Category: Aftermath of World War 2

When looking back on history, it’s easy to forget that real people lived through the periods you’re looking at. Real people, with real feelings and emotions, just like people alive today. That’s why looking at LIFE magazines is such a good idea. It gives you a little peek into the lives of real Americans throughout history. The issue that I’ll be writing about is from October 29th, 1945. This is around a month and a half after the official end of the war, and that is definitely reflected in the magazine. While reading through it, it is impossible to miss the stories about the atomic bomb. The bomb was dropped very recently, and people were concerned about the future of this scary new weapon. This was also a time of great technological advancement. Tech was starting to become a greater and greater part of people’s lives, and many ads are targeted towards that. Ads are also hinting at the approaching start of a new generation. The Baby Boom was also apparent through the use of advertising. While people were trying to move on from the war, there was still a great interest in what the world would be like after it. Because while people were trying to move on, it was indisputable that the world would be drastically different after WW2. This issue of LIFE deals with WW2 in many aspects. From the aftermath of the war and the atomic bomb to new technologies and the Baby Boom.

In this issue of LIFE, something that you’ll notice after reading through it is the number of ads targeted toward parents of babies and small children. A reason for this might be the massive spike in births after the end of the war. This is what would later come to be known as the “Baby Boom” generation. Nobody has realized it yet, but they were experiencing just the start of a long period of high birth and fertility rates that would last well into the 1960s (“What caused the baby boom?”). The Baby Boom phenomenon is enforced through an anecdote in the issue as well, and not just the ads towards parents. There is an ad for a movie called “Pride of the Marines”, which is about a real person named Al. The ad to the movie starts off like this, “His name is Al Schmid, and he lives in Philadelphia. He’s 26 years old, and since his discharge from the Marine Corps, he has married and had a baby boy” (LIFE 28). This quote seems to imply that this is just what normally happened when a man got back from the war. He would get married, and start a family. And with the hordes of men getting back from overseas around this time, the surge in births was bound to happen. Another baby-related ad that stuck out was a Gerber Baby Foods ad. In this ad, Gerber is partnering with the government to promote the sale of Victory Bonds (LIFE 60). The main quote in the ad is, “To a Baby Born in the year of Victory” (LIFE 60). The ad then goes on to talk about how lucky they are to be born after the war is over, and how good of a parent they would be if they buy Victory Bonds. This is an interesting ad technique and shows just how influential baby ads were, so much so that the government was putting its own bond ads inside them. Baby companies, and as we’ve seen, the government, wanted to capitalize on the influx of new families in the US. There was no better way to do that than placing dozens of ads in a popular media form.

Technology is also something that comes up again and again in the ads of this magazine. This was well into the technological revolution, and things such as clocks and mouse traps were being made electric. Movies were also a big part of American life at the time. Instead of all the personal entertainment we enjoy today, one of the only ways to consume a new product was to actually go to a movie theater and watch a movie. These new pieces of technology, such as clocks and toasters, were important and special to these people just as the newest iPhone or TV is to us today. New products and technologies will always be a big part of people’s lives, even in times of war as shown in LIFE magazine.

Because of how close to the end of the war this issue was released, there are many stories that talk about the aftermath of the war. Both at home and abroad. Just because the war ended didn’t mean people didn’t care about what was going on in the rest of the world. A major theme to come from this narrative is, of course, the atomic bomb. At the time that this issue was published, it has been less than 3 months since the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Issues were being thought about immediately after this regarding the bomb, “Who shall control the atomic bomb, manufacture it, or prohibit effectively its use by individual nations” (Borchard 1) A bomb of this size was a huge deal in the world, and that is reflected in this week’s issue of LIFE. A story entitled “The Bomb” on page 36 talks about different ways to handle the existence of atomic technology, and the massive destruction it has and would be able to cause in the future (LIFE 36). Although the author in this article comes off as most critical of the atomic bomb, it’s interesting to read how people thought about the bomb at its inception. Another view on the atomic bomb comes on page 45. This article is solely talking about the scientists and the technology used to create the bomb. An interesting few sentences talking about how, unlike previous inventors and scientists that created the means for the destruction of lives, the scientists who worked and developed the atomic bomb are solely and directly responsible for the deaths caused by it (LIFE 45). The article then goes on to talk about how the “secret” of the bomb is not one we can keep for long, and another country finding the formula for a nuclear bomb is inevitable (LIFE 45). An interesting note from both of these stories about the atomic bomb is that people from that time were immediately looking toward the future and recognized how dangerous the bomb was going to be to future generations. This is a reality that we are living in now, and this reality was the first thing that the people of 1945 were thinking about. This is exactly what Borchard was talking about in his 1946 article about the bomb, “We may be sure that if one nation has atomic bombs in its armory, all other self-respecting nations will have atomic bombs in their armories as soon as they can get them” (5). This is almost a word-for-word prediction of what would happen in the future, especially during the cold war between the US and the USSR. The future was uncertain at the time, but the outline was easy to see.

