2. Britain
Theory was that bombing civilians would force peace
Victim of the first sustained bombing in September
1940
German air force bombed London nightly
Soon spread to many other British cities
Londoners maintained high morale
Set standard for the rest of Britain
3. Germany
British began major bombing raids on German cities
in 1942
Added to the food and fuel shortages
Feared incendiary bombs which created firestorms that swept
through cities
Bombing of Dresden in 1945 may have killed as
many as 100,000 inhabitants and refugees
Failed to decrease morale or industrial capacity
4. Japan
Japanese air force had almost been destroyed
towards end of war
Left them open to air raids
By 1945 many industries and ¼ of homes had been
destroyed
Built of flimsy materials that were vulnerable to fire
Truman decided to drop the atomic bomb on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945
5. Peace and a New War
Allied victory led to a period of political tensions called
the Cold War
Ideological conflict between the US and the SU
Division referred to as the “iron curtain”
Tehran Conference- leaders of the big 3 met to decide
the future course of the war
Agreed on a British-American invasion through France as well as a
partition of postwar Germany
Yalta Conference- Big 3 met, established United
Nations, and decided the fate of Europe after Germany’s
defeat
Stalin wanted a buffer of pro-soviet governments
Roosevelt favored the idea of self-determination
6. Peace and a New War cont.
The Potsdam Conference- Roosevelt had died
and was succeeded by Truman making the
conference difficult
Truman demanded free elections in Eastern Europe which
Stalin would not allow
War Crimes Trials- in Summer of 1945 the allies
held a trial of war leaders for committing aggressive
war and crimes against humanity
Nazi leaders were tried and condemned at Nuremberg.
