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Aftermath of World War II
The aftermath of World War II saw the rise of two global superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. The aftermath of World War II was also defined by the rising threat of nuclear warfare, the creation and implementation of the United Nations as an intergovernmental organization, and the decolonization of Asia, Oceania, South America and Africa by European and East Asian powers, most notably by the United Kingdom and France.
Once allies during World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union became competitors on the world stage and engaged in the Cold War, so called because it never resulted in overt, declared total war between the two powers. It was instead characterized by espionage, political subversion and proxy wars. Western Europe was 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 United States-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 Cold War also saw a nuclear arms race between the two superpowers, and 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 through economic cooperation and integration, and a common market for important natural resources.
The end of the war opened the way for decolonization, as independence was granted to India and Pakistan (from the United Kingdom), Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, French India and Vanuatu (from France), Indonesia (from the Netherlands), the Philippines (from the United States), several Arab nations from specific Mandates granted to European states by the now defunct League of Nations such as Jordan, Iraq (from the United Kingdom), Syria and Lebanon (from France). The State of Israel was also established following the disestablishment of the British-ruled Mandatory Palestine and the 1948 Palestine War. By 1945, Britain and France controlled over 80% of Africa’s population and territory. Nations in Africa achieved independence in the 1950s to 1970s, mainly from the United Kingdom and France. Between 1945 and 1980, 55 countries gained independence from Britain and about 35 countries gained independence from France.
The aftermath of World War II saw the rise of communist influence in East and Southeast Asia. The People's Republic of China was founded after the Chinese Communist Party emerged victorious from the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and the First Indochina War was fought between the Viet Minh government and France after the Japanese retreat. The Korean War led to the division of the Korean Peninsula between the communist North and the Western-aligned South.
At the end of the war in Europe, tens of millions of people had been killed and even more were displaced, European economies had collapsed, and much of Europe's industrial infrastructure had been destroyed. In response, in 1947 U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall devised the "European Recovery Program", which became known as the Marshall Plan. Under the plan, from 1948 to 1952 the United States government allocated US$13 billion (US$140 billion in 2024 dollars) for the reconstruction of affected countries in Western Europe.
By the end of the war, the economy of the United Kingdom was one of severe privation, as a significant portion of its national wealth had been consumed by the war effort. Until the introduction in 1941 of Lend-Lease aid from the US, the UK had been spending its assets to purchase American equipment including aircraft and ships—over £437 million (equivalent to some £27 billion in 2023) on aircraft alone. Lend-Lease came just before its reserves were exhausted. Britain had placed 55% of its total labour force into war production.
In the spring of 1945, after the final defeat of Germany, the Labour Party withdrew from the wartime coalition government, to oust Winston Churchill, forcing a general election. Following a landslide victory, Labour held more than 60% of the seats in the House of Commons and formed a new government on 26 July 1945 under Clement Attlee, who had been Deputy Prime Minister in the coalition government.
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Aftermath of World War II
The aftermath of World War II saw the rise of two global superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. The aftermath of World War II was also defined by the rising threat of nuclear warfare, the creation and implementation of the United Nations as an intergovernmental organization, and the decolonization of Asia, Oceania, South America and Africa by European and East Asian powers, most notably by the United Kingdom and France.
Once allies during World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union became competitors on the world stage and engaged in the Cold War, so called because it never resulted in overt, declared total war between the two powers. It was instead characterized by espionage, political subversion and proxy wars. Western Europe was 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 United States-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 Cold War also saw a nuclear arms race between the two superpowers, and 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 through economic cooperation and integration, and a common market for important natural resources.
The end of the war opened the way for decolonization, as independence was granted to India and Pakistan (from the United Kingdom), Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, French India and Vanuatu (from France), Indonesia (from the Netherlands), the Philippines (from the United States), several Arab nations from specific Mandates granted to European states by the now defunct League of Nations such as Jordan, Iraq (from the United Kingdom), Syria and Lebanon (from France). The State of Israel was also established following the disestablishment of the British-ruled Mandatory Palestine and the 1948 Palestine War. By 1945, Britain and France controlled over 80% of Africa’s population and territory. Nations in Africa achieved independence in the 1950s to 1970s, mainly from the United Kingdom and France. Between 1945 and 1980, 55 countries gained independence from Britain and about 35 countries gained independence from France.
The aftermath of World War II saw the rise of communist influence in East and Southeast Asia. The People's Republic of China was founded after the Chinese Communist Party emerged victorious from the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and the First Indochina War was fought between the Viet Minh government and France after the Japanese retreat. The Korean War led to the division of the Korean Peninsula between the communist North and the Western-aligned South.
At the end of the war in Europe, tens of millions of people had been killed and even more were displaced, European economies had collapsed, and much of Europe's industrial infrastructure had been destroyed. In response, in 1947 U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall devised the "European Recovery Program", which became known as the Marshall Plan. Under the plan, from 1948 to 1952 the United States government allocated US$13 billion (US$140 billion in 2024 dollars) for the reconstruction of affected countries in Western Europe.
By the end of the war, the economy of the United Kingdom was one of severe privation, as a significant portion of its national wealth had been consumed by the war effort. Until the introduction in 1941 of Lend-Lease aid from the US, the UK had been spending its assets to purchase American equipment including aircraft and ships—over £437 million (equivalent to some £27 billion in 2023) on aircraft alone. Lend-Lease came just before its reserves were exhausted. Britain had placed 55% of its total labour force into war production.
In the spring of 1945, after the final defeat of Germany, the Labour Party withdrew from the wartime coalition government, to oust Winston Churchill, forcing a general election. Following a landslide victory, Labour held more than 60% of the seats in the House of Commons and formed a new government on 26 July 1945 under Clement Attlee, who had been Deputy Prime Minister in the coalition government.