With the surrender of Japan, the Second World War was finally over. The war had far-reaching consequences. Against this background, write short notes on:

(a) Effect of World War II on Japan.

(b) The division of Germany.

(c) Division of the world into two Power Blocs.

(a) After the defeat of Germany, the Allied powers turned their attention towards Japan.

1. When Japan refused to surrender, America dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
2. Japan offered to surrender on the terms of Potsdam declaration and the war came to an end.
3. The American army was to occupy Japan until 1952.
4. After this period, the Japanese would resume sole control over their own affairs.
5. Emperor Hirohito was left on the throne as a constitutional monarch and the Japanese Parliament retained some of its law making powers.
6. All lands acquired or seized by Japan since 1895 were taken away.

(b) At the end of World War II, Germany was divided into zones, each zone under the army of each of the Allied Powers.

1. The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) commonly known as West Germany was administered by UK, France and the U.S. with Bonn as the capital. It came under the capitalist ideology of the Anglo-American and their Allies and became part of the Capitalist bloc.
2. The German Democratic Republic (GDR), known as East Germany was administered by the Soviet Union with East Berlin as the capital. It came under the influence of the political ideologies of communist Russia and became part of the Communist (or Eastern) bloc.

(c) Towards the end of the War, the apparent harmony between the USA and the Soviet Union declined and old suspicion and ideological differences came to the forefront.

1. Though both the countries did not engage in actual fight against each other, there was a state of extreme political tension between the two.
2. This state of tension between countries in which each side adopted policies designed to strengthen itself and weaken the other without armed conflict, is known as the 'Cold War.'
3. The Cold War also involved an arms race involving piling up of nuclear and conventional weapons, formation of military alliances, economic warfare and trade embargoes, propaganda and proxy wars, especially those involving superpower support for opposing sides within civil wars.
4. Thus, the USA and the USSR continued to maintain diplomatic relations and did not resort to overt clashes, but treated each other with hostility.
5. This led to the division of the world into two power blocs.
6. The Democratic and Capitalist bloc was led by the USA. It was called the Western bloc or the American bloc and it believed in liberal democracy based on Capitalism.
7. The Communist Bloc was led by the USSR. It was called the Eastern bloc or the Soviet bloc and it believed in Communism based on Marxist theory.