Punishment of the Axis Powers was on everyone’s mind after the war. Both in Europe and the US. They had put the world through war for years, now they lost and it was time that they got what was coming to them. This issue of LIFE saw a story that featured the mugshot of 24 Nazi war criminals that were all indicted for war crimes, some of them executed. Two full pages were devoted to showing the mugshots of these 24 men and the crimes that they had committed. In all, there were 13 trials held in Nuremberg in an attempt to hold the Nazis responsible for their actions (Anderson 1). All but the first of these were held only by the Americans(Anderson 1). This shows how much the US really cared about dealing with justice from the war, and it makes you understand why people would want to see 2 pages of evil faces in their favorite magazine. Nazis were not the only axis power that showed up in this issue. A story on page 51 concerned itself with the Japanese “Zaibatsu.” These were the people that were in charge of the Japanese economy and industry (LIFE 51). The article discusses whether or not some guilt should be placed on them for supporting the war economically, and if it is possible to have the Zaibatsu as well a democratic future. The Americans obviously deeply cared about preventing this sort of conflict again in the future, by both holding the aggressors responsible, and discussing who should still be able to hold power in Japan.

Throughout this issue of LIFE magazine and the week that it was discussed, we see that America was concerned with a lot of things. They were still in the immediate aftermath of World War 2, and a lot of the stuff going on was new to them. Ads were targeting the babies being born, and who would have thought the end of the war would trigger one of the biggest birth rates jumps in the country’s history? Technology was also important to these people, and they wanted to know about all the latest products coming out around the time of the publication of the issue. The atomic bomb had just been dropped. The people living then witnessed and lived through the biggest single manmade destructive event in the history of the world, and it was a scary new technology. Nobody knew what the future would hold regarding nuclear bombs, except how destructive they were and what one could do to a city like New York. They were also concerned about how to handle the people they had just beaten in a war and what to do to minimize the chance of a world war ever happening again. The people in America during the week of October 21st to the 29th were looking towards the future, and what would come next.

Works Cited

1. What caused the baby boom? (1991). Population Bulletin, 46(3), 3. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.mnsu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.mnsu.edu/docview/237068044?accountid=12259
2. LIFE, October 29th, 1945.
3. Borchard, Edwin. “The Atomic Bomb.” The American Journal of International Law, vol. 40, no. 1, 1946, pp. 161–165. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2193900.
4. Anderson, Tim. “Chapter One: Seeking Justice.” Nuremberg Trials, Great Neck Publishing, 2017, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=15315713.

Before the war, a majority of Americans believed that a woman’s main commitment was looking after her family and home. However, during World War II, the government used propaganda of all forms to communicate the need for changes in women’s roles and stereotypes surrounding their work. These changes encouraged women to enter factory jobs, and military jobs and proved that women were just as capable as men in the workplace.

As the second world war was quite focused on the production of weapons and vehicles, the war could not have been won without the assistance of women. Also with women supporting the economy and the homefront, the military nurses who consistently had their lives in danger were able to care for the soldiers. Programs were introduced like WAC and WASP that filled the void of fallen men. Some proved so beneficial to the armed forces the leaders of the Army specifically requested the program be continued postwar, this paved the way for future women in the military.

