Chapter 31 Section 5
From World War to Cold War
Setting the Scene
"Give me ten years and you will not be able to
recognize Germany,” said Hitler in 1933. His
prophecy proved correct— although not in the
way he had intended. In 1945, Germany was an
unrecognizable ruin. Poland, Russia, Japan, and
many other countries also lay in ruins. Total war
had gutted cities, factories, harbors, bridges,
railroads, farms, homes—and lives. Millions of
refugees, displaced by the fighting or liberated
from prison camps, wandered the land. Amid the
devastation, hunger and disease took large tolls
for years after the fighting ended.
I. Aftermath of War
WWII killed up to 65 million people worldwide.
The Soviet Union lost more than 22 million
The Allies lost 51 million people
The Axis lost 11 million people
I. Aftermath of War
War crimes trials in Nuremberg, Japan, and
Italy held Axis leaders accountable for "crimes
against humanity”
Goering testifying at Nuremberg
I. Aftermath of War
Allied troops occupied Germany and Japan,
building new governments with democratic
constitutions to protect the rights of all citizens
II. The United Nations
In April 1945, delegates from 50 nations met
in San Francisco to draft a charter for the
United Nations
II. The United Nations
The UN's work includes peacekeeping,
education, preventing disease, and economic
development
III. The Alliance Breaks Apart
After WWII, the US and USSR emerged as
superpowers with the resources and military
power to dominate the globe
III. The Alliance Breaks Apart
Conflicting ideologies and mutual distrust led
to conflict known as the Cold War - a state of
tension and hostility without armed conflict
III. The Alliance Breaks Apart
Stalin had two goals in Eastern Europe spreading communism and creating a buffer
zone as a defense against Germany
III. The Alliance Breaks Apart
By 1948, Stalin had installed pro-Soviet
communist governments throughout Eastern
Europe
III. The Alliance Breaks Apart
The Truman Doctrine made clear that the US
would resist Soviet expansion and was based
on the idea of containment
III. The Alliance Breaks Apart
To strengthen European governments and
rebuild Europe, the US offered a massive aid
package called the Marshall Plan
III. The Alliance Breaks Apart
Germany became divided - West Germany
was democratic while the Soviets installed a
communist government in East Germany
III. The Alliance Breaks Apart
Berlin was divided between the 4 allied
powers but lay within the Soviet zone
III. The Alliance Breaks Apart
In 1948, Stalin tried to force the western Allies
out of Berlin by sealing off every railroad and
highway into the western sectors of the city
III. The Alliance Breaks Apart
The West responded to the blockade with the
Berlin Airlift – a year-long operation that
supplied West Berliners with food and fuel
III. The Alliance Breaks Apart
In 1949, the US, Canada, and nine Western
European countries formed the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO)
III. The Alliance Breaks Apart
In 1955, the USSR and seven satellites
nations in Eastern Europe formed the Warsaw
Pact
III. The Alliance Breaks Apart
For 40 years, the superpowers were in an
arms race to develop new, more deadly
nuclear and conventional weapons - MAD
Looking Ahead
In 1945, the world hoped for an end to decades of
economic crisis, bloody dictators, and savage
war. Instead, it faced new tensions. The Cold War
would last for more than 40 years. Rivalry
between the hostile camps would not only divide
Europe but also fuel crises around the world. It
would strain the resources of the United States
and exhaust those of the Soviet Union. Though it
would not erupt into large-scale fighting between
the two superpowers, many small wars would
break out, with the superpowers championing
opposite sides. Meanwhile, the spread of
ominous new weapons would raise the specter of
global destruction.