Transcript Winning the War PPOINT #7

• Chronicle the events
that led to victory for
the Allied Powers in
WWII
• Analyze the reasons
why the Axis powers
lost/Allied powers
won WWII
• Dday = June 6, 1944
• Rest of the War…
–
–
–
–
December 1944 = Battle of the Bulge
February 1945 = Yalta Conference
April 1945 = Mussolini’s end
April-May 1945 = Race to Berlin
•
May 8 = VE Day
– Summer 1945 = Beating Japan
•
August 14 = VP Day
• Germany and
Berlin to be split
up into 4 zones
– rebuilding to be
done in the 4
zones
• Eastern Europe
and the cartoon…
• Stalin
allowed to
reshape
Eastern
European
countries
– Poland is
major
issue
– Stalin
agrees to
free
elections
(ha!!)
• Incendiary bombs
were used…create
fires
• Cultural Center of
Dresden destroyed
• Most military targets
not damaged
• Oil refineries not
damaged
• ~35K deaths
– ~85-100K deaths in
atom bomb attacks
• 2 months from end
of the war
• Benito
Mussolini
captured and
killed by the
Italian people
• April 25, 1945 Stalin
beats Eisenhower to
Berlin
• April 29, 1945 Hitler
found dead in Bunker
– Goebbels found dead too
• May 8, 1945 = V-E Day
– Victory in Europe Day
• FDR dies April 12, 1945
• Harry Truman takes over…
• Truman will be much more blunt &
confrontational than FDR was
• Okinawa is the
last major battle
against Japan
• Kamikaze planes
(suicide planes)
reveal something
to USA
– Japan will fight to
the death
– Japanese
propaganda
• Top Secret plan
to build Atomic
Bomb
• As VP, Truman
didn’t know
about it
• When
inaugurated, he
was finally told
• Bat Bomb 
• Truman tells Stalin
of Atomic Bomb (?)
• Truman gets
Stalin’s support to
beat Japan
– Does he want it?
• Warning issued to
Japan to surrender
unconditionally
– Japan has no answer
• Poland????
• Truman’s Options…
• Is time on his side?
• Hiroshima, Aug 6,
1945
• Nagasaki, Aug 9,
1945
• Death toll?
– At least 100K
– Some estimates at
200K
• V-J Day follows
– victory in Japan
1. Rebuilding
Japan and
Germany
2. United Nations
created
3. Nuremburg
Trials
• Germany = 4
occupation zones
• GB, USA, France and
Russia will rebuild
• Version 2.0 of what org?
– League of Nations
• 50 Countries join 1945
• Goal?
– Peace...no war
– Human rights
• UN Security Council made
up of 5 winners of
WW2…veto power 
– USA
– GB
– France
– USSR
– China
• 24 Nazis on trial
– 16 charged with war
crimes
• “Crimes against
Humanity”
– 12 sentenced to death, 3
life sentences
• Effects of Trials =
political and military
leaders held
accountable for
Holocaust
• Justice?
• Cold War
• Europe is in
shambles
– In whose image
will it be rebuilt?
Title = Truman’s Dilemma
Did Harry Truman handle the
conclusion of WW2 properly?
If yes, why? If not, what
should he have done?