Nurses were the caretakers of wounded soldiers fresh from the battlefield and were primarily women. Wartime nurses dealt with every sort of injury imaginable, from gaping chest wounds and massive hemorrhages to amputations and severe burns. One of the most difficult aspects of their job, though, was helping soldiers handle the psychological damage. The medical teams were forced to work in tiny makeshift hospitals, in terrible conditions with less than desirable sanitization, often without necessary tools and equipment, even without running water or electricity in many cases. Some American nurses were posted to care for injured enemy forces at prisoner-of-war camps. These nurses had to set aside their feelings of anger, fear, and bias to care for the wounded members of the German forces. The nurses cared for their patients by keeping morale high and helped to heal emotional wounds as well as physical damage. The nurses inspired the soldiers they were looking after with their hardworking and dedicated attitudes to the war.

Mid WW2 the United States had a major shortage of pilots, so an experimental program was made to help fill the empty positions: Train women to fly all kinds of aircraft so male pilots could be sent into combat overseas. The wasps were trained to fly almost every type of aircraft including B-26 and B-29 bombers. They ferried freshly built planes long distances from their factories to military bases all across the country. They also tested new planes and towed targets to give air and ground gunners shooting training for live ammunition. The WASPs were disbanded on Dec. 20, 1944, with no veteran benefits or long-standing recognition.

Without the WASPs, the numbers of combat pilots and Homebase pilots would have majorly decreased and the war effort would have been far more difficult for the air force.

The Office of War Information was in charge of promoting the war to women. It sent several guides to newspapers, magazines, and radio stations. OWI also allocated air time and print space, so that the media would show the same promotions to ensure it was getting around. It maintained very close contact with the War Advertising Council. The agency launched several campaigns like ww2 icon “Rosie the Riveter” (US Dept of Defence. 2019) and urged magazines to mention working women. The problem for the government seemed to not be actually employing women into defense, but getting women to do the other 82 percent of other jobs that were overlooked but necessary. The WMC and the OWI tried to convince women that every job they could take would help the war effort. They concentrated their propaganda on patriotism and personal emotional appeal. “Their patriotic style had two sides, a positive ‘do your part’ feel and ‘a soldier may die if you don’t do your part’ warning.” (social studies.org. 2020). As it was a war of production. Factory workers were essential to victory, and women were essential in the factories.

Initially, the idea of bringing women into the armed forces was a great debate between commanders, the public, and the government. However, the need for manpower during World War II opened more roles to women. In 1942, the Naval Reserve recruited women, and the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps was also founded. 1943, the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve was created and the Women’s Army Corps was a part of the regular Army temporarily (Women in Combat: Issues for Congress. Page 2). By the end of the war, nearly 400,000 women had served in the armed service. Post-war, women became a permanent part of the military with the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948. They were prohibited from manning aircraft that were sent to combat and were not allowed to participate in any ground combat regiments. Leaders of the US Army in 1946 asked that the WACs become a permanent section of the army.

The world economy has changed since world war. Perhaps the most fundamental change is the emergence of global markets; responding to new opportunities global competitors have steadily displaced or absorbed local ones. Concurrently, the integration of the world economy has increased significantly. Economic integration stood at 10 percent at the beginning of the 20th century; today, it is approximately 50 percent. Integration is particularly striking in two regions, the European Union and the North American.

Almost 30 years ago, the world was far less integrated than it is today. One of the evidences of the changes that have taken place is the technological advancements.

Within the past decade, there have been several remarkable changes in the world economy. Organizations stand a better chance of achieving succes when plans and strategies are based on the new realities of the changed world economy.

When World War II ended, the United States was the onlyajor country that had not been devastated by war. The size of the U.S. economy had almost doubled during the war and the U.S. dominated the world economically, politically and militarily. In this scenario, many U.S. firms started making substantial direct investments in foreign primary industries such as oil products and mining. Technological development and product design remained focused on the United States market at home. American-owned multinationals generally viewed the rest of the world as source of raw materials, cheap labor and supplemental markets.

