Chapter 5 Departure

Abstract

Germany surrendered to the Allies in May 1945, but in China the war ended later than it did in Europe. In fact, there was a flurry of activity in August, as the Soviet Union declared war on Japan in August 1945 and moved swiftly to occupy Manchuria, while the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan’s capitulation came within weeks, marking the end of the Second World War in the Pacific. But that left an uncertain future for China, where nationalists and communists were gearing up to resume their interrupted civil war. The future for Russians in China was uncertain, too. Soviet forces – Russians! - were occupying Manchuria; Americans, international organizations and a shaky Chinese nationalist government were running things in Shanghai and Tientsin. With hindsight, this was the beginning of a new Departure chapter, but it took time for recognition to sink in. It was still possible to hope that life for Russians in China would return to normal, whatever that might mean.