1. World War II
Part III

2. Battle of the Bulge
 Germany’s last major stand
 Began December 16, 1944
 Known as the The German
Ardennes offensive or the
Battle of the Bulge
 The Americans were taken
completely by surprise
 Resisted and held Saint-Vith and
Bastogne
 German effort was doomed after
December 23, when good flying
weather allowed the
overwhelming Allied air
superiority to make itself felt.
 End of January, the last of the
80-km- (50-mi-) deep "bulge" in
the Allied lines is eliminated.
 Allied advance into Germany
resumed in February

3. Soviet Successes
 By December 1944
 Soviets have forced the Nazis out of Belarus, Ukraine,
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, and
half of Hungary and Poland
 Liberation of Majdanek – July 23, 1944
 Fighting in Budapest
 Warsaw Uprising – Summer 1944
 By the end of the war
 Soviets have also liberated Czechoslovakia, Poland,
the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camps, and
parts of Germany

4. Liberation of Majdanek

5. Former Inmates After Liberation

6. By December 1944

7. Warsaw Uprising
http://www.warsawuprising.com/photos.htm

8. Allies Successes
 Through the Spring of 1945
 Liberated the Netherlands,
Belgium, Luxembourg,
Denmark, Norway, Austria,
 Occupied portions of
Germany
 April 1945 – FDR dies
suddenly
 April 30, 1945 – Hitler
commits suicide

9. Conclusion of War
 Unconditional surrender
from Germans on May 7th
at General Eisenhower's
post
 VE Day – Victory in
Europe – May 8, 1945
 Unconditional surrender
from Germans on May 9th
in Soviet occupied Berlin

10. Yalta Conference
• Yalta – Feb 4 to Feb 11, 1945
• Big Three
• Begin making post-war plans
• Roosevelt – wants Soviets to
help in the Pacific
• Churchill – pushed for
importance of democratic gvts
and free elections in Eastern
Europe after the war
• Stalin – demands that Eastern
Europe become a Soviet sphere
of political influence for the
USSR’s protection
• Discuss how to handle Germany

11. Potsdam • July-August 1945
• Truman, Stalin, Churchill, and
Atlee
Conference • Issue ultimatum to Japan of
“prompt and utter
destruction” if they don’t
agree to unconditional
surrender
• **Truman receives word of
successful atom bomb test**
• Truman tells Stalin that the
USA has a new powerful
bomb
• Agree to partition Germany
and work on
• demilitarization,
democratization,
• de-nazification, and
decentralization

12. Casualties of WW II
 Quotes in Handout

13. Partitioning Germany
 Germany is divided up
into four parts
 Britain, United States,
France and the Soviets
 The democratic states
become West Germany
 Soviet state becomes
East Germany

14. The Eastern Bloc
 Soviets refuse to give up Poland and
cling onto the countries they had
liberated from Nazi Germany
 Soviet Red Army hand picked dictators
that would be allegiant to the Soviet
Union
 Eastern European countries forcibly
become communist
 opposition is eliminated
 noncompliant states are threatened to be
“crushed with Soviet tanks”

16.  Eastern Bloc states forced to have communist leadership
and have “loyalty” to Soviet Union
 NATO established April 1949, still exists
 North Atlantic Treaty Organization
 Today: 26 member states, 14 allies
 Soviet Union successfully tests the atom bomb August
1949
 Warsaw Pact established to counter NATO
 Officially Warsaw Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation,
and Mutual Assistance
 Signed May 1955, not disestablished until 1991
 Founding members: Albania (leaves 1961), Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, and later
East Germany

17. Rebuilding Europe
• Europe is in ruins
• Aerial attack abilities devastated most of the
major cities of Europe
• Rebuild buildings, railroads, and infrastructure
• Where do you start?
– brick by brick

18. Warsaw in Ruins

19. Hamburg, Germany

20. Marshall Plan
 European Recovery Plan
 Secretary of State – George Marshall
 Reconstruction plan offered in July 1947
 Intended to help foster stability and rehabilitation to
European countries
 4 year plan of economic and technical assistance – 13
billion US Dollars
 West takes advantage
 Eastern bloc offered same deal if the Soviets were willing
to make political reforms and allow for some external
controls – Deny help

21. Marshall Plan
 Extremely successful!
 Restores countries to even better status
than before the war

22. United Nations
 April 1945 50 countries met
 Charter and purpose developed
 Save future from war
 Promote national self-determination
 Promote respect for human rights
 Help nations solve problems
 Headquarters- New York City
 The P5 – Permanent 5 members with veto
power
 USA, China, GB, France, and USSR

23. Advantages Over
League
No major power refused
to join
UN peace keeping force
Armed group to enforce
decisions

24. Overall…
 UN more effective socially,
economically not politically
 1948 Universal Declaration of
Human Rights-
 Protect from oppression
 Preservation of rights