Europe in Ruins
By time Germany surrendered in May 1945 → much of Europe → shattered + devastated war zone.
- Around 36 million Europeans → killed
- Much of infrastructure of roads, railways, bridges, canals → destroyed by fighting or bombing
- No Gas, electricity, or running water in many areas
- Disease + Malnutrition → widespread → were desperate shortages of food and medicine
- Homelessness was huge problem → over 50 million people → lost homes / had been forced to leave homes
New Political Landscape
- war and events that followed → led to fundamental shifts in balance of power in international politics.
- factors continue to shape development of cold war
Decline of Western European powers
1939 → 3 great European powers; Br., Fr., Germany.
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By end of war → even though Britain was never invaded/defeated → it had exhausted resources of its people, industries, and empire during war
- became virtually bankrupt
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1940: France → occupied by Germany.
- liberated in 1944 → but was no longer the great power it had once been
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By 1945 → Germany lay in ruins after defeat in WWII
→ thus in post war Europe → Britain, France, Germany → would no longer be dominant players on the world stage
Emergence of Superpowers
- Both US and USSR → emerged from war as superpowers
- Due to geographical size + population + economic output + military strength
- they continued to possess these points after war