Unit 7: Topic 14 - Postwar Diplomacy Flashcards
Why did the US emerge as the most powerful nation post-World War II?
The US faced relatively little domestic destruction during the war. European and Asian countries involved were busy rebuilding during the aftermath of six years of destruction. But, the US was intact with the exception of Pearl Harbor. The US’s cities and factories were ready to enter a period of great prosperity.
The critical role of the US in winning the war also helped them emerge as powerful. The US aided the allies industrially with cash-and-carry and the lend-lease program. US weapon technology, namely the atomic bomb, ended the war in Japan.
What are examples of the agreements created post-World War II?
The Paris Peace Treaties was a series of international agreements that officially ended World War II and established the post-war order in Europe. The Treaty of Peace with Italy stripped Italy of its colonies, empire, and territories and reduced its military capabilities. The Treaty of Peace with Japan imposed restrictions on Japan’s military and territorial holdings and required reparations to be paid to the countries that Japan had occupied during the war.
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals that prosecuted some of the prominent leaders of Nazi Germany for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
After World War II, the Allied powers: (the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France) divided Germany into four occupation zones to control. However, this would create tension between two opposing political systems: capitalism and communism.
Describe the creation of the United Nations (UN) post-World War II.
The United Nations (UN) was established in 1945 as an international peace-keeping assembly after World War II. The UN was modeled after the League of Nations with the same goals. But, unlike the League of Nations, the US joined the UN, and the UN had the ability to keep the peace.
Describe the United State’s power post-World War II.
The United States controlled the post-1945 economic system set up in the Bretton Woods Agreement. This agreement pegged the value of all currencies to the US dollar and gave the US economic control. It also set up the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, where the US had a major voice. The US dollar was the currency of choice and the medium of exchange for much of the world’s economy.
The US had a nuclear weapon monopoly and used those weapons to face off against a former ally with a large army that the US began to distrust more and more - the USSR.
