N a m e _________________________________D a t e _________________P e r i o d __________

WORLD WAR II:

THE AFTERMATH
After World War II, the Allies finally were triumphant. However, their victory was destructive.
World War II had caused more death and ruin than any other conflict in history. The war left as many as 55
million people dead. About one-third of these deaths occurred in one country, the Soviet Union.
Another 50 million people were left as refugees, uprooted from their homes and wandered the
countryside in search of somewhere to live. They faced hunger and disease. Cities were in ruins.
Property damage ran into billions of dollars. Look at the chart below, describing the costs of the
war, and answer the following questions.

COST OF WORLD WAR II

DIRECT WAR MILITARY KILLED/ CIVILIANS

COSTS MISSING KILLED

U.S. $288.0 BILLION* 292,131

GREAT $170.0 BILLION 272,311 60,595
BRITAIN
FRANCE $111.3 BILLION 205,707 173,260
USSR $93.0 BILLION 13,600,000 7,720,000
GERMANY $212.3 BILLION 3,300,300 2,893,000
JAPAN $41.0 BILLION 1,140,429 953,000 * 1994 dollars

1. Why did Europeans leave their homes following the war? _________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
2. What country amassed the most debt during the war?____________________________________________
3. Which nation suffered the greatest number of total deaths?________________________________________
How many deaths total? ___________________________________________________________________

4. According to the chart, how many U.S. civilians were killed? ______________________________________
b. Why is this? __________________________________________________________________________
5. Which country, besides the U.S., suffered the least amount of civilian deaths? ________________________
Why do you think so? _____________________________________________________________________

6. What does this chart tell you about the consequences of war? _____________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
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 WORLD WAR II: THE AFTERMATH
THE NUREMBERG TRIALS
The Nuremberg trials were a series of 13 trials carried out in Nuremberg, Germany, between 1945 and
1949. In the first of these trials, 22 Nazi leaders were charged with waging a war of
aggression. They were also accused of committing “crimes against humanity,” the murder of
11 million people. German industrialists, lawyers and doctors were also indicted on such
charges as crimes against peace and crimes against humanity.
Adolf Hitler, SS chief Heinrich Himmler, and Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels had
committed suicide long before the trials began. However, Hermann Göring, leading
member of the Nazi Party; Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s former deputy; and other high-
ranking Nazi leaders remained to face the charges.
Hess was found guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. Göring received
a death sentence, but committed suicide before the being put to death. Ten
other Nazi leaders were hanged in October of 1946. They were
cremated in the same ovens that had burned so many of their victims.
Hermann Göring The Nuremberg trials set an important precedent for dealing with later
instances of genocide and other crimes against humanity.

Douglas MacArthur Occupies Japan

After the war, Japan was in ruins. The U.S. placed General Douglas MacArthur in charge
of the occupation of Japan and its reconstruction. One of the first things MacArthur did
was demilitarization, the disbanding of the Japanese military. Like the Nuremberg
trials, MacArthur began bringing war criminals to trial. Seven Japanese were hanged.
MacArthur and his advisors drew up a new constitution for Japan that set up
constitutional monarchy, similar to Great Britain, whereby the Emperor acted as
ceremonial head of state. This gave the democracy to Japan for the first time in its
history. MacArthur also worked on reforming the economy by redistributing land and
allowing the development of labor unions.
7. What were the Nuremberg trials?_____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
8. Besides Nazi leaders, who else was put on trial?________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
9. Why wasn’t Hitler put on trial? ____________________________________________
Douglas MacArthur
10. Share a sentence from the text that describes the significance and legacy of the
Nuremberg trials? _______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
11. What three reforms did General Douglas MacArthur introduce during the American occupation of Japan?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
12. Why did the Americans choose the British system of government for Japan, instead of the U.S. system?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
13. Given the state of Japan now, were U.S. reforms in Japan a success? ______________________________
Give evidence for your answer? ____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
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