The Role of the World War II in Reshaping the Relationships between Europe and Asia

After the Second Warld War it was impossible to imagine how to turn back to daily life. The year one thousand and forty five was called Year Zero. The ruins were much more than after World War I so that the whole Europe and Asia were destroyed (Diamond, 1997). The figures were impressive; sixty million people were killed. War had deteriorating consequences for European and Asian countries and had a great influence on their relations. The paper is going to discuss the crucial influence of the World War II on the relations between Europe and Asia.

During the Second World War millions were forced to move to Germany or Japan to work. People escaped from the Soviet Union, because they were afraid of Stalin’s declarations that there might be betrayers. The new Czech Republic dismissed almost three million German natives in 1945. The biggest ports in Asia and Europe were damaged, all the railways and roads were perished. Big cities became heaps of rubbish and ash. Very powerful European countries lost their power for at least some time. The U.S.A strengthened its positions in those areas. The prestige of the Soviet Union increased, as it had the biggest loss during the World War II and its contribution to the defeat of fascism was decisive, Soviet leaders wanted to have the leading role in formatting the postwar world. Consequentially, the Soviet Union began to determine the contours of the new bipolar structure of postwar world.

The process of decolonization had started. It was essential in forming relations between Europe and Asia. Japan’s surrender was a signal to struggle for the independence of Vietnam, Indonesia, and Burma. The movements for independence turned to Philippines, India, Malaya and other Asian countries. It started with the collapse of the colonial system. The Soviet government supported the process of decolonization, which would undermine the positions of European giants. The first phase started in 1945 with the revolution in Vietnam and Indonesia, their former metropolis France and the Netherlands tried to restore domination over these countries, but they failed. Laos that was occupied by France won freedom only in 1954. In 1956, Britain recognized the full sovereignty of Sudan and France recognized the independence of Tunisia and Morocco.

The Second World War triggered off the process of decolonization. Asian countries struggled for independence. It had undermined the credibility and prestige of European colonialists. Asian countries began developing at an increasing pace ever.

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