Lesson 8.05 Shaping The Peace

  
Unlike World War I, where all the nations convened at Versailles in 1919 to hammer out a peace treaty, the allied nations of the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and France, met in a series of meetings to discuss post World War II settlements.  Many of the decisions they made, both openly and secretly determined the course of World History. 

[Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill on portico of Russian Embassy in Teheran, during conference--Nov. 28 - Dec. 1, 1943. www.loc.gov ]

Towards the end of World War II, Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill met to start the peace talks; they met in 1943 at Teheran and again in February 1945 at Yalta.  Then in July 1945, Truman, Stalin, and Atlee met in Potsdam.  At the conference at Potsdam the foundation was laid for the United Nations.  It is an organization built of nations, which work for world peace and security of the world. The goals of the UN are peace and human dignity. 

Picture of the UN building in New York

                  The United Nation Flag
  • At the Yalta Conference  in February of 1945, the allied countries met to discuss the future governments of World nations.  At this time the Soviet Union controlled most of Eastern Europe and the United States, Britain and France controlled most of Western Europe.  The Soviet Union was allowed to supervise elections in Eastern Europe and to no one’s surprise, communist governments were elected.
  • At the Potsdam Conference in July of 1945 the decision was made to divide Germany into zones of occupation, among the four allied nations.  Soon Germany was to become two separate nations.  The communist backed East Germany and the pro democratic West Germany. 

Another aim of the Allies discussed at Yalta and Potsdam was the punishment of Nazi leaders.  The Nuremberg trials, held in 1945 and 1946, focused on 22 Nazi leaders, convicting and executing 18 of them.  A total of 28 Japanese leaders were tried in Tokyo.  General Tojo was among those sentenced to death and executed.

Since there was no single international agreement to draft treaties with the losing nations the immediate future of the world was defined by the split between the communist Soviet Union and the other allied powers, principally the United States.  The two new superpowers dominated the globe.  Western Europe no longer wielded the power and influence they had once enjoyed.  Historians label the tensions between the two superpowers as the COLD WAR.  

Both sides soon developed alliance systems:

  • In 1949, twelve western nations signed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).  These nations pledged “an attack on one is an attack on all.”  The United States pledged military aid, troops, and leadership for this defense alliance.
  • The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was signed in Manila, Philippines in 1954; it was to help keep Communism from taking over--specifically in Southeast Asia.  The organization was dissolved in 1977; it failed due to many Asian countries not joining.
  • The Warsaw Pact, signed in Warsaw, Poland in the year 1955 was to be the Soviet bloc’s equivalent to NATO; it was a military command with heavy Soviet control.  Starting in the early 1990’s member countries started to leave the pact, due to Communist parties loosing power; the pact was later dissolved in 1991.  The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), created in 1949, was to keep the Soviet Union from attacking anti-Communist countries.

The flag of NATO

  

Assignment 8.05 - Shaping The Peace

Role Play:  You are the representative from Hungary in YEAR. World War II is over.  You must decide which organization to join.  It is your job to decide which of the four organizations your country is to join in order to be protected and help keep the peace.  Will you align with the Soviet Union or the United States?

You need to create a chart, using the table function in Microsoft Word.  Use the websites below to list crucial information about each organization in order to help you make an informed decision.  Your table might include:

  • year formed
  • reason why they it was formed
  • purpose of the organization
  • member countries that joined each organization at the time of formation (signing of the pact).  
  • Other?

After creating your chart, include answers to these questions:

  • Does the organization still exist today? 
  • Did Hungary join any of these organizations, if so which one(s)?
  • List the sources you used to find the information in your chart.

 Web Sites Resources  (Feel free to use your history book or other sources  if necessary)

 

 

  

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