Topic

The End of World War II 1945

The Axis powers are finally defeated in 1945—Nazi Germany in May and Imperial Japan in August. 

Top Photo: American servicemen and women gather in front of "Rainbow Corner" Red Cross club in Paris to celebrate the unconditional surrender of the Japanese. August 15, 1945. National Archives. Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer. 111-SC-210241


From July 19 through August 2, 1945, the leaders of the United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union met at Potsdam to determine the postwar order and how to administer defeated Germany. During the Potsdam Conference deliberations, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin also agreed that the Soviet Union would enter the war against Imperial Japan 90 days after the German surrender on May 8.

On July 26, American President Harry S. Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Chinese Nationalist government, issued the Potsdam Declaration, which outlined the surrender terms for Japan. Among the terms, the document called on the government of Japan “to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces” or else face “prompt and utter destruction” by the Allies. In the United States, the absence of any Japanese reply to the Potsdam Declaration was seen as a rejection of Allied terms.

In the Pacific events moved quickly. The United states dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6. Two days later, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and gave its support to the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The next day, August 9, the Red Army invaded Manchuria, and a second atomic bomb hit Nagasaki. In Manila, General Douglas MacArthur alerted his commanders to hold their units in readiness for the immediate occupation of Japan and Korea, a plan code-named “Blacklist.”

Featured Article

Liberation and Legacy

While the world cheered the arrival of peace, however, real challenges lay ahead. Industrial age warfare had left scars on the planet that would take years to heal. 

Read More

On the night of August 9, Japanese Emperor Hirohito met with his cabinet and made the momentous decision to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. Japan’s capitulation would kick off several tense weeks of diplomatic exchanges, ceasefire orders, negotiations, initial occupation operations—and, ultimately, a formal surrender ceremony on September 2, 1945.

Working through the Swiss Government, the Japanese Foreign Ministry on August 10 transmitted to the Allies that Japan would surrender unconditionally. The Foreign Ministry, however, also stipulated their understanding that the declaration in no way “prejudices the prerogatives of His Majesty as a sovereign ruler.”

At Truman’s direction, and on behalf of the Allied governments, US Secretary of State James Byrnes conveyed on August 12 that upon Japan’s surrender, “the authority of the Emperor and the Japanese Government” would be subject to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP). The United States called on Hirohito to issue orders to all commands to cease fire, end active operations, and transport prisoners of war and civilian internees to places of safety.

On August 14, the Japanese Foreign Ministry accepted those terms, and that evening, Hirohito recorded a radio address announcing the surrender. Japanese officers would try to seize the recording, but the attempted coup collapsed.

Truman announced Japan’s intention to surrender to the American public on August 14 at 7:00 p.m. Washington, D.C., time; not long after, Hirohito’s address was broadcast in Japan at noon local time on August 15. Although the formal surrender ceremony wouldn’t take place until September 2, celebrations erupted across the United States and the globe as World War II was finally brought to an end.  

Podcast Series

1945

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, The National WWII Museum presents 1945, a new six-part podcast series that tells the story of one of the most consequential years in modern history.

Listen Now

End of War Classroom Resources

Explore essays, lesson plans, and multimedia resources exploring liberation and the legacy of World War II, connecting events like the Holocaust, the Nuremberg Trials, the Marshall Plan, and the founding of the United Nations to the world of today.

Explore

Related Content


Content type
Displaying 1 - 12 of 211 results
  • Article Type

    The London Agreement & Charter

    The London Agreement and Charter not only shaped the prosecution of Nazi leaders after World War II but also marked a revolutionary moment in the development of international criminal law, setting precedent for holding individuals, not just states, accountable for war crimes.

    Learn More
  • Article Type

    My Day: The End of World War II

    In her August 15, 1945, My Day column, Eleanor Roosevelt reflects on the mixed emotions following the announcement of peace, mourning the war’s losses while urging world leaders to use atomic energy for the benefit of all humanity and to work toward a unified, peaceful future.

    Learn More
  • Article Type

    My Day: The Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki

    In her August 10, 1945, My Day column, Eleanor Roosevelt reflects on the Atomic bombing of Nagasaki, urging an end to discrimination and calling for faith in humanity’s ability to meet the challenges of the atomic age.

    Learn More
  • Article Type

    Trinity: Why It Really Mattered

    While most people are familiar with the names of “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” as the atomic weapons used over Japan, what they may not be familiar with was how different the respective technologies of each bomb were and why this difference mattered. 

    Learn More
  • Article Type

    'Destroyer of Worlds': The Making of an Atomic Bomb

    On July 16, 1945, the world’s first atomic bomb detonated in the New Mexican desert, releasing a level of destructive power unknown in the existence of humanity. Emitting as much energy as 21,000 tons of TNT and creating a fireball that measured roughly 2,000 feet in diameter, the first successful test of an atomic bomb, known as the Trinity Test, forever changed the history of the world.

    Learn More
  • Article Type

    Signing the UN Charter and 'Preparing the Way' for Peace

    In the June 26, 1945, edition of her newspaper column My Day, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reflected on the efforts of the delegates at the San Francisco Conference to create the United Nations Charter and her hope that its ratification would help prepare the way for lasting peace in the world.

    Learn More