POSTWAR: A Global History of the Second World War's Legacy

Entering the Cold War was a tremendous undertaking in American history, just as much as it was in the modern political history of human society. The Allies of World War II began fighting over the political philosophy which would shape the future global order, and they all still feared the reemergence of fascist ideologies withinContinue reading “Preventing Annihilation”

In the wake of World War II, a great number of developments occurred that are looked upon through a hyper-modern lens. One, small-scale, example of this is the “Family of Man” exhibit that was produced in the United States. This … Continue reading →

As discussed in a previous post, the end of World War II and the resulting crisis of displaced persons in Europe culminated in the United Nations working out what qualified a state to claim people as its citizens and repatriate them.  During the negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union on the matter, …

Continue reading “Rebuilding the Human Identity”

Following the second world war there was an upheaval of what was known. The war shook up the world and people were trying to rebuild. This left the question of whether things should be rebuilt as they were or in a new way. The role of masculinity in American society following the war was influential …

Continue reading “Reshaping Importance”

By 1955, the world had gone through intensive cultural and societal changes from the competing victors of World War II. Although different initiatives had proven beneficial in rebuilding civilization through economic aid, the psychological toll of the war was still ever-present amongst the differing factions of the Postwar Era. The different strategies employed to helpContinue reading “A Maiden’s Smile and United Guilt”

On May 5, 1955, not long before the ten year anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a group of young Japanese women departed from Tokyo for the United States to undergo reconstructive plastic surgery. These women were known as … Continue reading →

In A Doctor’s Diary of Hiroshima, Fifty Years Later, based on the diary of Dr. Michihiko Hachiya, goes over mostly the direct aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima. Using vivid detail given directly from Dr. Hachiya or those whom he heard from, John Dower tells the life of those who survived the bombing. “Survivors in crowded …

Continue reading “After Little Boy”

Although the war ended with Japan surrendering following the United States dropping the second atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the suffering for the people of Japan would continue. The casualties from this attack did not stop with the initial explosion, as people would continue to ultimately perish due to complications such as radiation sickness. The battlesContinue reading “Beneath the Surface”

After WWII ended in 1945,  there we’re many aspects of society that would need to be rehabilitated, with actual people being near the top of that list. Among these people in need were the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, which decimated the cities and killed thousands upon thousands of people. The Hiroshima Maidens …

Continue reading “Healing after WWII”

The dropping of the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki proved to be incredibly devastating. It led to disfigurement, trauma, and long-term illnesses. Historian David Serlin, in his writing about the Hiroshima Maidens, referenced the image pictured … Continue reading →