Transcript Chapter 17 Lesson 5 Day 2

Discussion
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Why do you think the United States
didn't stage a direct assault on Japan,
instead attacking various islands in
the Pacific Ocean?
Japan was too far from Hawaii for an
assault to be practical or successful. By
capturing Japaneseheld islands nearer
Japan, U.S. forces could prepare to attack
Japan and weaken it at the same time.
The Asian Theater
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Iwo Jima and Okinawa: In 1944, the U.S.-led Allied forces continued their "islandhopping" campaign. In early 1945 the Allies attacked the islands of Iwo Jima and
Okinawa, which were seen as vital sites for preparing an invasion of Japan itself. The
Japanese offered fierce resistance, and although the Allies were victorious, they
suffered heavy casualties.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki: U.S. President Harry Truman, who had become the
leader of the United States after Franklin Roosevelt died in April 1945, feared that an
Allied invasion of Japan would cost many more U.S. soldiers their lives. Truman
ordered that atomic bombs be dropped on Japanese cities. Truman hoped that using
the bombs would cause Japan to surrender. In August 1945, atomic bombs were
dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians,
died from radiation poisoning or from the blast itself.
World War II ends: Japan surrendered on August 14, 1945, ending World War II.
Worldwide, about 17 million soldiers had died. Twenty million or more civilians also
had been killed. No other war in the history of the world claimed as many lives.
Beginning of the Nuclear Age: The dropping of atomic bombs on Japan marked
the beginning of the Nuclear Age. Countries raced to develop their own atomic bombs
and match the nuclear capability of the United States. In 1949 the Soviet Union
became the second country to develop a nuclear weapon.
Discussion
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How long after D-Day did the war
finally end in Asia?
It was about fourteen months from
the Normandy invasion to Japan's
surrender.
Background
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Throughout history war has sometimes
harmed the mental health of individuals
serving in combat. During World War II,
close to 40,000 U.S. army soldiers were
sent home during the war because they
developed psychiatric problems while
serving in combat. Since the Vietnam War,
this psychiatric disorder has been
recognized as post-traumatic stress
disorder or PTSD.
Planning the Postwar World
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Tehran Conference: In 1943, the leaders of the "Big Three" Allied countries—the
Soviet Union, the United States, and Great Britain—met in Tehran, the capital of Iran,
to discuss war strategy. Their plan for defeating Germany would have important
consequences after the war. Soviet forces would meet up with U.S.-British forces
along a north-south dividing line, with the Soviets likely to liberate Eastern Europe.
Yalta Conference: In February 1945, the Big Three leaders met again, this time in
Yalta in the Soviet Union. At this point it appeared certain that the Allies would win
the war. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin wanted pro-Soviet governments established in
Eastern Europe as a buffer zone against any future aggression from Western
countries. The presence of 11 million Soviet soldiers in Eastern Europe gave Stalin a
strong bargaining position. U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt wanted all European
countries to have free elections so that they would have self-determination.
Roosevelt persuaded Stalin and British leader Winston Churchill to agree to the
establishment of the United Nations. Stalin won approval to seize control of islands
from Japan. The three leaders also agreed to divide Germany into four zones, which
would be occupied by the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union.
Potsdam Conference: Yet another meeting of the Big Three occurred in 1945, this
time in Potsdam, Germany. U.S. President Harry Truman demanded free elections in
Eastern Europe, but Stalin disagreed. He believed that such elections would threaten
Soviet security. The leaders did agree on a process for conducting trials for Axis
political and military leaders guilty of war crimes.
U.S.-Soviet tension and suspicions in the postwar world: U.S. and Soviet
disagreements at the conferences escalated into a bitter division and decades of
hostility. Winston Churchill proclaimed that an "iron curtain" had fallen across the
middle of Europe, dividing the continent into East and West.
Discussion
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Why might the Soviet Union have
wanted ports in warmer waters
near Japan?
The only ocean ports in the eastern
Soviet Union were in the far north,
and they were often frozen over in
winter.
Discussion
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Why do you think the Allies felt
that the UN was necessary?
To create a group that could help to
prevent future wars.
Background
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When the Big Three met at Yalta along the Crimean Sea in
February 1945, the United States expected that it would
need significant help from the Soviet Union to defeat Japan,
even though this turned out not to be the case. As a result,
Roosevelt felt that he would have to trust Stalin's promise
that he would allow representative democratic governments
to be established in Eastern Europe, and, eventually free
elections. When Stalin later failed to keep his word, there
were cries of protest in Western countries that Roosevelt
and Churchill should have taken a harder line against the
Soviets. Advisers to the Western leaders replied that the
presence of millions of Soviet troops in Eastern Europe
made it difficult for Roosevelt and Churchill to make any
demands of Stalin, at least as far as Eastern Europe was
concerned.