RESULTS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Political.
USA emerged as the world’s economic and military super power, and the USSR emerged with the
strongest conventional land force, and in control of Poland, Baltic States, Czechoslovakia, Hungary,
Austria and East Germany. USA and USSR struggled for global influence in what was called the cold war.
Truman in the US said, “It was the American’s duty to help free people everywhere from totalitarianism”
so the US also embarked on rebuilding Europe.
Britain and France on the other hand lost their international status, and their overseas colonies
declined. Given Europe’s exhaustion, many colonies pressed fro independence (India, Indochina,
Indonesia and eventually most of sub- Saharan Africa) France started to cooperate with Germany and also
relied on US to make decisions. The British were so psychologically affected by the war fare and its
damage that Churchill had to step down from power.
Germany lost its Polish territory and itself was divided into four parts among Britain, US, France
and USSR. Later the allies merged their portions into Western Germany and USSR retained its part,
Eastern Germany. This led to the later rise of the Berlin wall in 1961.
The Nuremburg trials were held, at which 22 top Nazi officials were tried for war crimes. Some
officials got off the hook because the allies didn’t quite understand the government structure of the Reich.
(The allies took advantage of this to overlook their own war atrocities)
In Asia, Japan lost all the territory it had gained since 1868, and was also completely demilitarized.
The emperor was removed from power but retained as a figure head while an American-influenced
constitution and parliament were set up to run the country, making the government a multi-party
democracy.
World superpowers began to enter Asia through client states (UUSR into China, North Korea and
Communist Vietnam. USA into South Korea, Japan and the Philippines)
The power vacuum created by the fall of Japan steered the civil war in China (1945) between the
communists and the Nationalists.
The United Nations was formed with international peace and security as its ultimate mandate
(1945) In light of the genocide and civilian massacres, global public discourse focused on universal
human rights, the protection of minorities and the need for some form of justice, resulting in the UN
declaration of human rights and eventually many charters and bills of rights were created. The Jews were
given a homeland in Palestine, leading to the displacement of thousands of the local and to a conflict
between the two communities which hasn’t been resolved till this day.
Social.
Overall approximately 55 million people died, most of them civilians. USSR and China suffered
20-25 and 8-10 million deaths respectively, while Germany lost 6.85m, Poland 6.123m and Japan 2m.
Much of the Jewish population in Europe was killed by the end of the war. Over 90% of the Polish-Jewish
community were killed and other states like Slovakia, Hungary and the Netherlands lost about 75% of
their Jewish populations.
Large migrations happened after the war. Hitler expelled Polish peasants and replaced them with
Germans in his wish to colonize and Germanize the East. The Jewish survivors were sent to Palestine. The
mass expulsion of ethnic minorities was s legitimized in 1945 by the Potsdam conference. Allied sources
reveal that after 1990, the deportation and migration of ethnic Germans affected up to 16.5 million people.
Refugees fleeing from Eastern Europe, from the communism became displaced.
A fifth of the homes were destroyed in Germany, 2.5 million in Japan and 460,000 in Britain.
Women engaged in factory work during and after the war, and so they considered this as a
testament to their capacity to do “men’s work”. By 1960’s their rights were recognized.
Especially in the defeated countries, people suffered lack of food and other resources as the
bombings had crashed most of the infrastructure like roads and hospitals.
The baby boom occurred and restored the populations of the affected countries. By the end of the
decade, 32 million babies had been born as compared to 24 million in the 1930’s.
The victims of the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered after effects (eg cancer, hair loss,
radiation poisoning, etc) which either slowly killed them or inflicted pain on their bodies.
Economic.
USA emerged with the world’s greatest economy as a result of individuals’ savings from the war
period which was characterized by shortage of consumer goods. The US also gave loans to the ruined
countries, while Marshall plan was set up to rebuild Western Europe countries. The USSR had a quick
recovery and further development. It was in a better economically strategic position tan other continental
powers in Europe and so extended its influence on Central and Eastern Europe. USSR established the
Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, an organization of communist states formed in 1949 for the
cooperation of planned economies.
Western Germany stood more chances of recovery under the Marshall plan than Eastern Germany
under Soviet control. France applied free market and interventionist policies to restore its economy, and
got a $250m from the World Bank. It also established worker security and privileges. In Britain the
government took charge of the economy, ie distribution of trade, workers, banking, etc. The British
Welfare state was born. In Japan government intervention like cooperation with manufacturers and
guarantee of employment in the big corporations created god conditions. The US invested in Japan,
leading to a new technologically advanced industry, and in the long run, an export oriented economy.
There were technological advances in both France and Britain in munitions and aircraft industries.
The scientific developments led to later inventions of computers, jet engines, DDT, etc.
Britain accumulated government debt especially to US through the loans, and Balance of Payment
was in danger. They lost 25% of their productive capacity; basic industry was run down and in need of
converting it to consumer production. Meanwhile workers striked against the appalling conditions, and the
quality of British workmanship and management had been negatively affected by the war.
In both Germany and France, industry was destroyed and resources exhausted after the war,
leading to immediate post war economic crisis. Germany had to make reparations to the USSR in the form
of capital goods and forced labor. It also paid the Western victors in the form of free coal deliveries,
machineries and German scientists. In Japan major cities and industry were destroyed by the air attacks.
The Western part of the USSR was devastated; agricultural land was destroyed and industry dismantled.
The Breton Woods Conference of 1944 yielded the IMF to prevent another world depression,
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (later World Bank) to reconstruct devastated
nations and Great Agreement on Taxes and Tariffs (later WTO) to reduce barriers to international trade.
Europe stopped being the leading economic power in the world and took steps to integrate and
compete with Japan and US. European Steel and Coal community (1951), European Atomic Energy
Community (1957), and the European Economic Community (EET), predecessor of the European Union.
The war increased production as a result of the need for reconstruction, as opposed to the increase
of the populations’ spending power.
Women increased participation in the workforce.