The Aftermath of World War II: Political and Territorial Changes
The Axis Powers and Collaborator States
The Axis Powers (the Nazi and collaborationist states) included:
- The German Reich: Formed by Germany, which annexed Austria, the Sudetenland, western Poland, Luxembourg, Alsace-Lorraine, Slovenia, and the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia. Territories under direct administration of the German Reich were grouped into Comissariats General.
- Italy: An ally of Germany, its territory expanded after the annexation of Albania, Montenegro, and part of the Dalmatian coast. Italy was occupied by Nazi troops after 1943.
Territories under the direct authority of the German Army: Denmark, Belgium, parts of France, Croatia, Serbia, Greece, and the Russian front area.
Independent satellite states and neutral countries sympathetic to the Axis (such as Spain, Switzerland, and Sweden) also played a role.
The Human Cost of World War II
Casualties and Extermination
It is estimated that there were between 40 and 50 million dead. The biggest losses were suffered in Poland, the USSR, Yugoslavia, Germany, and China. Tragically, 6 million Jews were exterminated during the Holocaust.
Population Displacement and Forced Labor
Mass movements of population were constant. While some were due to economic needs, most were imposed by the occupying authorities or driven by fear of advancing enemy armies.
Key population movements included:
- Prisoners of War: Taken to concentration camps in Germany and Poland.
- Forced Laborers: Recruited by the Nazis across Europe.
- Refugees: Notably, the displacements of German speakers from Eastern Europe who fled before the advancing Soviets.
The Second World War provoked more than 40 million displaced persons, many of whom struggled to return to their country of origin even after the conflict ended.
Political Repression and War Crimes
The Second World War was a war of extermination. Following the cessation of hostilities, peace treaties were not immediately signed with all countries involved.
Repression was most evident in the Axis powers and the USSR, where torture and concentration camps were common practices.
The Nuremberg Trials (1946)
Following the war, the Nuremberg trials were held in 1946, resulting in the sentencing and execution of many Nazi leaders for war crimes.
Establishing Post-War Peace: The UN
The organization of peace was formalized through several key international conferences:
Yalta Conference (February 1945)
Attended by Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill. Decisions included the division and future demilitarization of Germany and the creation of an international organization.
San Francisco Conference (April–June 1945)
Convened by the U.S., USSR, Britain, and China, involving 50 states. This conference formally created the UN (United Nations).
Potsdam Conference (July–August 1945)
Held after the war ended in Europe. Attended by Truman, Stalin, and Attlee. Measures were adopted for the control, disarmament, and denazification of Germany.
The New International Order After 1945
Europe was divided into two major spheres of influence: the American and the Soviet. While most governments achieved independence, there were rare exceptions:
- Greece: The British army controlled the country and was harassed by a Communist guerrilla movement.
- Yugoslavia: Had not been liberated by the Red Army.
- Spain: Had not participated in the war but remained politically isolated.
Reshaping Europe: Borders and Divisions
Germany and Austria
Germany was neutralized and demilitarized due to Soviet insistence. Its borders were reestablished, and it lost all its territories in the east. Germany and Austria were divided into four occupation zones: French, British, Soviet, and American.
The Soviet Union and Italy
The USSR’s borders were not restored but expanded westward, incorporating the three Baltic states. The USSR greatly influenced Eastern Europe through its military presence and the significant weight of local Communist parties.
Italy was occupied by British and U.S. troops. It suffered territorial losses to Yugoslavia and Greece, lost its colonies and conquests, and was transformed into a Republic.
Global Impact: Asia and Colonies
Japan and the Far East
Japan was occupied by the Americans, who established a protectorate in the east of the country. Japan was reduced to its main islands and lost the rest of its territories.
In the colonies, the crisis and the loss of European authority did not go unnoticed. In Central Asia and the Far East, the Japanese invasion aggravated the loss of power of the metropolitan countries.
In China, a civil war erupted between Nationalists and Communists.