VA STANDARDS OF LEARNING

1. Post WWII
Rebuilding of Europe & Japan after WWII,
the Establishment of the United Nations,
Changes to Life in America

2. Vocabulary

3. 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?

4. 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

6. Yalta Conference
Allied Plans for Postwar Europe

7. 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

8. Cities in the
Soviet Union

9. Warsaw,
Poland

10. Cities in
France

11. London, England

12. Frankfurt
Nuremberg
Cities in Germany Cologne

13. Dresden, Germany

14. Berlin, Germany

15. Berlin,
Germany
Tour Berlin…before the war!
(1929)
Berlin…during Nazi Germany (1935)
Note: Used only for images.
No translations available.

16. Berlin, Germany

17. How did the United States help
rebuild postwar Europe and Japan?

18. 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?

19. 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…

21. 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

22. • 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

23. Marshall Plan…
Economic Aid to Rebuild Europe

26. Officially from…
1948 - 1952

30. 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:

31. Map Study:
What should they do with Germany?

32. Post WWII
Germany

33. 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

34. What should the Allies do
with the city of Berlin?

35. City of Berlin…located deep inside East Germany
Why does the
map of post-war
Berlin look so
familiar?

36. Post WWII
Germany
Take another look at the map of
post-war Germany.

39. Allied Occupation
Zones in Berlin

40. French troops in front of the Reichstag building
Allied
Occupation
Zones in Berlin

41. 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

42. 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….

43. JAPAN:
General Douglas MacArthur-
Establishing a New Democratic Government
Start @ 1:15

44. • 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….

45. United Nations

46. What’s the relationship
between these two
political cartoons?

47. What’s the
message
behind this
political
cartoon?
“Can He Block IT?”

48. A Defeated People
The Marshall Plan
Actual Stock Footage
VIDEOS & DIGITAL RESOURCES:

49. ADDITIONALMAP:PostwarEurope