The Relationships Between Countries after World War II
The atomic age, composed of complex and controversial issues, has forever changed our world and the way in which we live. Although peace rang out throughout the world September 2, 1945, the relationships between countries after World War II will never be the same. "In 1939 there were four great powers in Europe: Germany, France, Italy, and Great Britain; and three outside Europe, Russia, the United States, and Japan" (284 Gilbert). By the end of World War II in 1945, only two great powers remained: the United States and the Soviet Union.
The United States began prominent plans for peace. The plans consisted of "support for self determination, autonomy, and democracy in the political arena and for free trade, freedom of the seas, and unrestrained investment opportunities in the economic sphere" (Kagan, Ozment, Turner, 707). United States began their quest for peace when Truman ordered the return of three and a half million soldiers to the United States leaving only five hundred thousand troops in Europe. (If you want to know more about President Truman's policies in World War II go to this page.) http://www.grolier.com/wwii/wwii_truman.html In February of 1945 the United Nations formed between five world powers including Great Britain, France, China, the Soviet Union, and the United States. President Roosevelt of the United States hoped that the development of the United Nations would help to avoid conflicts between countries by forming a military alliance between the countries.
The United Nations did not patch up sore feelings between the two world powers the Soviet Union and the United States. Soviet's Stalin still plotted to...
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...tated the world. In the beginning of the war stood seven world powers and in the end only two remained. The Soviet Union and the United States were the written winners of the war. Unfortunately, every country lost in this war. All around the world from the nazi camps, to Japan's devastating bomb, to the attack on Pearl Harbor, millions of people died undeserving deaths. The relationships among countries have changed forever caused by World War II. To find out more about the aftermath of World War II including the peace treaties in Hungary, Finland, Japan, and Romania, go to: http://www.grolier.com/wwii/wwii_15.html
- Gilbert, Martin. (1965). The European Powers 1900-1945. New York: The New
American Library, Inc.
- Kagan, Donald, Steven Ozment, Frank M. Turner. (1996). The Western Heritage Brief
Heritage. New Jersey: Viacom Company.
The United States and The Soviet Union were originally joined together by the want to defeat The Nazi army, in 1941-1945. The alliance remained, and strengthened, among the two until the end of World War II. At the end of World War II, a rupture between the two occurred. The differences began earlier, but there was a straw that broke the camels back. The reason The United States and The Soviet Union’s alliance did not work out is because The Soviet Union and The United States were complete opposites, The Soviet Union proved to be faulty, and they were never truly allies.
...rom the war unlike the countries who participated at the start. Many of the European countries lost a lot of power and started taking a passive attitude towards war, which weakened them to a great extent. A war so destructive costing millions of lives and billions of dollars. It brought forth many new technology of mass destruction and continued to contribute into new types of weapon development. New technology can be helpful and evil at the same time. Strategies and combat techniques were developed to maximize the potential of the weapons. These new ways of fighting only to come deadlier by the day. It deformed the land, tortured soldiers, and brought death along with it. A whole generation of young soldiers were lost and to never able to see the day of light ever again. The worst war ever to be told that left a historical moment and a permanent fear of future wars.
WWII evolved the entire globe, putting the world's largest economic and military powers against each other: the AXIS powers Germany, Japan and Italy against the ALLIED powers Russia, Britain and the U.S. There were some 27,372,900 civilians and 20,858,800 military personnel killed in the war. http://warchronicle.com/numbers/WWII/deaths.htm
Beginning in the 1940’s, the global landscape was changing dramatically. With the start of World War II, tensions were rising among the world’s most powerful nations. Russia, Germany, Japan, Great Britain, and the United States were all trying to achieve global dominance. During World War II, the smart decision to invest in atomic energy made the United States a global superpower.
World War II, also known as the Second World War was fought by Japan, Germany and Italy, also referred to as the Axis powers; that went against the Allies that consisted of the United States, the Soviet Union, and Britain with help from others. 60 to 80 billion deaths were the result of World War II ("Reasons for American Entry Into WWII"). Initially the United States did not want to interfere with a war going on in a different continent. At the start of the war America began a state of isolationism which kept America away from the war; until its “breaking point”. America’s deviation from isolationism in World War II is what establishes them as a powerhouse country economically an. Also, how America’s growth industrially lead to a post-war boom.
World War II had a large effect on America, on how we were regarded in the world, on how our culture would grow and develop, and on how our citizens would develop and settle the land on their return. It brought people together for a while that were later torn apart, and changed the way Americans looked at higher education. Perhaps most importantly, it brought America to the world and served it up to them as something that could grow and become part of their culture, call it the Coca-Colonization of the world (Marling).
Nearly 70 years ago, when the Soviet Union reigned in Europe along with the US, they were still in relative peace with the other world power. In fact, the “Big Three,” American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Soviet Premier Josef Stalin, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had frequent meetings to discuss strategy and happenings in Europe at the time. Allies they had been, but then something changed though, and growing tensions forced the powers to drift apart. Eventually, it led to the US and the Soviet Union becoming enemies, trapped in a global struggle between political, military, economic, and ideological structures. What caused this opposition, and how is it still going on today?
...work with other nations to keep the peace. It is still in effect today. The UN was not based on or limited to a peace treaty but instead was separate. That helped Roosevelt get support for U.S. membership.
Around 1939 to 1942, the axis powers had a very dominant lead in World War 2. It almost seemed like there would be absolutely no chance of stopping them. As it’s been said, sometimes people with the highest power can make forgetful mistakes that can cost them their seat. But the amazing thing is both Japan and Germany were at their highest point in power by 1942. In just a matter of 3 years, all is lost. So the only main question that still stands: what exactly happened?
WWII has a ripple effect across the globe causing changes both internationally and domestically. Internationally, The sun finally began to set over the British Empire with the majority of her majesties colonial possessions gaining independence in the years following the war. Britain’s stage left exit from its hegemonic role resulted in the start of a new “Great Game” between two burgeoning superpowers. A new world order began to take shape with the United States and USSR vying to establish their own hegemony.
"When a power vacuum separates great powers, as one did the United States and the Soviet Union at the end of World War II, they are unlikely to fill it without bumping up against and bruising each other" (Gaddis). This 'bumping' and 'bruising' caused the tensions and hostilities that surfaced in the years following WWII.
World War II was one of the deadliest wars we know of in history, with as many as sixty million casualties, most of whom were civilians. It impacted a lot of countries, almost all over the world, which is why the name is given. This war impacted many countries in the world, and damaged almost all of the countries involved greatly. It also led to the downfall of Western European countries as world powers, leaving it to the Soviet Union, and the United States. The war started in 1939 and ended in 1945, with the invasion of Poland and the Axis surrender, respectively.
World War II changed the world as a whole, but in this essay I am going to talk about how it changed America. After the war, many groups and organizations were created. The United Nations was born on October 24, 1945. This was a group meant to keep peace between nations. Tensions were still high between the United States and the Soviet Union after the war. Nevertheless, things were booming like never before here in our home country. With equal rights for women and African Americans, economic growth, and anti- war organizations became pro- war after Pearl Harbor. These are the ways I am going to discuss to you how World War Two changed our great country.
The Treaty of Versailles did not just end World War I, but it also changed the world. From it changing every countries view on Germany, to changing Germany itself. It contained many conditions, which led to the countless numbers of results. This treaty created a completely different outlook on the world.
Another more lasting step toward a permanent forum of Nations came to be After WW II with the creation of the United Nations and other liberal institutions such as W.H.O, W.T.O, I.M.F. and the International Criminal Court and to a lesser extent NATO (Although NATO started out as a military