The Aftermath of World War II was the beginning of a new era, defined by the decline of all European colonial empires and simultaneous rise of two superpowers: the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (US). Allies during World War II, the US and the USSR became competitors on the world stage and engaged in the Cold War, so called because it never resulted in overt, declared hot war between the two powers but was instead characterized by espionage, political subversion and proxy wars. Western Europe and Japan were rebuilt through the American Marshall Plan whereas Central and Eastern Europe fell under the Soviet sphere of influence and eventually behind an "Iron Curtain". Europe was divided into a US-led Western Bloc and a Soviet-led Eastern Bloc. Internationally, alliances with the two blocs gradually shifted, with some nations trying to stay out of the Cold War through the Non-Aligned Movement. The War also saw a nuclear arms race between the two superpowers; part of the reason that the Cold War never became a "hot" war was that the Soviet Union and the United States had nuclear deterrents against each other, leading to a mutually assured destruction standoff.
As a consequence of the war, the Allies created the United Nations, an organization for international cooperation and diplomacy, similar to the League of Nations. Members of the United Nations agreed to outlaw wars of aggression in an attempt to avoid a third world war. The devastated great powers of Western Europe formed the European Coal and Steel Community, which later evolved into the European Economic Community and ultimately into the current European Union. This effort primarily began as an attempt to avoid another war between Germany and France by economic cooperation and integration, and a common market for important natural resources.
The end of the war also increased the rate of decolonization from the great powers with independence being granted to India (from the United Kingdom), Indonesia (from the Netherlands), the Philippines (from the US) and a number of Arab nations, primarily from specific rights which had been granted to great powers from League of Nations Mandates in the post World War I-era but often having existed de facto well before this time. Independence for the nations of Sub-Saharan Africa came more slowly.
The aftermath of World War II also saw the rise of communist influence in Southeast Asia, with the People's Republic of China, as the Chinese Communist Party emerged victorious from the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
Political machines created cycles that turned, like gears.
This cartoon is stating that the women are slowly making progress and might have equal rights going into the future.
There were many different reasons for the cold war, I'll only include a few.
Firstly the breakdown the the wartime alliance; Russia(soviet union) and America never got along but they both put aside their differences to fight against a common enemy, Hitler. Their hatred for Hitler kept the alliance going through the war however when Germany was defeated, they had no reason to stay friends.
They also have different ideological beliefs. America believed in capitalism, where there was a free economy with privately owned businesses and people making profit. Whereas the Ussr believed in communism, where the economy is controlled by the state, businesses are controlled by the state and a doctor would have the same wages as a cleaner- They wanted it to be fair for people.
Stalin was angry that Britain and America kept delaying D-Day, believing it was a plot to allow Germany to weaken the Soviet Union therefore there was tension.
Germany;
Stalin wanted huge reparations from Germany, and a ‘buffer’ of friendly states to protect the USSR from being invaded again.
Britain and the USA wanted to protect democracy, and help Germany to recover. They were worried that large areas of eastern Europe were falling under Soviet control.
It was difficult to come to an agreement.
There was resentment;
Britain and the USA could not forget that Stalin had signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact with Germany in 1939.
The Soviet Union could not forget that in 1918 Britain and the USA had tried to destroy the Russian Revolution
There are a few more I've missed out, but here's a good starting point.
The reason that Rock and Roll was so appealing was that it made people feel free of the bonds that forced conformity on them.
<h3>Life in the 1950s</h3>
- Was very conservative such that some things could not be discussed or engaged in openly.
- Society had expectations of people and those who didn't fit were labeled outsiders.
Many were disillusioned with this society especially the young. When Rock and Roll came with its controversial style, it represented the freedom these people wanted and so it gained popularity.
Find out more on Rock and Roll at brainly.com/question/15148640.
