The Aftermath of World War II - Essay Example

Introduction World War II was arguably the most damaging and costly conflict in the history of the world. The loss of human life, destruction of property (including countless architectural and cultural treasures), and economic disarray caused by the war were beyond comprehension. World War II marked a fundamental loss of innocence for humanity, as the true potential for depravity of human beings became apparent upon the uncovering of the Nazi concentration camps and other atrocities. In effect, the world was left with a physical, economic and moral disaster from which a full recovery would be the most challenging reconstruction undertaking ever attempted. In the words of Cordtz, "Six years of the worst carnage ever inflicted on mankind. That was World War II. Between 35 million and 60 million were killed, and far more wounded. Property damage was literally incalculable" (par. 1). In terms of geopolitics, the aftermath of the war was a bi-polar world in which two Superpowers faced off from opposite sides of the world and of the ideological divide. The Cold War and nuclear arms race that followed the Allied victory constituted an incredibly costly military buildup that ended up diverting economic resources of the major countries of the world that might otherwise have been used for the betterment of humanity through education, economic growth, and cultural enrichment. All of these factors must be accounted for in any audit of the negative effects of World War II. The Human Cost The first and most important consideration in evaluating the consequences of World War II was the human toll, both civilian and military. From the six million victims of the Nazi extermination program to twenty-five hundred American service personnel who were lost at Pearly Harbor to the hundreds of thousands of Japanese whose lives were snuffed out by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it defies understanding to think about the potential each of those lives had to affect the world for the better. There are no words to describe the anguish suffered by so many loved ones who lost their family and friends during the war. Families were permanently shattered, and relationships were severed by the war. The moral cost of the war was also staggering. Not only did the German death camps obviously illustrate a new level of human degeneracy, but killing of civilians in the name of military necessity became and acceptable standard in the conduct of warfare, an unfortunate development that continues to be reflected in combat operations to this day. Richman contends that "area bombing of Germany and Japan set a new standard in the indiscriminate killing of civilians under color of combat" (par. 7). Thus, when evaluating the human cost of the war, it is essential not only to count the number of people whose lives were lost, but also to consider the impact on the moral standards of those who remained. The Economic Toll World War II was simply devastating from an economic perspective. The sheer destruction of entire cities had left little or no infrastructure to support economic stability of nearly every major economic power in Europe, as well as others around the globe. Nevertheless, the destruction left in the wake of the war ended up prompting a reconstruction and recovery effort known as the Marshall Plan that ultimately led to a far stronger global political and economic foundation than would otherwise have been possible. According to Cordtz, "even the losers ultimately emerged from the destruction and humiliation far better off than before. The people of Japan and Germany (most of it at any rate) escaped from totalitarian captivity to erect sturdy democratic political systems. Both countries rebuilt such powerful industrial machines that they can now successfully challenge their military conquerors. And both were able to accomplish all this in large part because of American assistance" (par. 4). The Marshall Plan was perhaps the most generous and successful foreign economic aid program in the history of the world. Without it, World War II would have left far more far-reaching and longer term consequences than it actually did. As Cordtz asserts, "for Western Europe, the Marshall Plan was a godsend. From 1948 to 1952, 17 countries received more than $13 billion - and during the period their industrial production rose by 35%. Even more important, complying with the plan's requirements for cooperation was the first step on the path that eventually led to formation of the European Economic Community" (par. 7). To be sure, the projection of American influence through the Marshall Plan reverberated in ways that continue to affect geopolitical and economic developments today. The impact of post-war American assistance for Germany in particular was remarkable. The aid combined with German resilience in getting back on its feet produced a stunning economic comeback within a very short period of time. According to Loeffelholz, "Germany still had sufficient standing capacity and skilled labor after the war to export its way back to health with the help of $3.2 billion in American . . . aid, only $1.2 billion of which had to be repaid. This effort to rebuild, nurtured in part by the Western world's fear of communism, strengthened the famed German work ethic and its traditional emphasis on quality control" (par. 5). Geo-Political Effects The outcome of the war was perhaps more advantageous for America than for any other country. "For Americans the war was the dawn of world leadership, both military and economic. When the war began, America was a demoralized country still struggling to escape the Great Depression. When the fighting ended, it was the richest, strongest and most confident nation on earth" (Cordtz, par. 8). These positive effects for America contribute to a retrospective view of the war by Americans that is somewhat more positive than that of others around the world. "Despite the carnage wrought by the war, and the moral consequences that remain about America's deployment of the atomic bomb and its internment of Japanese Americans, World War II retains a nostalgic glow for most Americans. In the United States, it is . . . 'a benchmark, a touchstone, a metaphor'" (Coughlin, par. 9). Conclusion The repercussions of World War II are far reaching and complex, and range from human, to economic, to political and military. The war changed the world in many ways, some positive and many negative. It set new standards for warfare that legitimized civilian collateral damage and ushered in a new era of weapons of mass destruction on which the international community has still not been able to get a handle. The war also brought to light a level of human cruelty and atrocity that had never before been seen, and thus inflicted a moral wound on humanity. Further, the war wrought immense and incalculable destruction of personal and real property and cultural treasures, much of which was irreplaceable. Finally, while the war caused economic damage and suffering, the reconstruction effort spearheaded by America's Marshall Plan ultimately resulted in the world emerging in a stronger economic position than it ever had been in before. Ultimately, while World War II represented the closest approximation of the triumph of good over evil that the world has ever seen, it caused immense human suffering, destruction and lost innocence that continues to manifest itself today. References Cordtz, D. "World War II: The Economic Aftermath." Financial World 158 (1989):40. Coughlin, E. "50 Years After Attack on Pearl Harbor, Historians Eye New Avenues." The Chronicle of Higher Education 38 (1991):A10. Loeffelholz, S. "The German Phoenix: How West German Industry Rose Again Out of the Ashes of World War II." Financial World 158 (1989):48. Richman, S. "The Consequences of World War II." Las Vegas Review - Journal (1999):17.B. Read More