Post WWII

Rebuilding of Europe & Japan after WWII,

the Establishment of the United Nations,

Changes to Life in America

Vocabulary

Learning from the mistakes of the

past, the United States accepted its

role as a world SUPERPOWER,

helping to rebuild Europe and Japan

and taking the leading role in

establishing the United Nations.

How did the United States help

rebuild postwar Europe and Japan?

After the War…

• Allies put top Nazi and

Japanese leaders on trial

• Accused of war crimes and

crimes against _________

• Trials were held in

Nuremberg, Germany and

Tokyo

humanity

Yalta Conference

Allied Plans for Postwar Europe

After the War…Europe in Ruins

• MILLIONS of PEOPLE DIED

during the war!!!

• More than _____ of these were

_________

• Americans= 800,000 injured;

300,000 dead

• Soviets= More than

______________ deaths

half

civilians

20 MILLION

Cities in the

Soviet Union

Warsaw,

Poland

Cities in

France

London, England

Frankfurt

Nuremberg

Cities in GermanyCologne

Dresden, Germany

Berlin, Germany

Berlin,

Germany

Tour Berlin…before the war!

(1929)

Berlin…during Nazi Germany (1935)

Note: Used only for images.

No translations available.

Berlin, Germany

How did the United States help

rebuild postwar Europe and Japan?

Intro Activity:

• What’s the

message behind

this political

cartoon?

• Can you predict

the role America

played in the

rebuilding of

postwar Europe?

• Why was America

motivated to help?

Communism

Communism is a political and

economic system in which the

major productive resources in a

society – such as mines, factories,

and farms – are owned by the

government (state), and all wealth

is divided among citizens equally

or according to individual need.

-Encyclopedia Britannica for Kids

Background Information…

After WWII…most of Europe was left in ruins!

• ________ forces occupied most of ________ and ________

Europe. The Soviets wanted to strip Europe of its resources

and ship them back to the Soviet Union to make up for the

devastation unleashed by the Germans in Soviet lands.

• The United States thought it was in their best interest to

rebuild Europe in order to prevent ________ and

__________ instability.

• U.S. implemented the _________________

Soviet

political

economic

MARSHALL

PLAN

Europe Was Left in Ruins

Eastern Central

• George Marshall =

U.S. Secretary of State

• Best way to avoid the spread of

______________ was to

improve Europe’s economy.

• __________Plan gave

__________ to rebuild Europe

• Goal – Create a politically and

economically ______ Europe

13 billion

Communism

Marshall

stable

Marshall Plan…Economic Aid to Rebuild Europe

Officially from…

1948 - 1952

Why would this image

anger the Soviet

Union?

How did this anger

affect the Soviet

Union’s attitude

toward the U.S. and

the Marshall Plan?

Group Discussion:

Map Study: What should they do with Germany?

Post WWII

Germany

What happened to Germany?

• ____________ was split into East and West Germany.

• West Germany became _____________ and resumed self-government

after a few years of American, British, and French occupation.

• East Germany remained under the domination of the ______________

which was NOT democratic; East Germany became a Communist

government.

Germany

democratic

Soviet Union

What should the Allies do

with the city of Berlin?

City of Berlin…located deep inside East Germany

Why does the

map of post-war

Berlin look so

familiar?

Post WWII

Germany

Take another look at the map of

post-war Germany.

Allied Occupation

Zones in Berlin

French troops in front of the Reichstag building

Allied

Occupation

Zones in Berlin

A. Rebuilding Efforts - EUROPE

• 1. Much of Europe was left in _______ following WWII. ________ forces occupied most of

__________ and __________ Europe and the _________ portion of Germany. The

________________ felt it was in its best interest to help __________ Europe and prevent

__________ and ____________ instability.

• 2. The United States instituted Secretary of State George C. Marshall’s plan to __________

Europe called the ________________, which provided massive ___________aid to rebuild

European ______________ and prevent the spread of ________________.

• 3. ____________ was partitioned into _____ and _______ ___________.

• 4. West Germany became ______________ and resumed _____________________ after a few

years of American, British, and French occupation.

• 5. East Germany remained under the domination of the _______________ and did NOT adopt

_____________ institutions.

Time to fill in your notes….

ruins Soviet

Eastern Central Eastern

United States rebuild

political economic

rebuild

Marshall Plan financial

economies communism

Germany Eas

t

West Germany

democratic self-government

Soviet Union

democratic

O. Rebuilding Efforts - JAPAN?

• Japan was occupied by the ______________ forces

• Adopted a _____________ form of government

• Soon after they resumed __________________

• Became a strong ______ of the United States.

United States

democratic

ally

self-government

Time to fill in your notes….

JAPAN:

General Douglas MacArthur-Establishing a New Democratic Government

Start @ 1:15

• The United Nations was formed ______________ of World War II as a

way for nations to try to prevent future global _____ !

• This was the new and improved League of Nations….and America

joined!

P. United Nations

near the end

wars

Click here for more info…

Time to fill in your notes….

United Nations

What’s the relationship

between these two

political cartoons?

What’s the

message

behind this

political

cartoon?

“Can He Block IT?”

A Defeated People

The Marshall PlanActual Stock Footage

VIDEOS & DIGITAL RESOURCES:

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