Cities, industries, roads, railways and harbours were destroyed throughout Europe and the Far East. ● After the war, the American Government provided Marshall Aid to help European governments rebuild their countries.
The Americans controlled Japan after the war. ● They introduced economic policies that benefited the Japanese economy. The economy also benefited from the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, when Japan became the main supplier to America.
3 Refugees
There was huge movement of people after the war was over. Millions of refugees were homeless. ● By 1950, about 11.5 million Germans were either expelled or left voluntarily from countries in Eastern Europe.
● Jews leaving the concentration camps found that their properties were taken over by others. Many had to live in camps until they were able to move to Israel in the late 1940s.
German refugees migrating after World War II
● Two million Poles had to leave Polish territory given to the Soviet Union. Other nationalities were also on the move, many trying to leave Eastern Europe as the Soviet Union began to take control of their countries.
4 War crimes trials
War crimes trials were held in many countries after the war. ● The most significant trials occurred in Nuremberg, where high-ranking Nazi leaders were tried and some of them were executed.
● Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes in Tokyo. Some of those also were executed, and others were imprisoned.
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Goering (to the far left) and other Nazi leaders at the Nuremberg Trials