Ch 32, Sec 5 - Things to Know
- 1. World War II left _____ people dead.
- 2. What important principle did the Nuremburg Trials demonstrate?
- 3. One key provision of the Japanese constitution was ___ which stated that the Japanese could no longer make war.
- After six long years, the Allies finally were victorious. This victory came at a high cost.
- It caused more death and destruction than any other conflict in history.
- 1. 60 million deaths. 1/3 occurred in the Soviet Union.
- 50 million civilians were uprooted and forced to roam the countrysides for shelter.
- 40 million Europeans had died. 2/3 were civilians.
- Property damage ran into the billions in U.S. dollars.
- Few cities left undamaged in Europe- Paris, Rome and Brussels.
- The Battle of Britain destroyed large parts of London.
- Warsaw, the capital of Poland, was almost completely destroyed.
- Central Berlin had been 95 percent destroyed by Allied bombings.
- The people that tried to live within the cities lived with no electricity, water, and very little food. They lived in partially destroyed homes or apartments.
- Refugees and concentration camp survivors were forced to roam the county finding any place to stay.
- The misery in Europe continued after the war. Farms were destroyed and could not produce any substantial harvests.
- People died from starvation, famine, and disease.
The Marshall Plan
- provided food, machinery, and direct financial aid to war torn countries in Europe.
- Countries under communism refused aid.
- This plan helped rebuild and establish stability in Europe after WWII.
- The U.S. was able to help because it had not been directly affected by the war.
- After WWII, people saw the devastation that their government brought on their countries.
- A return to those governments in places-like Germany, Italy, and France- were not desirable.
- The Communist Party promised change and millions were ready to listen.
- As the economy was regaining strength, communist support started to decline.
The Nuremberg Trials
- 1945-'46, International Military Tribunal representing 23 nations put Nazi war criminals on trial.
- 2. The trials proved that national leaders could be held accountable for wartime actions.
- 22 Nazi leaders were charged with waging war of aggression. They were also charged with committing, "crimes against humanity", the murder of 11 million people.
- Many leaders cheated their punishments by committing suicide.
- The leaders that were convicted either received a life sentence or were hung.
- The bodies were burned in the same ovens that they had burned so many of their victims.
- Japan had suffered a horrible defeat.
- 2 million lives were lost, the countries major cities had been destroyed, including the capital.
- Two atomic bombs have blackened the land.
- The Allies had stripped Japan of its colonial empire.
Occupied Japan
- General Douglas MacArthur took charge of the U.S. occupation of Japan.
- He decided to be fair and not plant future seeds of war.
- He began the process of demilitarization, or disbanding the Japanese armed forces. He also brought war criminals to trial.
- Out of the 25 surviving defendants, Hideki Tojo and six others were condemned to hang.
- MacArthur turned his attention to democratization, the process of creating a government elected by the people.
- MacArthur and his advisers drew up a new constitution. It changed the empire into a constitutional monarchy like Great Britain.
- The Japanese accepted it and it went into effect on May 3rd, 1947.
- Other MacArthur reforms included broadening land ownership, giving people the right to independent labor unions.
Occupation Brings Deep Changes
- The new constitution was the most important achievement of the occupation.
- The new constitution guaranteed that real political power rested with the people.
- Two house parliament called the Diet.
- All citizens over 20, including women, had the right to vote.
- The govt was led by a prime minister chosen by a majority of the Diet.
- 3. Article 9 of the constitution stated that the Japanese could no longer make war. They could fight only if attacked.
- In September 1951, the U.S and 47 other nations signed a formal peace treaty with Japan.
- With no armed forces, the Japanese agreed to a continuing U.S. military presence to protect their country.
- WWII changed the political landscape of Europe.
- The Soviet Union and The United States emerged from the war as the world's two major powers.
- However their postwar goals were very different...
Ch 32, Sec 5
Europe and Japan in Ruins
Postwar Governments and Politics
Setting the Stage
Postwar Japan
Devastation in Europe