The need for the UN was
debated during the Yalta
Conference (in February
1945), prior to the end of
the Second World War.
This conference, coupled
with
the
Potsdam
Conference in July, 1945,
reshaped not only the
world’s borders but also
The signing of the UN Charter, 26 th June, 1945
the alliances within them.
This is because Germany, post-liberation, was to be split into four zones, later
establishing East and West Germany. Furthermore, the Potsdam Conference saw
division within the Big Three for the first time throughout the war and thus set in
motion the Cold War, officially spanning from 1946 to 1991. Therefore, the end
of the Second World War has had an incredible impact on today's way of life as
it fundamentally changed the societies and cultures of those living in post-war
Europe and the world. Along with this, it led to various other brutal, ideologically
driven conflicts such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Victory in 1945 changed the way conventional wars were to be fought through
the introduction of nuclear weapons. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
remain the only use of nuclear weapons against any enemy force or nation.
Between 60,000 and 80,000 people died instantly and a further 55,000 people
died between August 6 and December 1945 due to radiation. This act of merciless
aggression is incredibly significant as it not only prevented further American
casualties but also ended the war. The ‘Dawn of the Atomic Age’ not only
changed the way in which conflicts were to be fought, but it also threw the world
into a state of constant fear of the unknown. Despite only being used twice in
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