Question- Explain the Aftermath of World War II.

Answer

Birth of UN

1. One of the momentous results of the war was the birth of the United Nations Organisation.

2. Although the League failed to deliver, mankind did not altogether lose its hopes of making the world a safer and happier place to live in.

3. The UN Charter enshrines the hopes and ideals of mankind, on the basis of which countries can work together to maintain lasting peace.

4. However, the establishment of the UN was agreed, much before the end of World War II under the Atlantic Charter.

Start of Cold War

1. After the end of the war, a conference was held in Potsdam, Germany, to set up peace treaties.

   • The countries that fought with Hitler lost territory and had to pay reparations to the Allies.
   • Germany and its capital Berlin were divided into four parts.

2. The zones were to be controlled by Great Britain, the United States, France, and the Soviet Union.

3. The three Western Allies and the Soviet Union disagreed on many things, and as time went on,

   • Germany was divided into two separate countries:
     • East Germany, which had a Communist government
     • West Germany, which was a democratic state

4. This laid the foundation of the Cold War.

New Economic World Order

1. Bretton Woods Conference, formally United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, met at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire (July 1-22, 1944), during World War II to make financial arrangements for the postwar world after the expected defeat of Germany and Japan.

2. It drew up a project for the:

   • International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD - now known as World Bank) to make long-term capital available to states needing foreign aid.
   • International Monetary Fund (IMF) to finance short-term imbalances in international payments in order to stabilize exchange rates.

3. Also, the US dollar was established as a reserve currency for world trade.

New Superpowers

World War II changed the status of countries and continents.

• Britain and France lost their positions of preeminence as superpowers.
• They yielded their place to the USA and the USSR.

Start of Decolonisation

After the war, Britain and France were confronted with various domestic and external problems.

• Both of them could no longer hold onto their respective colonies.
• Thus, the post-war world witnessed the end of colonialism in Africa and Asia.

...Prev | Next...