The End of the Second World War

THE dramatic collapse of Japan under the pressure of unprecedented air bombardment accompanied by the threat of invasion by overwhelming forces marks the end of the War of 1939–45 —the Second World War. More than that, it marks the end of a period extending over some thirty-five years which has witnessed increasing social unrest and suffering, culminating in warfare of an intensity never before witnessed, and physical destruction on an appalling scale. War has now become so terrible, so swift in its march and so indisc iminate in its cutting off of old and young alike, that the greater nations of the world must recoil with horror from the possibility of another major war, lest they court annihilation of whole populations. This is not to say that armed forces will be unnecessary; for so long as man fails short of the ideal in his ethical outlook and practice, there will be differences and disputes, some of which may lead to wars. But it should not be beyond the power of the nations, imperfect as man is, to limit the conflict and promote a swift settlement. Towards this end the United Nations Charter is a first instrument, based on a mixture of idealism and worldly practicability, which can be of prime importance for the future of humanity.