- Germany was divided into two parts: East (Communist East Germany) and West (German Democratic Republic), and the capital, Berlin was also divided.
- Europe was divided into the Communist Eastern Block and the Western Nations, with the “iron curtain” dividing them (a phrase coined by Winston Churchill)
- The League of Nations was replaced by the United Nations.
- The USA organised massive aid for Europe and Japan to rebuild (the Marshall Plan).
- In 1949 some Western nations formed NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation). The USSR viewed this was a threat and formed the Warsaw Pact in 1955.
- European countries had massive debts, industry was out of date and countries like Britain lost overseas markets and colonies.
- The political leaders now would be the USA and the USSR. Some people (in Europe) started to see the need of a unification of Europe.
- Rationing system was established: people had ration books containing coupons which could be exchanged for certain amounts of food such as sugar, butter, eggs, meat…
- Relations between the USA and the USSR were tense and gave way to something called the Cold War; because there was not any fighting, instead both sides tried to be stronger forming alliances and making plans.
- The Allies agreed to legal trials at Nuremberg of Nazi leaders for war crimes.