Give Me Liberty 22 4

May 8, 1945: Known as VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), marks the formal end of the war against Germany.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR): Unprecedentedly wins a fourth term in the 1944 election but suffers a stroke on April 12, 1945, leading to his death.
Harry Truman: Assumes the presidency immediately after FDR's death, faced with critical decisions about wartime strategies.

Truman's Lack of Knowledge: As vice president, Truman was unaware of the atomic bomb's existence until he took office.
The Atomic Bomb's Origins:
- Albert Einstein: Fled Germany and alerted FDR about Nazi scientists' work on an atomic weapon.
- Manhattan Project: FDR authorized this top-secret project to develop atomic weapons.
Testing and Deployment:
- July 1945: Successful test of the atomic bomb in New Mexico.
- August 6, 1945: Bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Nearly all buildings in the largely undamaged city were destroyed instantly.
- Civilians affected: 280,000 total (approximately 40,000 soldiers); initially 70,000 died instantly. Due to radiation, the death toll increased to 140,000 by year-end, with thousands more dying thereafter.
- August 9, 1945: Bomb dropped on Nagasaki. Approximately 70,000 deaths.
- Soviet Union Declares War: On the same day as the Nagasaki bombing, Japan surrenders within the week.
Dawn of the Atomic Age: Reflects the only instance of nuclear weapons used in warfare.

Historical Context:
- World War I: 90% of deaths were military personnel.
- World War II: Out of 50 million deaths, 20 million were civilians.
Germany's Actions: Conducted the Holocaust, targeting so-called inferior races.
Allied Bombings: Participated in air assaults targeting civilian populations.
- Dresden Fire Bombing: Killed approximately 100,000 civilians; areas still being rebuilt, with remnants of Roman ruins uncovered.
- Bombing of Tokyo: Killed nearly 100,000 civilians on March 9.

Dehumanization Debate: Initial lack of criticism for Truman about dehumanization in warfare; however, questions emerged about the necessity of dropping the atomic bomb.
Debate Topics: Was the dropping of the atomic bomb necessary? Was Truman's decision the correct one?

Power Dynamics: Leaders of the U.S. (Truman), U.K. (Churchill), and Soviet Union (Stalin) sought to establish power post-war.
Tehran Conference (1943): First meeting among the Big Three leaders.
Yalta Conference (1945): Marks a high point in American-Soviet relations.
- Disagreements: Churchill resisted American pushes for independence for India and other colonies.
Potsdam Conference (1945):
- Presence of Attlee replacing Churchill post-election.
- Establishment of military governance for Germany; agreement on trials for Nazi war criminals.

Bretton Woods Conference: Set up a new economic architecture.
- U.S. Dollar: Became the primary currency for international transactions.
- Creation of IMF: International Monetary Fund and World Bank, heavily influenced by the U.S.
- Free Trade Policies: Barriers to free trade were largely removed to avoid the Great Depression's recurrence.
- Long-term Policies: Emphasis on free trade became essential to U.S. foreign policy.

Successor to the League of Nations: Agreement among allies to establish the UN.
Dumbarton Oaks Conference (1944): Developed the structural framework for the U.N.
- General Assembly: Each member has an equal voice.
- Security Council: Responsible for maintaining world peace with five permanent members: Britain, China, France, Soviet Union, and United States, each with veto power, plus ten rotating members.
UN Charter Adoption:
- June 1945, in San Francisco, 51 member countries present.
- U.S. Senate endorses the charter in July 1945.

With the redistribution of power placing the United States at the center of global influence, questions arise about the sustainability of peace in the new post-war world order.