1945 and the Post-War World: Year Zero, Ground Zero, and the Emergence of a New Global Order

A set of Question-and-Answer flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on 1945 as a turning point, the atomic bombings, the Holocaust, postwar reconstruction, decolonization, globalization, and the beginnings of the Cold War.

What does the term 'year zero' refer to?

1945 is seen as the turning point—the end of one historical period and the beginning of reconstruction and a new world order.

Where does the term 'ground zero' originate and how is it used today?

Borrowed from the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings; now used to describe the focal impact of disasters, including 9/11.

What major event in 1945 marks the start of the atomic age?

The dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

What were the immediate death tolls in Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Hiroshima: about 70,000 killed; Nagasaki: about 74,000 killed.

How many people died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the years following the bombings?

Approximately 140,000 additional deaths from radiation poisoning and related effects.

What was the Holocaust and how many Jews were murdered?

The systematic murder of about 6,000,000 European Jews, a central atrocity of the Nazi regime.

Who coined the term 'genocide' and when?

Raphael Lemkin in 1945 to describe mass murder of groups based on ethnicity or identity.

What were the Nuremberg Trials and when did they occur?

A series of trials prosecuting Nazi leaders from 1945 to 1949, establishing precedents for international criminal accountability.

Which camps were liberated by which forces, and what is a common misperception?

Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet troops; Dachau by American troops; Bergen-Belsen by British troops; liberation narratives are often misattributed.

What was denazification?

Postwar efforts to remove Nazi ideology from German society through legal and political processes.

What does the postwar map of Jewish populations illustrate?

Prewar European Jewish population was about 9.5 million; by 1945, a little under 4 million remained; about 6 million were killed; by 2010, roughly 1.4 million in Europe remained.

How many people were displaced after World War II?

About 12,400,000 people were displaced or became refugees, with widespread housing shortages and relocation.

What is decolonization and how did it reshape global politics?

The independence of colonies leading to a rise from ~50 to 193 sovereign states and a transformed global order.

How is globalization defined in the lecture?

Increased global connectivity—technological, economic, and cultural—along with instantaneous cross-border communication.

What happened to Berlin and other German cities in the immediate postwar period?

Widespread destruction with enormous rubble (e.g., Berlin) and severe shortages (e.g., 800 calories/day, famine conditions in 1946) as people rebuilt amid displacement.

What does the lecture say about the emergence of the Cold War?

The war’s rubble contributed to a new global order rooted in competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, setting the stage for the Cold War.

What is the broader significance of 'year zero' beyond marking the end of WWII?

It symbolizes a period of total societal reconstruction and the emergence of a new global political order.

What immediate global fear emerged with the start of the atomic age?

The fear of widespread nuclear destruction and a new era of warfare.

Beyond the direct victims, who was responsible for the systematic murder during the Holocaust?

The Nazi regime and its collaborators across occupied Europe.

What key legal principle was established by the Nuremberg Trials?

The principle of individual accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity, regardless of official position.

What were some key factors driving decolonization after WWII?

Increased nationalist movements, weakening of European colonial powers, and international pressure for self-determination.

What are the main components of increased global connectivity as part of globalization?

Technological advancements, economic interdependence, and cultural exchange facilitated by instantaneous cross-border communication.