In the mid-1950s, U.S. companies started to make substantial direct investments in foreign manufacturing facilities. In the 1960s, it was American service firms—banks, insurance companies, marketing consultants, and the like that expanded overseas. In time, however, as purchasing increased abroad, especially im Europe and Japan, their domestic product prospered. Eventually overseas producers expanded beyond their national boundaries, entering the international marketplace. Although these foreign competitors initially relied on U.S. technology, lower costs evsntually gave them a competitive advantage. Today, they have taken the initiative in developing and improving technology, and this has furthered their competitiveness.

Western Europe’s firms—particularly in such industries as chemicals, electric gear, pharmaceuticals amd tires— started to respond in the late 1960s by setting up and acquiring U.S. affliates. So did the giant Japanese trading companies particularly during the 1980s, when they were trying to circumvent protectionist U.S. legislation that would cut their access to the American market. To lower their manufacturing costs, Japanese and U.S. companies also started to invest in facilities in newly developing nations such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.

As a result, international trade and competition have intensified in recent years. More than one-quarter of all the goods produced in the world now cross international boundaries. While nearly Three-quarters of the goods in the United States face foreign competition.War is a state of period of fighting between countries or groups of people. Its a situation which a nation enforces have rights by using force. Most wars are called armed conflicts it involves the use of weapons, a military organization and soldiers.

We consider the intergenerational effects of four features of conflict: violence, challenges to mental health, infection and malnutrition. The effects of war may also be destruction of land and property, infrastructure, businesses, banishment of citizens, even post-traumatic stress disorder of the people that witnessed the war. In wars it is not only soldiers that die on the battlefield. It also carried the destruction to non-armed as well so that today many more civilians— women, children, old men–die in battles than do soldiers.

The environment has the most destroyed of war and armed conflict. From the contamination of land and the destruction of forests to the plunder of natural resources and the collapse of management systems, the environmental consequences of war are often devastating and it might results downfall of the economy, breakdown of health services and schooling, on a background of economic decline, supply constraint and raw products may be become extinct. Also, businesses and other industries will surely be affected. The diversion of resources away from healthcare and food supply to military expenditure in war can adversely affect population health. Food resources may be destroyed deliberately as a means of harm or population control. It will cause illness and malnutrition.

War can cause implications that can be remarkable to each of everyone. People may witness violence which can leads to psychological illness—children, elderly and the disabled are more affected and vulnerable to this. The most common conditions are depression, anxiety and psychosomatic disorders, but the most widely studied in relation to conflict is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Mental health conditions are common during conflicts yet the effects of psycholgical illness is significant and it can be endless because, trauma leaves physical mark.

Conflict causes injury, illness and breakdown in the structures that provide preventive, curative and ameliorative care. It has profound effects on society that form a permissive framework for the effects we describe. It is generally thought that experiencing violence as a child is a risk factor for committing child abuse as an adult there is a danger that maladaptive behaviors are passed on to the next generation. Women are at particular risk of combatant and civilian injury, and of interpersonal violence. Violence against women increases in times of conflict through targeted acts, such as rape and domestic or intimate-partner violence. Sexual violence, including rape, assault, trafficking and prostitution, increases during many conflicts due to the breakdown of traditional safety structures. It may also be used as an intentional strategy of domination, as reported in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda

The Horrific Ending to a Deadly War

“It is an atomic bomb. It is a harnessing of the basic power of the universe. The force from which the sun draws its power has been lost against those who brought war to the Far East.” What was the beginning to the end of World War II was addressed in the morning by President Harry Truman on August 6, 1945. The use of atomic bombs by the United States military in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the deadliest and most effective weapon ever used. The usage of that bomb is a controversial argument that many people believe was wrong for the United States to make, especially in the cities that were 80% populated with Japanese citizens. However, what else could the United States have done? Japan did it to the United States to make them declare World War II, and they did it back to them to finish a war that Japan should have surrendered a long time before the US attacked. The United States military and government made the correct decision to drop two atomic bombs on the cities of Japan to make the Japanese surrender World War II and to save United States military members from marching in on foot, however, they can learn from their mistakes on the long term effects with the atomic bomb.

