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By spring 1947, Western Europe faced severe crises post-World War II, threatening democracy and allowing communism to gain traction. In response, the Marshall Plan proposed U.S. aid for recovery through European cooperation, stabilizing economies while countering Soviet influence. It ultimately forged enduring transatlantic ties and shaped the continent’s political landscape.
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When World War II ended in 1945, the Allies confronted unprecedented crimes – the Holocaust and aggressive wars of conquest. Determined to ensure “justice, not vengeance,” the victorious powers quickly turned to international law. In June 1945 the United Nations Charter was signed and came into force that October . Simultaneously, plans were underway to try the Nazi leadership. The Allies announced as early as the 1942 St. James Declaration that “those guilty of or responsible” for Nazi aggression would be punished by “organized justice” . In October 1943 Roosevelt, Churchill and StalinStalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (18 December 1878 – 5…