World War II and its Effects

The war ended with the total victory of the Allies over Germany and Japan in 1945. Although the totalitarian regimes in Germany, Italy, and Japan were defeated, the war left many unresolved political, social, and economic problems in its wake and brought the Western democracies into direct confrontation with their erstwhile ally, the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin, thereby initiating a period of nearly half a century of skirmishing and nervous watchfulness as two blocs, each armed with nuclear weapons, faced each other probing for any sign of weakness.

United Nations Established

The United Nations was established to foster international cooperation and prevent future conflicts. Today it is headquartered in New York City and has 192 member nations.

Super Powers

The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers.

European Economy Collapses

The European economy had collapsed with 70% of the industrial infrastructure destroyed. America created the Marshall Plan to assist in rebuilding Europe.

Decolonization

A rapid period of decolonization also took place within the holdings of the various European colonial powers. These primarily occurred due to shifts in ideology (political beliefs), the economic exhaustion from the war and increased demand by indigenous people for self-determination. Many Asian, African, and Middle Eastern countries became independent. This included the last remaining possessions of the British Empire including India's independence in 1947.

Atomic (Nuclear) Age Begins

With America dropping the Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, the world was now facing the capabilities of destroying everything on the planet. Within 10 years both America and the Soviet Union would have developed the capabilities to destroy each other and the world.

Genocide - The Holocaust

Holocaust (1935-1945)

One of Adolf Hitler's main goals once taking control of Germany was the extermination of all European Jews. The Jewish population of Europe had often been persecuted due to their religious difference from the majority Christian population. However, the Holocaust would mark a turning point in that persecution. The Holocaust was the systematic murder of over 6 million Jews. Another 5 to 12 million Gypsies, homosexuals, African-European, and mentally ill people were also murdered.

Hitler began his program by first limiting the rights of Jews. Jews were restricted to a separate part of town, called a Ghetto, could no longer run businesses, nor could they marry outside of their race. As World War II progressed, Hitler began forcing them into concentration camps, where they were either immediately murdered, usually by poison gas, or used as slave labor until they died. Their bodies were disposed of through cremation in the concentration camp ovens. The Nazis also used Jews in horrific pseudo medical experiments. The treatment of the Jews by the Nazis in World War II was a motivating factor of the United Nations in writing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.