Effects of World War II

Social Effects

• 50 million dead (20 million from USSR dead, 6 million Poles dead)
• 21 million displaced
• 25 million in USSR homeless
• 10 million ethnic Germans forced to move to West Germany
• Fear and suspicion between the USSR and the USA, Great Britain and France
• Fear of Nuclear Holocaust
• Eastern Europe loses freedom and is "Sovietized" by Russia

Economic Effects

• US and USSR become dominant superpowers, engage in an ideological struggle from 1945-1990 (Communism vs. Capitalism)
  
• US economy strong enough to help rebuild W. Germany and Japan
• We rebuild W. Europe with Marshall Plan funds
• France lost 50% of wealth
• Italy lost 30%
• Western USSR was destroyed
• German cities and factories destroyed
• Japanese cities and industry damaged -US helps rebuild Japan
  
• Japan gives up all territory gained in the last 90 years
• Japan leaves China

Political Effects

• "De-Nazification"
• Nuremberg Trials in 1946
  
• Germany divided
• West Germany occupied by US, GB and
  
• East Germany occupied by USSR 1945 - 1989
• Creation of the United Nations in 1945 (US-led organization: Eleanor Roosevelt had a key role in this), all major countries joined
• USSR tries to spread communism
• United States foreign policy changes (no longer isolationist)
• 1950-1952 Korean War- A tie, N. Korea communist, S. Korea Democratic
  
• 1965-1975 Vietnam War- Communists win
• US adopts "containment" policy, tries to spread democracy and stop communism
• Creation of Israel in 1948 as a homeland for the Jewish people (land taken from Arabs- root of violence and tension between "Western" and "Arab" worlds today)