To describe my reasoning for my points on why the United States made the right decision, I have split my paper into four sections to organize the events and my case. The first section of this paper will begin with a background on the main events that occurred during World War II, and what caused the United States to finally join the fight. The second section will go into descriptive detail on what occurred on August 6, 1945, in Hiroshima. The third section will go into detail on why they made the right decision to keep the United States troops safe. The final section will include a discussion on the long-term effects of the atomic bomb and why people disagree with the United States attack.

History of World War II

When World War II is brought up, most people think of Hitler being a dictator, Nazis, and the Holocaust, and Germany trying to conquer the whole map. However, Japan initiated the start of the war in September 1931 by invading the Chinese province of Manchuria. Later in 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany after electoral winnings by the Nazi Party. Once again, Japan invaded China on July 7, 1937. After years of conflict between the countries of Japan, China, Italy, the Soviet Union, Poland, and Germany, World War II officially began on September 1, 1939 (WWII Timeline par. 1).

The start of another world war began when Germany invaded the Polish, causing Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany to defend their ally Poland. After years of being silent since 1937, the Japanese military bombed the United States island of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This day in American history was one of the most tragic, yet historic days in its country’s history. A day later, the United States declared war on Japan and initiated World War II. Between December 11-13, Nazi Germany and their allies declared war on the United States. Germany continued to dominate the entire war, but in June of 1944 the United States, Canada, and Britain were able to open a “Second Fight” against the Germans (WWII Timeline par. 1).

Later in 1945, the United States was able to invade most of Germany and make Hitler commit suicide on April 30, 1945. After Germany and almost every country surrendered, Japan continued to try and attack. Three months into Japan trying to conquer the world, the United States dropped the atomic bomb to begin the ending of World War II. Finally, on September 2, 1945, Japan surrendered putting an official end to World War II.

The Dropping of the Atomic Bombs

On August 5, 1945, the world’s first atomic bomb was brought out of the United States military base on Tinian Island in the Pacific. “The biggest weapon in history was nicknamed Little Boy and had the power of the sun, the stars” (24 Hours After Hiroshima). The ten foot long ten and half-ton cargo headed west on August 6th at 2:45 am. At 6:30 am, the bomb was ‘alive’ after the four bags of gunpowder were put into the bomb’s tail 15 minutes prior. Three Japanese cities were considered for the destination of the bombing, all three were weather-dependent. The city had to be visible from the aircraft to drop the weapon, and at 8:15 am the bomb was dropped. 43 long seconds passed and the bomb erupted, causing the mushroom cloud to spread ten miles high, and three miles over the city of Hiroshima. 70,000 humans died instantly, and another 70,000 were severely injured, however, Japan continued to battle. Three days later, another bomb drops. This one in Nagasaki, caused 40,000 people to die instantly. After three long weeks of continued battle, Japan surrendered.

President Truman ordered a report to see the physical and medical damage that the bomb inflicted. Hundreds of scientists, engineers, and military personnel spent ten weeks gathering information on the effect. After studying the information, it was shown that within a radius of 800ft from ground zero, no one survived. Atomic shadows remained all over people and objects throughout the towns. Over 50% of those that passed, died because of severe burns. The bombs flattened both cities in less than ten seconds, and over 60,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged, which was 67% of the city’s structure. Only one building remained standing, and it was the ‘Dome’. The building is made of copper, making it not melt as fast and today it resembles a sign of peace in Japan (24 Hours After Hiroshima).

Correct Decision Made by The United States

President Truman and the United States military made the right decision to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Originally, that was the only bomb that they planned on pursuing, but then the Japanese continued to not give up leading to the second attack. The dropping of the bomb is also looked at as payback to the Japanese for what they did to Pearl Harbor, and the rest of the world before the United States joined the war. The United States’ decision saved the lives of many of its military troops. “It was estimated that it would cost the lives of nearly one million American soldiers to continue the war” (History Crunch par. 4). The deaths of all the innocent people are tragic, however, bombs are a part of war and the Japanese did it to kill 2,403 people in the United States.

