attention Turns Towards Japan
• New president, Harry S. Truman makes a crucial
decision.
– August 6, 1945: A B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, dropped an
atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
• 80,000 residents died immediately.
– August 9, 1945: A 2nd atom bomb was dropped on
Nagasaki.
• 40,000 residents died immediately.
– August 15, 1945: Japan surrendered.
– V-J Day.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Postwar Changes
• Germany & Berlin were divided into 4 military
districts.
– Each to be occupied by one of the Allied powers.
Steps Toward World Peace
• United Nations: Organization of 50 countries.
– Encourage cooperation between nations.
– Prevent future wars.
New World Peace Keeping Army