9781422282793

C H A P T E R 1 The “Modern” World of World War II

W e want Harry! We want Harry!” the crowd shouted. It was August 14, 1945, and President Harry S. Truman had just announced that Japan had surrendered. World War II, which began for the United States on December 7, 1941, was over. Crowds had been gathering in front of the White House all day, hoping to see the president. Finally, Truman, with his wife, Bess, at his side, stepped out onto the front lawn and greeted the throng. “This is a great day,” Truman said, speaking into a microphone. “This is the day we have been looking for. . . . This is the day when fascism and police government ceases in the world. This is the day for democracies. This is the day when we can start our real task of implementation of free government in the world.” Cheers rang out and echoed down Pennsylvania Avenue. Across the nation people danced. Cars dragged tin cans behind bumpers. People waved flags. Strangers in New York City kissed. San Francisco burned with celebratory bonfires. In Seattle, a sailor was walking down the street with his girlfriend when someone asked him about his plans for the future. “Raise babies and keep house,” the sailor answered. Just three months before, a similar scene of jubilation spread across Europe after Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allied nations led by Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Yes, the war was over, but within a short time, the grave realities of a conflict that killed some 60 million people and devastated much of the world had set in. The war had stopped, but not the dying. Civil wars raged in China and Greece. The Soviet Union began its oppressive domination of Eastern Europe. Africa, Asia, and the Middle East exploded in conflict as European colonies shook off the shackles of their colonial rulers in nationalistic wars of liberation.

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CHAPTER 1