By Dr. Samuel B. Hoff
Dr. Samuel B. Hoff is a George Washington Distinguished Professor Emeritus and an internship director at Delaware State University. His late father-in-law and uncle served in the Army and Navy, respectively, during World War II.
As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe and the Pacific over the next few months, it is appropriate to contemplate the contributions of the conflict to American and world history.
Unique compared to major subsequent conflicts involving the United States, the conclusion of World War II produced an unconditional surrender by the main Axis powers, Germany and Japan, whose governments fell and were replaced (though the Japanese emperor was retained). However, differences between the previous allies of America and the Soviet Union led to a divided Germany, a condition that lasted another four decades.
The postwar war crimes trials sought to hold those accountable for atrocities. The Nuremberg trials, led by the U.S., Britain, France and the Soviet Union, convicted 19 German leaders of crimes against humanity, of which 12 were sentenced to death. In subsequent trials run by the U.S. alone, another 142 Germans who aided the Nazis were convicted, of which 25 ended in death sentences. The later Tokyo war crimes trial was administered by many Allied nations and encompassed 11 judges and prosecutors each. That body prosecuted 27 Japanese leaders for war crimes. Together, the trials versus German and Japanese officials set the standard for later attempts to prosecute war crimes, culminating in the creation of the International Criminal Court in 2002.
Even while the war was still active, a group of 44 nations met in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The purpose of the July 1944 conference was to form a new international monetary system. The soon-successors included the International Monetary Fund and World Bank group. The agreement also set up the procedure of fixed exchange rates for currencies. These features have largely facilitated global economic stability since.
The League of Nations was created in 1919, following World War I. Its objective was to promote world peace. However, the absence of both the United States and the Soviet Union as members, combined with a perpetual lack of resources, rendered this organization feckless against the forces of tyranny. Similarly, multilateral agreements, such as the 1928 Kellogg-Briand Pact — which outlawed war as a means to settle international disputes — had no method of enforcement. The 1945 establishment of the United Nations essentially replaced the league, and the U.N. has stayed active and relevant for eight decades.
Like any prolonged major conflict, World War II saw its share of controversial decisions, none more so than the executive order approved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to intern those of Japanese ancestry, ostensibly for fear of subversion. Of the 120,000 rounded up, two-thirds were American citizens. Though a 1944 U.S. Supreme Court ruling upheld the policy, the American national government eventually apologized to internees and furnished reparations to those still living.
The rate of missing in action from World War II was 22%, which was matched during the Korean War. What we do know is that a substantial number of U.S. service personnel are buried overseas, many in Allied military cemeteries, a constant reminder of America’s willingness to sacrifice for others. Indeed, assisting others should help us appreciate our own freedom. On the precipice of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next year, we owe all generations across American history a nod but especially those who served to defeat the Axis powers and their dark vision of the world.
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