The Postwar World: The Emerging Cold War

I.I. The Collapse of Nazi Germany The Collapse of Nazi Germany and End of World War IIand End of World War II

II.II. The Debate over Dropping the The Debate over Dropping the Atomic Bomb.Atomic Bomb.

III.III. The Emerging Cold WarThe Emerging Cold War

1945: End of WWII 1945: End of WWII 1943-1945-Alliance of Great Britain, Soviet Union and U.S. destroy Nazi Germany.Major Battles- Stalingrad (1942-3) and D-Day (1944)G.B. and U.S. firebomb major cities such as Hamburg, Cologne, Dresden and Berlin.May 1945-Germany defeated and devastation in Europe.

Hamburg, GermanyHamburg, Germany

Dresden after Firebombing

Dresden, 1945

Dresden Casualties

The Birth of the Atomic AgeThe Birth of the Atomic Age1944-1945: U.S. military and civilian agencies working on top-secret “Manhattan Project.”Plans to develop new atomic energy into a bomb. Use it on Germany and Japan to end WWII.July 1945-Successful “Trinity” test at Los Alamos, New Mexico.August 1945-drop two atomic bombs on Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Trinity Test SiteTrinity Test SiteLos Alamos, New MexicoLos Alamos, New Mexico

Trinity Test SiteTrinity Test SiteLos Alamos, New MexicoLos Alamos, New Mexico

AA--Bomb Tested in TrinityBomb Tested in Trinity

Trinity Test SiteTrinity Test Site

View from Bunker at Trinity TestView from Bunker at Trinity Test

Remains of the 100 ft. Tower after Remains of the 100 ft. Tower after Trinity TestTrinity Test

"I am become death, the shattererof worlds."

Chief Engineer on the Atomic Bomb Project upon seeing the Trinity test results

Enola GayEnola Gay--Bomber used at Bomber used at HiroshimaHiroshima

Crew of Enola GayCrew of Enola Gay

Hiroshima After U.S Drops Atomic Hiroshima After U.S Drops Atomic BombBomb--Aug. 1945Aug. 1945

Hiroshima AftermathHiroshima Aftermath

Hiroshima AftermathHiroshima Aftermath

JAPAN SURRENDERSJAPAN SURRENDERS

Was the dropping of atomic Was the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan justified?bombs on Japan justified?

The Debate over the Atomic BombThe Debate over the Atomic Bomb

JustifiedJustifiedJapan’s military Japan’s military government would not government would not surrender without the surrender without the bombing.bombing.Hiroshima and Nagasaki to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to produced war material.produced war material.50,00050,000--100,000 U.S. 100,000 U.S. soldiers would die if they soldiers would die if they had to take Japanese had to take Japanese islands.islands.Japan was willing to Japan was willing to sacrifice its own citizens sacrifice its own citizens (Tokyo bombings).(Tokyo bombings).Ended a conflict that Japan Ended a conflict that Japan started at Pearl Harbor.started at Pearl Harbor.

Not JustifiedNot JustifiedPeace negotiations with Peace negotiations with Japanese groups already Japanese groups already started before the started before the bombing.bombing.Bombing civilian targets Bombing civilian targets crosses an ethical line.crosses an ethical line.U.S. military wanted to use U.S. military wanted to use the atomic bomb after the atomic bomb after spending 2 billion dollars spending 2 billion dollars developing it.developing it.Easier to kill Asian civilians Easier to kill Asian civilians than white European than white European civilians (Racism).civilians (Racism).Wanted to show the Soviet Wanted to show the Soviet Union we had atomic Union we had atomic weapons. (Cold War).weapons. (Cold War).

The Emerging Cold War WorldThe Emerging Cold War WorldU.S. and the Soviet Union U.S. and the Soviet Union emerge from the war as emerge from the war as dominant and competing dominant and competing superpowers.superpowers.U.S. use of atomic bombs U.S. use of atomic bombs on Japan initiates atomic on Japan initiates atomic and then nuclear and then nuclear weapons race.weapons race.Relative decline of Relative decline of European power and European power and colonial empire.colonial empire.

The Cold WarThe Cold War

A global ideological, political, A global ideological, political, economic, and cultural struggle economic, and cultural struggle for power between the for power between the capitalistic system (U.S) and the capitalistic system (U.S) and the socialist/communist system socialist/communist system (USSR) between 1945(USSR) between 1945--1989.1989.

U.S. Cold War PropagandaU.S. Cold War Propaganda

Soviet Cold War Soviet Cold War PropandaPropanda