World War II

United States “To Do” List

• #1: Defeat Germany / Stop Hitler--We have
strong European ties with countries that
need to be liberated
• #2: End war in Asia
 February, 1945:
Yalta Agreement
• Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin meet and
agreed to terms when Germany surrenders:
– 1. Soviet Union would enter war against Japan
– 2. Germany divided into 4 zones controlled by
the Allies
– 3. Democratic elections for European countries
under Soviet Union control
– 4. United Nations created
• President Roosevelt dies suddenly April,
1945
– Vice President Harry S. Truman becomes
President
– Adolph Hitler kills himself in a bunker in
Berlin, Germany---Germany surrenders
 On to Japan….
• President Truman learned of the Atomic
Bomb (A-Bomb) was being built (Chicago)

• Should he use it against Japan?

– Would cause tremendous loss of civilian life
– Could end the war, and in effect, save millions
of lives
– http
://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of
-us/videos/manhattan-project#manhattan-projec
 August 6, 1945
• B-29 Bomber “Enola
Gay” dropped “Little
Boy” on Hiroshima
• Within 43 seconds
every building
collapsed
• Destroyed city and
instantly killed
130,000 civilians
August 9, 1945
• US dropped “Fat
Man” dropped on
Nagasaki
• Instantly killed 75,000
• August 14, 1945 Japan
asks for a cease-fire
• 200,000 died within
the year
• http://www.history.co
m/videos/bombing-of-
hiroshima-and-nagasa
http://www.histor
y.com/topics/v-j-d
ay/interactives/ins
ide-wwii-interacti
ve
Formal Surrender:
September 2, 1945

Ends the worst war in World History

• http://
www.history.com/topics/v-j-
day/photos#end-of-world-w
ar-ii

• What problems do you see

coming up after WWII?