1. The End of WWII

2. Goals

3. Aftermath
Over 50 million people lost their lives as a result of World War II
After the war the Allies held war crime trials in Nuremberg
Nearly 200 Germans and Austrians were tried and most were found guilty
Top Nazis received death sentences and others were imprisoned
The Nuremberg trials helped establish that political and military leaders could be held responsible for their actions during war

4. Building Governments and Unions
After the war the Allies set to building democracies throughout Europe
It was felt that by building strong democracies, the allies would be able to strengthen societies and prevent the rise of citizens like Hitler
In April of 1945, 50 nations convened in San Francisco to draft a charter for the United Nations
The UN was to work for peace and attempt to prevent the outbreak of disease, improve education, protect refugees, and help nations develop economically

5. Cold War
As Stalin was pushing German soldiers out of Russia and other Eastern European nations
Stalin tried to convince the other Western powers to allow Russia alone to determine the fate of Eastern Europe
When England, France, and the US refused it set off a decades long tension
After WWII the United States abandoned their policy of isolationism
Instead, President Truman felt that the U.S. should counter what he saw as a communist threat
This systematic distrust and conflict is known as the Cold War
It is a cold war because no actual armed conflict took place

6. Expansion
With Stalin trying to expand his Soviet influence, Harry Truman stated that
“I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures”
This policy became known as the Truman Doctrine and was used to justify U.S. action in future conflicts that attempted to stop Communism

7. Division
In order to help strengthen democratic regimes, the Allies instituted the Marshall Plan
This plan was designed to give aid to battered European nations
The Soviets were angered by their limited ability to collect reparations from Germany
Germany was divided when the Soviet Union took control over East Germany
The East became a Soviet Controlled Communist entity while the West became democratic

8. Alliances
There are two alliances that became the center of conflict over the next few decades
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed by the U.S., Canada, and other western nations as a pact to help each other if they were attacked
In Response the Soviet Union formed a military alliance known as the Warsaw Pact with seven satellite nations of the Soviet Union