Political Consequences of World War 2

World War 2 had severe political consequences that fundamentally changed the geopolitical environment of the world. The following are important political consequences:

• The Rise of the Superpowers: The Cold War began when the war resulted in the rise of the Soviet Union and the United States as two superpowers. Global politics focused on the ideological differences between capitalism and communism.
• United Nations (UN): Established in 1945, the United Nations aims to prevent future wars. To preserve peace and security, it developed into a platform for global collaboration, diplomacy, and dispute settlement.
• Decolonization:The conflict accelerated the process of decolonization by weakening European colonial powers. As imperial nations could no longer sustain their colonies, many colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East obtained independence.
• Division of Germany: After losing the war, Germany was split into East and West Germany. The separation indicated greater Cold War tensions, with East Germany falling under Soviet influence and West Germany supporting the Western bloc.
• The Warsaw Pact and NATO: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established in 1949 by Western countries in response to the feared Soviet threat. The Warsaw Pact, which the Eastern Bloc created in 1955 as a response, strengthened military ties throughout the Cold War.
• The Marshall Plan: To rebuild Europe after the war, the United States launched the Marshall Plan, an economic aid program. Besides helping in Western Europe’s economic recovery, this promoted political stability and commitment to the Western Bloc.
• Creation of Israel: The State of Israel was founded in 1948, partly due to the conclusion of World War 2. Support for a Jewish homeland abroad was strengthened by the Holocaust and the post-war restructuring of national borders.

The aftermath of World War 2 caused political instability, sociological changes, and economic modifications throughout the world. World War 2 was one of the most destructive occurrences in human history. Simultaneously, there were burials, new borders, and defeated powers. After the war, there were new challenges like the growing risk of nuclear war, the formation of the United Nations to promote cooperation among countries and the independence of Asian and African nations from European and East Asian control, particularly by the United Kingdom, France, and Japan.

In just ten years, the Axis-Allied war claimed the lives of almost 80 million people, or 4% of the global population. As industries were destroyed and past leaders were removed or prosecuted, efforts were made to permanently damage those country’s ability to engage in war.

In this article, we will look into the aftermath of World War 2 in detail along with a detailed analysis of the war.

Read More: World War 2 Explained