causes and consequences of world War 2
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Map of USSR after WWII
Enormous human and economic costs.
By the war’s end, the horrific results became known of the Final Solution, begun in 1941 to rid German-occupied Europe of Jews and other undesirables: Over 6 million Jews (nearly two-thirds of prewar Europe’s Jewish population) were systematically exterminated in concentration camps, along with an estimated 5-6 million gypsies, Catholics, homosexuals, political prisoners, and the mentally ill.
Destruction of human life. Somewhere between 50-70 million people, military and civilian, had been killed during the war.
Massive destruction of European cities and industrial centers.
Map of American firebombings of Japanese cities during WWII
The fire bombings of Japan, illustrated in the map above, killed several times as many people as the atomic bombs and devastated Japan's wooden-constructed cities. By the time the war ended, 30 percent of the residents in Japan's largest 60 cities were homeless. The map shows each Japanese city that was bombed during World War II, an American city of equivalent size, and the percentage of the city estimated destroyed by the bombings.
Germany was divided into occupation zones division of germany in 1945by the Allied powers as shown in the map. Additionally, Berlin - which was within the Soviet occupation zone - was divided among the Allies - also as shown in the map.
An "iron curtain" was drawn dividing Europe into western and eastern spheres. It expanded the USSR by installing pro-Soviet governments in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania; supporting communist governments in Albania and Yugoslavia; and barring free elections in Poland.
The emergence of two visions of the post war world:
the American/Western vision in which a strong world organization would be created to deter agression (the United Nations) and collective security would ensure that member nations would not appease future aggressor nations; and
the Russian vision in which the USSR would be treated as a major world power, Germany's power would be reduced through division and demilitarization; and Russia would be surrounded by "friendly" governments in neighboring east European states that embraced socialism.
Because we failed to understand the importance of Stalin’s world vision, leaders at Yalta divided Europe among themselves to meet their individual political needs.
The Soviets were in an excellent position to negotiate as the Red Army had driven Nazis out of Yugoslavia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Czechoslavakia and were posed to organize them as communist states;
Thus at Yalta, Stalin won important concessions - especially the right to dominate Poland and the Balkans, as well as control Manchuria. Remember, though, he was supposed to provide free elections in Poland and accept the temporary partitioning of Germany.
Instead, within a year after Yalta, Stalin: installed pro-Soviet governments in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania; supported communist governments independent of Moscow in Albania and Yugoslavia; barred free elections in Poland and brutally suppressed Polish democratic parties. These actions, in turn, stimulated the beginning of the Cold War
The beginning of the Cold War. The goal of Truman and his advisors to use the atomic bomb in order to stop Soviet aggression failed. Ironically, instead of bringing peace, the bomb helped to usher in a new kind of war - a cold war.
Americans experienced significant benefits from involvement in WWII. As we examine these benefits, it is important to weigh them against the costs: 16 million men and women served in the military during WWII. However, America was spared most of the human and all property destruction and we suffered the least military deaths - just under 300,000 - had almost no civilian casualties, and did not suffer any ruination of our cities and industrial centers. But our costs far outweighed the benefits:
The Depression ended as jobs became available and war time production soared. Between 1939 and 1945, the number of jobless fell from 9 million to 1 million; jobs were available to virtually anyone who wanted to work. Poster to recruit women to go to work during WWII
Many previously unemployable Americans found new, but short-lived, job opportunities - Mexicans, Native Americans, African Americans, women.
The Bracero program begun - negotiated by the U.S. and Mexico in 1942, the program gave Mexicans short-term employment in jobs previously closed to them, such as shipbulding on the Pacific Coast. Over 200,000 Mexcian farm workers legally entered the U.S. to help harvest crops.
Nearly 75,000 Native Americans left the reservations for work in Western defense plants. The Navaho Code Talkers gained nationwide prominence.
Enormous human and economic costs.
By the war’s end, the horrific results became known of the Final Solution, begun in 1941 to rid German-occupied Europe of Jews and other undesirables: Over 6 million Jews (nearly two-thirds of prewar Europe’s Jewish population) were systematically exterminated in concentration camps, along with an estimated 5-6 million gypsies, Catholics, homosexuals, political prisoners, and the mentally ill.
Destruction of human life. Somewhere between 50-70 million people, military and civilian, had been killed during the war.
Massive destruction of European cities and industrial centers.
Map of American firebombings of Japanese cities during WWII
The fire bombings of Japan, illustrated in the map above, killed several times as many people as the atomic bombs and devastated Japan's wooden-constructed cities. By the time the war ended, 30 percent of the residents in Japan's largest 60 cities were homeless. The map shows each Japanese city that was bombed during World War II, an American city of equivalent size, and the percentage of the city estimated destroyed by the bombings.
Germany was divided into occupation zones division of germany in 1945by the Allied powers as shown in the map. Additionally, Berlin - which was within the Soviet occupation zone - was divided among the Allies - also as shown in the map.
An "iron curtain" was drawn dividing Europe into western and eastern spheres. It expanded the USSR by installing pro-Soviet governments in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania; supporting communist governments in Albania and Yugoslavia; and barring free elections in Poland.
The emergence of two visions of the post war world:
the American/Western vision in which a strong world organization would be created to deter agression (the United Nations) and collective security would ensure that member nations would not appease future aggressor nations; and
the Russian vision in which the USSR would be treated as a major world power, Germany's power would be reduced through division and demilitarization; and Russia would be surrounded by "friendly" governments in neighboring east European states that embraced socialism.
Because we failed to understand the importance of Stalin’s world vision, leaders at Yalta divided Europe among themselves to meet their individual political needs.
The Soviets were in an excellent position to negotiate as the Red Army had driven Nazis out of Yugoslavia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Czechoslavakia and were posed to organize them as communist states;
Thus at Yalta, Stalin won important concessions - especially the right to dominate Poland and the Balkans, as well as control Manchuria. Remember, though, he was supposed to provide free elections in Poland and accept the temporary partitioning of Germany.
Instead, within a year after Yalta, Stalin: installed pro-Soviet governments in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania; supported communist governments independent of Moscow in Albania and Yugoslavia; barred free elections in Poland and brutally suppressed Polish democratic parties. These actions, in turn, stimulated the beginning of the Cold War
The beginning of the Cold War. The goal of Truman and his advisors to use the atomic bomb in order to stop Soviet aggression failed. Ironically, instead of bringing peace, the bomb helped to usher in a new kind of war - a cold war.
Americans experienced significant benefits from involvement in WWII. As we examine these benefits, it is important to weigh them against the costs: 16 million men and women served in the military during WWII. However, America was spared most of the human and all property destruction and we suffered the least military deaths - just under 300,000 - had almost no civilian casualties, and did not suffer any ruination of our cities and industrial centers. But our costs far outweighed the benefits:
The Depression ended as jobs became available and war time production soared. Between 1939 and 1945, the number of jobless fell from 9 million to 1 million; jobs were available to virtually anyone who wanted to work. Poster to recruit women to go to work during WWII
Many previously unemployable Americans found new, but short-lived, job opportunities - Mexicans, Native Americans, African Americans, women.
The Bracero program begun - negotiated by the U.S. and Mexico in 1942, the program gave Mexicans short-term employment in jobs previously closed to them, such as shipbulding on the Pacific Coast. Over 200,000 Mexcian farm workers legally entered the U.S. to help harvest crops.
Nearly 75,000 Native Americans left the reservations for work in Western defense plants. The Navaho Code Talkers gained nationwide prominence.
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