World War II: Key Events, Leaders, and Consequences

Known as D-Day, the Normandy landings served as a major turning point in the war. This massive assault was so significant that Dwight D. Eisenhower, who would later become President, expressed immense anxiety regarding the success of the mission.

Even after the success at Normandy, the war remained incredibly violent. The Battle of the Bulge was a critical engagement that nearly turned the course of the war again. The human cost of this battle was staggering, with more than 100,000 German soldiers and 89,000 Americans losing their lives.

Leadership and the Postwar Vision

As the war neared its end, the focus shifted from combat to the political organization of the world that would follow. In 1943, the United Nations (UN) was formed with the primary goal of maintaining peace after the war concluded.

The Yalta Conference and the Big Three

One of the most consequential meetings of the war was the Yalta Conference, hosted by Joseph Stalin. This meeting brought together the "Big Three" Allied leaders:

• Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) (United States)
• Winston Churchill (Great Britain)
• Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union)

The leaders met to discuss the division of control over postwar Germany and the future of Eastern Europe. However, the conference was marked by political maneuvering; Stalin manipulated the situation to his advantage, "liberating" Eastern European nations only to place them under communist control.

The 1944 Election and the Transition of Power

While the war raged, the United States underwent a presidential election in 1944. Although President FDR was visibly tired and ill, the American public was largely unaware of the extent of his health problems. He ultimately won a fourth term.

The death of FDR on April 12, 1945, brought a sudden change in leadership. Vice President Harry Truman ascended to the presidency. It was Truman who would eventually make the monumental decision to order the atomic bombs to be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war.

The Darkest Legacy: Nazism and the Holocaust

No discussion of World War II is complete without addressing the horrific atrocities committed by the Nazi regime. Under the ideology of Nazism, the state engaged in systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder.

The Holocaust was the systematic effort by the Nazis to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe. This genocide resulted in the murder of over 6 million Jews and more than a million other individuals deemed "undesirables" by the Nazi regime. The era of Nazism in Europe effectively collapsed only a month after the death of FDR.

Exam Note: If asked about the "postwar order," be sure to mention both the creation of the United Nations (to promote peace) and the division of Germany/Eastern Europe (which set the stage for the Cold War).