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After the war, much of Europe, especially Germany, lay in ruins. With American economic aid from the Marshall Plan and through their own efforts, Western European nations rebuilt their industries, transportation systems, and cities. West Germany's strong recovery is often called the German economic miracle. With their new industries and strong leadership from Konrad Adenauer, West Germans achieved one of the highest standards of living in Europe by the late 1950s. After the war, France suffered from political instability and colonial wars in Asia and North Africa. Algerian nationalists, for example, battled for years to win independence. The war in Algeria led to the downfall of the unstable Fourth Republic and the creation of the Fifth Republic under Charles de Gaulle. De Gaulle worked hard to restore France to a position of world leadership and pursued an independent course among the western allies. In the postwar years, Britain rebuilt factories and improved farm output. It also moved toward creating a welfare state, one in which the government assumes responsibility for people's social and economic well-being. For example, Britain introduced a national health service and expanded unemployment insurance and old-age pensions. Overseas, Britain saw the breakup of its colonial empire as people in many lands won independence. Western European nations took several steps toward economic cooperation. In 1957, they created the European Economic Community, called the Common Market. Members enjoyed fewer restrictions on trade and travel.
A Brief Survey of World History. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. (p. c69)
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During Stalin's last years, the Soviet leader launched a new round of political purges. After his death, however, Nikita Khrushchev denounced the former leader and criticized Stalin's "cult of personality." Khrushchev led the Soviet Union through a period of reform, known as deStalinization. Although some of the harshest conditions were eased, the Soviet Union remained a totalitarian state. Among the Soviet satellites, as the nations of Eastern Europe were called, Yugoslavia under Marshal Tito pursued an independent course. Tito was a communist dictator, but he did allow some economic and individual freedom. Two satellites, Poland and Hungary, tried to shake free of Soviet domination. The Polish communist leader, Wladyslaw Gomulka, made some reforms but continued to support Soviet foreign policy. In Hungary, however, Imre Nagy moved toward a western-style democracy and pledged to withdraw Hungary from the Warsaw Pact. Khrushchev then sent troops to Hungary and crushed the revolution. In the late 1960s, a wave of protests swept across Europe and the United States. Protesters were often students and other young people who called for reforms in society.
A Brief Survey of World History. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. (p. c79)
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In Western Europe, protests began in the universities, where students demanded changes in the way universities were run. Students and other protesters also mounted campaigns to protect the environment and reduce the number of nuclear weapons in Europe. Concern for human rights was another issue. In 1975, more than 30 nations signed the Helsinki Agreement, agreeing to protect human rights such as freedom of thought and religion. In the 1970s, most Western European nations experienced economic slowdown, inflation, and later high unemployment. In France, Britain, and elsewhere, national budgets grew as governments paid for ever more costly social welfare programs that had been set up after the war. As a result, budget deficits increased. In the 1980s, conservative forces in France and Britain supported privatization, the selling of state-owned industries to private investors. Great Britain's prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, won reelection throughout the 1980s. She moved to reduce budget deficits by cutting government spending on health care, education, housing, and other social programs. Governments in other nations made similar cutbacks in social programs.
A Brief Survey of World History. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. (p. c80)
HISTORY-SOCIAL SCIENCE CONTENT STANDARDS
10.9 Students analyze the international developments in the post-World World War II world.
For additional information see the California Department of Education web site at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/histsocscistnd.pdf
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES CHECK THESE LINKS:
