World War II and Its Aftermath

The Holocaust

Exclusion (1933-1939)

The first measure was the exclusion of Jews from public life, preventing them from earning a living. Books written by Jews were burned. In 1935, Hitler introduced the Nuremberg Laws, which deprived Jews of their German citizenship and banned marriage between Germans and Jews.

Ghettoes (1939-1940)

These were closed-off city neighborhoods where all Jewish residents were required to live together. The main ghettos were in Poland.

Extermination (1941-1945)

Jews were killed in gas chambers and cremation ovens.

The Peace Settlement

Yalta and Potsdam Conferences (1945)

1) Yalta

• Germany would be divided into occupied zones.
• Stalin promised to hold free elections in Eastern Europe, although they never took place.
• The USSR would annex the Baltic States and Eastern Poland.

2) Potsdam

• Germany was divided into four zones, each administered by one of the four Allied powers. Berlin was also divided into four zones.
• Nazi war criminals would be tried at the Nuremberg Trials.
• The amount of German war reparations was determined.
• Poland's borders were established.

The United Nations

Objectives:

• International peace and security
• The right of each nation to self-determination
• Individual rights
• Peaceful cooperation among nations

The UN takes its most important decisions in the Security Council. All UN members make up the General Assembly, which only makes recommendations. The UN also has a Secretariat, which is the administrative organ.

Consequences of the War

Human Loss

At least 60 million people died, and it also caused massive displacement of individuals.

Moral Consequences

War survivors suffered intense trauma after human cruelty. A new legal concept of crimes against humanity was created.

Economic Consequences

To avoid situations like the crash, the IMF and the World Bank helped rebuild the economy after the war and create a new world economic system that favored economic agreements between countries.

Political and Territorial Changes

Having lost much international influence, many leaders saw a need for a unified Europe. In Western Europe, parliamentary democracy and capitalism were restored, while Eastern Europe was under communist dictatorships under Soviet control.