Devastation in Europe Many Cities across Europe badly damaged by 6 years of occupation and warfare Over 60 million people were dead at the end of the war; a third of the deaths occurred in the Soviet Union Another 50 million were uprooted from their homes and wandered the countryside in search of some place to live/safe Lack of food, destruction of roads/factories lead to hardship – led to hunger and spread of disease Entire cities had been reduced to a fourth of their size: “It was like a city of the dead” Warsaw, Poland had about 1.3 million people before the war – had 153,000 after the war Thousands of bombs unleashed by the Allies destroyed 95 percent of the central area of Berlin Only a few of the great cities of Europe – Paris, Rome and Brussels – remained mostly undamaged by the war After the bombings stopped, many civilians decided to stay where they were and tried to get on with their lives Some lived in partially destroyed homes or apartments – slowly rebuilt them Others lived in cellars or caves in nearby rubble Many other people, including Holocaust/concentration camp survivors, moved about trying to find their families or a safe place to live

Postwar Governments Despairing Europeans often blamed their leaders for the war and its aftermath Once the Germans had lost, some prewar governments – like those in Belgium, Denmark, Holland and Norway, returned quickly In other countries, such as Germany, Italy and France, a return to old leadership was not desirable Hitler’s Nazi government had brought Germany to ruins, Mussolini had led Italy to defeat, and the Vichy govt. was complicit with the Nazis Essentially, the old leadership was disgraced and very much unwanted again After the war, the Communist Party promised change and millions were ready to listen In both France and Italy, the Communist Party membership skyrocketed The communists made huge gains in the first postwar election – eager for a takeover, they staged several violent strikes This alarmed the French and the Italians who had lived under/were affected by a violent fascist regime Ultimately, many voted for anti-communist leaders and communist party membership declined as the their economies recovered While communism didn’t spread to central Europe, it would become prevalent in other parts of Europe due to the Soviet Union and its influence

The Nuremburg Trials The Allies create war court to try Nazi leaders responsible for Holocaust– Nuremburg Trials (took place in Nuremburg, Germany between 1945 – 1946) About 22 officials were tried for waging a war of aggression and crimes against humanity – in total led to a loss of about 11 million lives Unfortunately, some of the most nefarious Nazi officials including Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler (who engineered the Holocaust), and Joseph Goebbels (who was in charge of Propaganda) had committed suicide – never answered for their crimes Individuals like Herman Goring – commander of the Luftwaffe, Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s former deputy, and other leaders remained Those who were convicted were executed via hanging – their bodies were burned in the Dachau concentration camps like the former Jewish inmates had been

Nuremburg Trials

Postwar Japan Japan lost about two million people Defeat suffered by Japan in World War II left the country in ruins Japan lost about two million people Major cities like Tokyo were largely destroyed by bombing raids The atomic bomb had turned Hiroshima and Nagasaki into black wastelands The Allies took Japanese colonial possessions – no longer an imperial power MacArthur heads U.S. occupation of Japan: He was determined to treat Japan fairly and not plant the seeds of future war (like what happened with Germany) He couldn’t afford to let them keep their military however. He began the process of demilitarization – disbanded the Japanese armed forces – allowed them to keep police force though Brought in war criminals to hang including the Hideki Tojo and other military leaders who took power from Emperor Hirohito

Postwar Japan (Cont.) MacArthur then Started democratization, the process of creating an elected government Also began process of rebuilding Japan’s ruined infrastructure – when possible, the U.S. will usually do so In February 1947, his advisors drew up a new constitution which changed the empire into a constitutional monarchy like with Great Britain. Some changes included: Emperor had to declare he was no longer divine – had absolute authority Two house legislature called Diet was created All citizens over the age of 20, including women can vote Bill of Rights – protect personal freedoms is implemented within the constitution Article 9 of the treaty stated Japan cannot attack another country – can only act if they are attacked 1951 – The United States and 47 other countries sign an official peace treaty with Japan – ends the war 6 months later, the U.S. leaves Japan with the agreement that the U.S. could maintain a military presence there to protect the island nation Naval bases in Okinawa, etc.