1. The End of WWII

2. V-E Day Victory in Europe Day By April 25, 1945, the Soviet Army reached Berlin. On April 30, 1945, Hitler committed suicide in a bunker in Berlin. May 8, 1945 is celebrated as victory in Europe day. General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany.

3. The Atomic Bomb Ends the War in the Pacific The program to develop the first Atomic Bomb is called the Manhattan Project. Its leader was J. Robert Oppenheimer. On August 6, 1945 the first bomb, called Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, the second bomb, called Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki. By year’s end, over 200,000 people had died as a result of the blasts.

4. Should the U.S. have dropped The Bomb on Japan in 1945? Yes No

5. V-J Day Victory in Japan Day Victory in Japan Day was celebrated on August 14, 1945. The Emperor of Japan, Hirohito, said to draw up papers to “end the war”, after the A-Bomb attacks. The formal peace agreement was signed on September 2, 1945.

6. The Peace in Europe The Yalta Conference February 1945 FDR, Churchill and Stalin agree on the creation of the United Nations, an international, peacekeeping institution. The Nuremberg War Trials. An international tribunal of 23 nations tried Nazi war criminals.

7. The Peace in Japan General MacArthur was responsible for the 6 year occupation and rebuilding of Japan. He reformed Japan’s economy based on free- market capitalism. This led to a remarkable economic recovery He reformed the government. To this day, their constitution is known as the MacArthur Constitution.

8. The Impact of the War in the U.S. Economic gains Unemployment at 1.2% by 1944 Average weekly paychecks rose 70% Population shifts African Americans migrated out of the South More people went to college and bought homes The G.I. Bill