1940s
The decade from 1940 through 1949, shaped by the Second World War and the transition toward a postwar international order.
Second World War: A global conflict from 1939 to 1945 between the Allied and Axis powers. The war dominated the decade and ended in 1945 with the Axis powers’ defeat.
United Nations: An international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among states. It embodied efforts to build a more durable international order after the war.
War economy: An economic system organized to supply a state’s military needs during armed conflict. Governments redirected production, labor, and materials on an unprecedented scale.
Film noir: A style of crime film marked by moral ambiguity, shadowy visuals, and fatalistic stories. Its postwar films gave cinematic form to anxiety and disillusionment.
Holocaust: The systematic persecution and murder of six million European Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. Its exposure and aftermath shaped postwar justice and international responses to genocide.
Cold War: The prolonged geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies. Its first major confrontations emerged from postwar tensions before the decade ended.
Rationing: The controlled distribution of scarce goods, often through limits or coupons. Rationing shaped household consumption in countries mobilized for war.
Bebop: A modern jazz style developed in the 1940s, featuring fast tempos, complex harmony, and improvisation. Its musical experimentation challenged swing-era conventions during the decade.
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The United States’ nuclear attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. The bombings helped end the Pacific war and opened the nuclear age.
NATO: A military alliance founded in 1949 by North American and European states for collective defense. Its founding formalized the Western security alignment taking shape in the late 1940s.