The use of the atomic bomb potentially saved multiple millions of lives, as it put a quick end to World War II after killing 801,000 people. If the United States had not put up a strong fight against the Japanese, the war would have continued to go on for a longer period. This would have caused there to be more troops and civilians killed, rather than the atomic bombings. The United States sent many warnings to the Japanese to surrender the war before dropping Little Boy. The warning that was given to the Japanese was called a Leaflet, and the United States was very clear with what they wanted to occur to not drop the bomb. The statement, “We have the most destructive explosion ever devised by man,” was on the leaflet that the United States provided to the Japanese. After warnings, the Japanese continued to try and conquer and fight before they were attacked in Hiroshima.

Long-Term Effects of Atomic Usage

The events that occur in any war are mostly always more devastating than positive. All wars lead to many deaths and destruction to towns that hurt many. The use of the atomic bombs by the United States was harsh, however, it was the only way to find peace and end the long war. Many of the survivors of the atomic bomb experienced long-term effects that they dealt with for the remainder of their lives. Years after 1945, survivors would struggle with leukemia, other cancer types, and health conditions caused by the radiation of the bomb.

There was almost no available care to be given in Hiroshima after the attack, as 90% of medical experts were killed in the bombing. 42 out of the 45 hospitals were unusable for the 70% of survivors to get treated in (ICAN par. 4). The limited resources to get care immediately had a long-term effect on many survivors because the conditions spread throughout the body and began to cause more harm. Pregnant women who were exposed to the bombings experienced a higher chance of miscarriage, and infants who were born didn’t survive long. Seven decades later, survivors continue to experience the effects of the bombing, and many have PTSD.

Since the end of World War II, Japan has campaigned to fight for a world free of nuclear weapons and has joined the U.N. treaty to ban them. The U.N. treaty outlawing nuclear weapons went into effect in early January 2021. Japan continued to fight against the use of these weapons to limit attacks and to keep people safe from the effects, but they didn’t sign the treaty. Over 50 countries are a part of the treaty, however, the United States and Japan are not on the list. As of now, there is no intention for the United States to sign the treaty, as well as other countries such as China and North Korea.

Conclusion

World War II was a very horrific battle, and the battle continued for many years after with damage across the world and the loss of loved ones. There are always a lot of negative outcomes when it comes to war, and I believe that since World War II most nations across the world have noticed there is no reason to fight. The United States calls to drop the atomic bomb was the correct decision to stop the bleeding in the long run, even though it caused a lot of harm to hundreds of thousands of people. There are certain points that the nation has learned from dropping nuclear weapons, but at that exact moment in 1945, they made the right choice. The decision allowed many United States troops to stay alive, and go home to their families. President Truman and the military-led the nation to another ‘win’ in war and brought the United States together as one.

Works Cited

1. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, https: encyclopedia.ushmm.orgcontentenarticleworld-war-ii-key-dates.
2. Michal. “How Did Hitler Happen?: The National WWII Museum: New Orleans.” The National WWII Museum | New Orleans, The National World War II Museum, 22 June 2017, https:www.nationalww2museum.orgwararticleshow-did-hitler-happen.
3. Robyo. “National Geographic- 24 Hours after Hiroshima – Video Dailymotion.” Dailymotion, Dailymotion, 18 Mar. 2013, https:www.dailymotion.comvideoxya8gj.
4. “Reasons in Favor of the Atomic Bombing of Japan.” History Crunch – History Articles, Summaries, Biographies, Resources and More, https:www.historycrunch.comreasons-in-favor-of-the-atomic-bombing-of-japan.html#.
5. “Leaflets Warning Japanese of Atomic Bomb.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, https:www.pbs.orgwgbhamericanexperiencefeaturestruman-leaflets.
6. “Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings.” ICAN, https:www.icanw.orghiroshima_and_nagasaki_bombings.
7. Chappell, Bill. “U.N. Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Takes Effect, without the U.S. and Other Powers.” NPR, NPR, 22 Jan. 2021, https:www.npr.org20210122959583731u-n-treaty-banning-nuclear-weapons-takes-effect-without-the-u-s-and-others.
8. EVGINC, director. YouTube, YouTube, 22 Jan. 2013, https:www.youtube.comwatch?v=FN_UJJ9ObDs. Accessed 1 Nov. 2021.

