The Legacy of World War II

World War II changed the United States in ways that had repercussions well into modern day. At the end of World War II, the United States emerged as a superpower with the atomic bomb. World War II also changed the U.S. economy and society in ways that could never be conceived of before the beginning of the war.

History

Many factors led to the start of World War II. World War I combined with the Great Depression had greatly taxed both the United States and Europe. Germany, in particular, was severely affected by the depression, combined with rampant inflation. The Treaty of Versailles had imposed crippling fines and unilateral disarmament of Germany, causing Germany to plunge into a deeper depression. Germans blamed their fledgling republic for their woes and this enabled the Adolf Hitler and the Nazis to obtain support and control of their government.

Time Frame

World War II started with the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. Within months, Germany conquered Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, France, Yugoslavia and Greece. Italy, allied with German, helped conquer France. Germany's other ally, Japan had already invaded Manchuria and China before the war and now looked to expand its territory in the Pacific. December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, thus bringing the United States into the war.

By 1941, the Nazi's had started systematic genocide of the Jewish people which continued through the end of the war in 1945. Other people such as gypsies, Slavs, Poles and homosexuals were also targets of extermination.

As men in the United States left for war, women were employed to do what was normally considered "men's work" in manufacturing. By 1943, more than two million women worked in war-time factories.

By 1944, Germany was losing the war and made their final attack known as the Ardennes Offensive or the Battle of the Bulge from December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945. German forces surrendered in late April and early May after Hitler committed suicide.

The Japanese continued to fight even though they lost key battles until the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, August 6th and August 9th respectively in 1945. Japanese agreed to terms of surrender August 14th.

Geography

World War II affected the geography of Europe, especially after the war when the Allies divided up the former Axis powers. The Allies divided Germany into several pieces according to the Morgenthau Plan, giving France and Poland portions of contested lands and eventually dividing Germany into east and west, which was not reunified until 1990 with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

After World War II, Soviet occupied countries in eastern Europe became communist under Soviet control. European countries that accepted help under the Marshall Plan eventually became NATO allies of the United States.

Significance

In 1945, the United Nations supplanted the failed League of Nations. The Holocaust brought to the forefront the need for Jewish people to have their own homeland, causing the United Nations to create the modern state of Israel, which is a strong ally of the United States.

The atomic bomb made the United States a superpower and in 1949, the Soviet Union tested their first atomic bomb, ushering in the Cold War and the precarious stand off between the two superpowers.

Effects

World War II ushered in the age of superpowers where both the United States and the Soviet Union would vie for dominance in the cold war. It brought the world into the nuclear age where the United States was a chief player. Europe was no longer considered the center of world power.

The establishment of the Jewish state of Israel caused displacement and unrest among Palestinians and other Muslims which has caused wars and terrorism throughout the region.

After World War II, many women returned to their roles as homemakers and wives, but many more realized that working could bring about equal rights. Combined with the subsequent "baby boom" after the war, it set the stage for women to fight for equal pay for equal work and a greater role in the military and private sectors.

Reference

World War II
Documents Regarding the Morgenthau Plan
Demography and National Security