Untitled Notes

Quote from Bernard Baruch: "Peace is never long preserved by weight of metal or by an armament race. Peace can be made tranquil and secure only by understanding and agreement fortified by sanctions. We must embrace international cooperation or international disintegration."

Date: June 14, 1946
Context: U.S. representative to United Nations Atomic Energy Commission

Objective: Explain the consequences of U.S. involvement in World War II.
Key Consequence: The U.S. allied with unlikely partners, including the communist Soviet Union and colonial powers such as Great Britain and France, to defeat the Axis powers.

1944 Election:
- President Roosevelt was nominated for a fourth term but replaced Vice President Henry Wallace with Harry S. Truman due to concerns over Wallace's radical nature.
- The Democrats won with 53% of the popular vote and a 432–99 victory in the Electoral College.
Roosevelt's Health:
- Despite public denial of health issues, Roosevelt's declining health was noted by his close associates.
- FDR passed away less than three months post-inauguration, leading to Truman assuming presidency.
- Truman had limited interaction with Roosevelt and was only informed of the atomic bomb project posthumously.
- Critics questioned how Roosevelt's health and administrative changes affected US-Soviet relations.

Definition: The Big Three refers to U.S. President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Churchill, and Soviet Premier Stalin, who coordinated military strategy and postwar policies through secret meetings.

Casablanca (January 1943):
- Involved only Roosevelt and Churchill.
- Major Decision: Adopted a strategy to invade Sicily and demand "unconditional surrender" of Axis powers.
Tehran (November 1943):
- Big Three met for the first time.
- Agreements:
- British and Americans to liberate France by spring 1944.
- Soviets to invade Germany and later join the war against Japan.
Yalta (February 1945):
- Most significant meeting.
- Agreements:
- Germany divided into occupation zones.
- Germany to lose about 1/4 of its territory to Poland and the Soviet Union.
- Liberated Eastern European countries to hold free elections (despite Soviet troop presence).
- Soviets to enter the war against Japan on August 8, 1945.
- Control of southern Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands, with concessions in Manchuria.
- Establishment of the United Nations.
- The Yalta Conference's results would determine postwar Europe’s geopolitics.
- Roosevelt faced criticism post-war for perceived concessions in Eastern Europe.

Event: Roosevelt died suddenly on April 12, 1945, immediately after returning from Yalta.
- Shockwaves throughout the nation; Truman assumed the presidency under immense responsibility as the war continued.

Context: After Germany's surrender in July 1945.
New Leaders:
- Truman replaced Roosevelt, and Clement Attlee replaced Churchill.
Agreements made in Potsdam meeting (July 17 – August 2, 1945):
1. Demand unconditional surrender from Japan.
2. Divide Germany and Berlin into four occupation zones.
Cracks in the Grand Alliance:
- Stalin's harsher stance on Germany and viewed U.S. atomic bomb as a threat.
- Truman’s tough stance against Soviet control in Eastern Europe.

Casualties: Estimated 70 million to 80 million deaths worldwide, with one-third as Soviet citizens.
U.S. Military Statistics:
- 15 million Americans served; about 400,000 died, and 800,000 were wounded.
- More American deaths in WWII than in all previous U.S. wars combined (excluding the Civil War).

The war left the U.S. with substantial national debt, but with virtually no domestic damage.
U.S. Economic Position Post-War:
- Emerged wealthier than any other nation due to lack of physical devastation compared to others, asserting itself as the dominant global power by 1945.

Formation and Acceptance:
- Legacy of World War II included the establishment of the UN, formed to prevent future conflicts.
- Meeting in 1944 at Dumbarton Oaks led to the initial proposal.
- In April 1945, representatives of 50 nations convened in San Francisco to draft the UN charter, which was quickly ratified by the U.S. Senate.
UN Establishment Date: October 24, 1945.

Quote from FDR: "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be the doubts of today."
Post-war optimism contrasted with worries about Soviet influence and atomic capabilities.
The U.S. proposed atomic control plans at the UN, but the Soviet Union vetoed these ideas and pursued its atomic program.

Breakdown of U.S.-Soviet cooperation initiated an ideological conflict known as the Cold War (1945–1980), engaging democratic and capitalist West against Communist East.

Explain two consequences of U.S. involvement in World War II:
- Formation of international alliances, including with communist states, redefined postwar diplomacy.
- Rapid economic growth and emergence of the U.S. as a global superpower post-war while Europe lay in ruins.