Post-World War France was witness to the emergence of the ‘nouveau roman’ and the New Wave of cinema. After many years of a drought of cinema culture, enforced by Nazi occupation and its ban on the industry, its emancipation meant that it was inundated by exposure to world cinema and the progress that it had made in the meanwhile. This reinvigorated French cinema and led to the adoption and subsequent rejection of cinematic tradition. The ‘Auteur’ movement was a stepping stone to this, which allowed directors a greater degree of freedom and agency in the creation process. These ‘New Wave’ auteurs gained the license to experiment with cinematography, form, and the editing process. Alain Resnais was one such auteur whose treatment of his work was very experimental and pioneering. Although a part of the ‘New Wave’, he was not a member of the ‘Cahiers du Cinema’, which included other luminaries such as Francois Truffaut, Jean Luc Godard, and Claude Chabrol. Instead, he considered himself a ‘Left Bank’ auteur, who differentiated themselves through their treatment of filmmaking as Literature, their extremely experimental filmmaking, and his association with leftist politics. Hiroshima Mon Amour is considered one of the seminal works of the time and cemented Resnais as a successful auteur. In this essay we will examine how this film relates to the larger cinematic landscape of the French New Wave, and through it Resnais’ treatment of trauma and forgetfulness through the film.

The film revolves around the conversations between a French actress and a Japanese man (who are referred to as ‘her’ and ‘him’, respectively) during their very transient relationship of only a few days. They debate on memory and forgetfulness, each recounting and comparing their individual experiences based on trauma, both coincidentally happening during the war. The temporal element in the movie is decidedly non-linear, with the characters manipulating each other psychologically to make them relive their trauma, which Resnais decides to portray through the use of flashbacks and non-continuous editing, often juxtaposing two very different images (much like practitioners of soviet montage theory such as Eisenstein). An example of this would be at the very beginning of the film, in a shot where two naked bodies intertwine, with radioactive dust glistening on their skin. This shot is succeeded by a very similar shot from a slightly altered angle, just that instead of radioactive fallout, the bodies glisten with sweat. In the next few minutes, the shot of these two bodies is repeatedly juxtaposed with scenes of the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing, with a voiceover conversation of the woman insisting that she remembers Hiroshima, while the man repeatedly denies it. The images of the Hiroshima bombing are actual clips of the event. This reflects how early in the production process, Resnais was working on a documentary on this catastrophic event but decided to resort to a fictive narrative to better demonstrate its traumatic nature instead. These shots oscillate from past to present, demonstrating how memory functions, and eventually indifference and forgetfulness set in as the citizens of Hiroshima slowly get over their catastrophe.

Both the protagonists have certain traumatic experiences in their past, the woman had a troubled youth when her Nazi lover is killed during Nevers’ emancipation from German control and she is ostracized as a traitor. The man was deployed in the Japanese armed forces whilst his family died in the bombing of Hiroshima. But it is made evident that both these characters have come to terms with the trauma of the past. What they struggle with is an amnesia that follows these events, making them desperate to hold on to the memories of their troubled pasts. The man remarks, “I’ll think of this story as of the horror of forgetting” about the woman’s tale of her lover, while simultaneously acknowledging that the memory of their meeting is doomed to be lost to time.

There is a certain resignation to fate, the inevitability of forgetting throughout the film. The characters themselves are aware that their temporary tryst will eventually be forgotten just like all their past trauma, despite the intensity of their emotions. However, there is a certain subtle resistance to the act of forgetting peppered throughout the film, almost subconsciously. There are lots of mentions of Hiroshima in the film, even for one set in the city, so much so that the audience is made aware of an effort to resist forgetting its past horrors. Also, the constant comparison and relations are drawn between their respective tragedies come across as an effort to battle such amnesia and the preservation of a collective act of witness.

The treatment of the subject of this film was revolutionary and the experimental methods used were integral for such a film to be made. The adoption of certain cinematic techniques to properly illustrate the concepts of memory, time and forgetfulness was something that would have to revoke traditional methods of filmmaking, which is what Resnais achieves in this film, setting up a new tradition of cross-temporal, non-linear narratives which would continue to evolve and lead to new advances in Cinema.