AllMovie

This film is part of a British series that chronicles the major events and figures of World War II. With help from archival footage from both the Allied and Axis powers, the program tells the story of the devastation, destruction, and reconstruction of the war years. This episode describes the occupation of Germany and Japan after the war's end. The film traces the efforts to defuse the military machines of the Axis powers, while offering economic aid to the people of those countries. The postwar years saw a complete restructuring of Japanese society, with the imposition of Western ideology over the traditional Japanese ways. Historians discuss the impact and long-range effects. Photographs add visual details.