Post-War Changes

The lessons learned and changes made after World War I contrast sharply with those made after World War II. The move toward a closed economy and society after the first war led to global fragmentation as nations pulled back on themselves. In the aftermath of World War II, the impetus was toward an open economy and society—at least in half the world. This led down a path of continuing integration.

World leaders had the foresight to establish an array of international institutions to manage the emerging global economy. They worked hard to rebuild their vanquished enemies, Germany and Japan, through generous initiatives. This philosophical shift from closed to open societies came about through bold leadership, much of it coming from the United States. In the wake of World War I, American political and business leaders embraced isolationism—with severe consequences for the world. After World War II, they did the opposite—with very different results.

Goals

By the beginning of 1944, victory in Europe was all but assured. The task of diplomacy largely involved efforts to define the structure of the postwar world. Among the issues allied diplomats grappled with were the fate of the Eastern European nations, the future of Germany, and the establishment of a new international organization to replace the League of Nations. Behind these all was the problem of whether the liberal, democratic West and the Marxist, totalitarian Soviet Union could continue to coexist as allies.

Throughout modern history, former Grand Alliances—including the ones that defeated Germany in World War I, Napoleon’s France in the early nineteenth century, and Britain in the age of the American Revolution—had come apart once they had served their purpose. President Roosevelt and large numbers of the American people believed that the World War II Grand Alliance would have a different future.

They set out to develop a new international system of norms and ideals, conceived to ensure peace, security and prosperity for all nations. That order continues to serve global interests through a system of shared institutions and partnerships designed to prevent the atrocities and devastation of the war from ever happening again.

United Nations

The United Nations Organization would replace the old League of Nations and provide an inclusive democratic front for the four great powers that Roosevelt hoped would police the world. It began to take shape at the Dumbarton Oaks conference in Washington, DC and would become a reality after the end of the war in Europe at the San Francisco conference (June 26, 1945).

The establishment of the United Nations was the combined effort of 50 nations. The United States invested enormous amounts of hope and moral prestige in the organization. So did much of British public opinion. Hear the hopeful tone of Laurence Olivier as he reads the preamble of the Charter of the United Nations.

With the end of European colonialism in sight, especially in Africa and Asia, smaller nations were ensured a voice, and the United Nations assumed responsibility to promote economic and social cooperation and the independence of formerly colonial peoples. Today, UN Peacekeepers help countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace.

IMF, World Bank, and WTO

Another important aspect of the American postwar design was the establishment of an International Monetary Fund to stabilize major national currencies and thereby facilitate international trade. Along with this, an International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Soon to be known as the World Bank) would fund postwar reconstruction and development.

These mechanisms were established at the Bretton Woods Conference in New Hampshire in July 1944. The creations of Dumbarton Oaks and Bretton Woods were institutional representations of a vision that defined peace in terms of democratic nations settling disputes multilaterally and engaging in the business of peaceful trade rather than aggressive war.

These two organizations are very closely linked, overlap in some areas, and have changed over the years. Watch the quick video below to get a sense of the differences between the two entities and what their role is in peacekeeping.

In addition to these two financial organizations, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was signed in 1947 and would pave the way for today’s World Trade Organization. This agreement was created to help open markets specifically by limiting tariffs on traded goods to help avoid a worldwide depression, like the one that helped set the stage for the war.

Universal Rights and Laws

Few on the planet were untouched by the horrors of the Second World War. Millions of soldiers from a dozen different countries had died on the front lines, while millions more had been starved or killed as a result of Adolf Hitler’s genocide against Jews, Catholics, the disabled, and other minorities. In total, as many as 60 million lives were lost in World War II. The scale of death, destruction and sheer inhumanity traumatized a generation. In the war’s immediate aftermath, the newly formed United Nations had the idea for an International Bill of Rights.

President Harry Truman nominated Eleanor Roosevelt to be the country’s first U.S. representative to the UN, calling her the new “First Lady of the World.” For the first time, the world had come together to agree, in writing, on the fundamental freedoms that belong to all people on earth. It was fittingly called the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” And the former First Lady and widow of President Franklin D. Roosevelt had been its driving force. In her speech at the Assembly of the UN she said,

“We stand today at the threshold of a great event both in the life of the United Nations and in the life of mankind, this Declaration may well become the international Magna Carta for all men everywhere.”

This universal declaration covers peacetime, but the old saying that all is fair in love and war would not be true after the ratification of the 1949 Geneva Conventions which provided international laws regarding ethical behavior in war.

It took almost four months to complete its work. However, there was a positive feeling at the meetings, even perhaps a sense of camaraderie. The following four conventions were adopted which greatly expanded the scope of international humanitarian law:

• Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field;
• Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea;
• Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War;
• Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

Finally, in the wake of the Holocaust and other horrific crimes, countries recognized the benefits of a world with established norms and shared values. As we saw, the Nuremburg trials were held from 1945-1946 and they were led by the newly formed International Military Tribunal. This entity would come to be known as the International Criminal Court and its purpose is to prosecute crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

As you can see, there were a lot of changes made after the war in an effort to prevent further war. As you reflect on these new organizations and guiding documents, I hope you will put your thoughts below. Also, I’d love to know if you can think of another type of organization or document which would have been helpful to guide the world in the wake of the war.