Transcript The End of WWII in Europe and the Aftermath

The End of WWII in Europe
and the Aftermath
10.8 Discuss the human costs of the war, with
particular attention to the civilian and military
losses in Russia, Germany, Britain, the
United States, China and Japan.
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Review
• After D-Day, the Allied forces
continued to push toward
Germany.
• The Germans launched a
massive counter-attack at the
Ardennes Forest which proved
a disastrous failure for the
Germans and a turning point
for the Allied forces.
• In April of 1945, the Red Army
reached Berlin.
• The end of the war in Europe
was only one month away.
Above, the Germans sign the
surrender document in Berlin.
Below, the Germans sign the
Unconditional Surrender document in
France officially ending the war.
Hitler’s Suicide and Germany’s
Surrender
In April of 1945, the Red Army
reached Berlin, Germany’s
capital.
On April 30th, ten days after
his birthday, Hitler and his wife
Eva Braun committed suicide.
Many Nazi officials escaped
out of Germany before the
Red Army came. Those that
stayed were captured by the
Russians.
The city surrendered on May
2nd, 1945 to the Russians.
On May 7th, 1945 the war in
Europe was officially over.
Hitler’s official
death picture, his
wife Eva Braun
and his dog
Blondi.
The Death Toll
Making Sense of the Numbers
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The Soviet Union had the highest
military and civilian casualties,
followed by China and then
Germany.
The Nazis killed over 14 million
people in their labor and death
camps.
They murdered six million Jews.
London, Berlin, Dresden, and
Tokyo were heavily bombed with
high civilian casualties.
Millions of Chinese civilians were
murdered by the Japanese.
The Atomic bomb killed over
250,000 civilians in Nagasaki and
Hiroshima.
Total estimated deaths during
WWII range between 40 and 50
million.
Europe after WWII
Dresden, Germany
The Bombing of London
The Bombing of Hamburg
War Crimes
Bringing Justice and Order Back to the
World.
• After WWII, the Allied
leaders agreed to hold
trials in Germany, Japan,
and Italy for those that
committed crimes against
humanity.
– The Nuremberg Trials
sought justice for the Jews
and eight million Poles,
Slavs, and Gypsies that
were murdered in the Nazi
Death Camps.
Nuremberg, Germany
Hermann Goering, on the
left was sentenced to
execution. He committed
suicide in prison.
Rudolf Hess, above, was
sentenced to 40 years life
imprisonment. He
committed suicide at age 93!
Justice Served?
• Of the 22 accused of
crimes against humanity:
– 11 were sentenced to
execution.
– 3 were acquitted.
– 3 were given life
imprisonment.
– 4 were given prison terms
of 10 to 20 years.
– Execution sentences were
carried out on October 6th,
1946.
Spandau Prison, Germany