1948 History Events: What Happened in 1948

In 1948, the world was tired of war. There was no rest for the weary only a few years after the Second World War ended. Now came the difficult process of rebuilding and adjusting to a new geopolitical climate.

This began with the United States’ Marshall Plan. The goal of this initiative, which authorised billions of dollars in aid to over a dozen countries, was to aid in the recovery of countries that had been destroyed by the conflict. At the same time, the world had become bipolar in terms of geopolitics. The United States and the Soviet Union were the only two great powers left. The United States, having observed the advent of communism, did not want Western Europe to fall into the communist, Soviet sphere of influence. The theory was that if the US provided substantial economic assistance to its Western allies, those countries would be less likely to collapse and ignite a communist revolt.

With the end of World War II, another step toward the dismantling of European empires and colonialism in general was taken. As a result, there was a considerable development in the Middle East this year, which was aided in part by the weakening of European control in the region. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War began after Israel proclaimed independence in May 1948. Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, and Iraq all sent armed forces against Israel during this battle. When this happened, the region’s nominal British control was effectively ended.

An international war crimes tribunal sentenced seven Japanese government and military officials to death for their role in war crimes committed by the Japanese Empire during World War II in November of this year, in yet another incident that helped bring the Second World War to a close.

Continue reading to discover more about the events of 1948.

Event
(January 04, 1948) Burma (Myanmar) officially acquired independence on this day in 1948, completing the power transfer arranged by Burmese leader Aung San and British Prime Minister Clement Attlee in 1947. photo source: wikimedia.org
Advertisements (January 30, 1948) On this day in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi, India's father and internationally renowned for his theory of nonviolent protest (satyagraha) to accomplish political and social reform, was assassinated.
(February 04, 1948) The British Commonwealth grants Ceylon (later renamed Sri Lanka) independence.
(March 22, 1948) Andrew Lloyd Webber, an English composer whose works Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Phantom of the Opera helped rejuvenate British and American musical theatre in the late twentieth century, was born.
(March 31, 1948) Al Gore, an American politician who served as Vice President in President Bill Clinton's administration from 1993 to 2001 and lost the disputed 2000 presidential election, was born.
Advertisements (April 03, 1948) President Harry S. Truman of the United States signed George C. Marshall's post-World War II plan to rebuild the economy of western and southern European countries in order to nurture democracy in the region into law on this day in 1948.
(May 14, 1948) David Ben-Gurion and the Jewish People's Council declared the State of Israel on this day in 1948, just before the British mandate in Palestine expired, sparking the first Arab-Israeli war.
(July 12, 1948) David Ben-Gurion, the prime minister of Israel, orders the expulsion of Palestinians from the cities of Lod and Ramla.
(July 16, 1948) The hijacking of the Miss Macao passenger seaplane, which was operated by a subsidiary of Cathay Pacific Airways, is the first hijacking of a commercial aircraft.
Advertisements (July 29, 1948) The 1948 Summer Olympics (formally known as London 1948) was held in London, UK. After a 12-year hiatus due to WWII, these were the first Summer Olympics since Berlin 1936. photo source: wikipedia.org
(August 10, 1948) After a year on the radio as Candid Microphone, Candid Camera makes its television debut. photo source: wikipedia.org
(September 02, 1948) The first private citizen to go in space, American teacher Christa Corrigan McAuliffe, was born; along with six other crew members, she perished when the Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff in 1986. photo source: wikimedia.org
(November 14, 1948) Prince Charles was born, the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the heir presumptive to the British throne. photo source: wikimedia.org