Europe Since 1945

The Cold War

• Divided Europe– Communist Nations of Eastern Europe,

dominated by the Soviet Union (Warsaw Pact).

– Western Democracies, led by the U.S. (NATO).

• Iron Curtain– A term popularized by British Prime

Minister Winston Churchill to describe the Soviet Union’s policy of isolation during the Cold War. The Iron Curtain isolated Eastern Europe from the rest of the world. Its most poignant symbol was the Berlin Wall.

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Post-War Legislation

• Truman Doctrine (1947)– A policy of the Truman presidency that

called for supporting any nation resisting communism.

• Marshall Plan (1947)– Economic aid from the United States

used to rebuild Europe after World War II. Named after United States Secretary of State George Marshall.

• NATO (1949)– North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an

international defense alliance between the United States, Great Britain, and others formed in 1949 as a response to the spread of communism.

Components of the Cold War

• Berlin Airlift– The Berlin airlift marked the first major

confrontation in the Cold War. For 11 months, beginning in June 1948, the Western allies took part in an unprecedented attempt to keep a city alive -- entirely from the air.

• The Berlin Wall– A wall built in 1961 dividing Soviet

controlled East Berlin from the democratic West Berlin. It was destroyed when communism ended in 1990.

• Arms Race– The production of huge arsenals of

nuclear weapons that resulted in a “balance of terror.” This also led to cutbacks in other areas.

End of the Cold War

• Disarmament & Détente – Distrust often blocked progress, but in 1963 the Nuclear

Test Ban Treaty, banned testing into the atmosphere.

– Détente: Relaxation of tensions in the 1970s with agreements to reduce nuclear stockpiles. This ended in 1979 when the USSR invaded Afghanistan.

• End of Cold War– By the 1990s, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased the

grip on Eastern European countries. One by one communism collapsed, even in the Soviet Union.

Current Problems• Nuclear Weapons

– As disarmament took place fears increased that Russian weapons might end up in the hands of other nations or groups.

• Arms Race– While this has been reduced, the weak economies of Eastern Europe

led to concern over selling weapons.• Terrorism

– The use of violence for political purpose. Used by countries that could not defeat the Superpowers otherwise.

• Human Rights – “The right to life, liberty, and security of person”– After the fall of communism, the various ethnic and religious groups,

attempted to separate from Yugoslavia and form their own nations. – However, this independence came at a price as many non-Serbs were

either killed or forced out of the country, this policy is called Ethnic Cleansing.

– Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic, fought to keep non-Serbs from breaking away from Yugoslavia. During the 1990s, he used his army to terrorize ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, who were asking for self rule.  NATO finally put a stop to this violence, and Milosovic was arrested and tried for war crimes.

International Organizations

• Health, Welfare & International Relations – UN (United Nations)– WHO (World Health Organization)– EU (European Union)– NAFTA (North American Free Trade Association) &

the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

• International Economic– GATT (General Agreement of Tariffs & Trade)– WTO (World Trade Organization)– G-8 (Group of Eight) Britain, Canada, France,

Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia & U.S.

Hurdles To Development

• Geography – Few Natural resources, poor climates/rainfall/ farmland and disease.

• Population & Poverty – Better medicine & food supplies have increased the world’s population. To fix the cycle of poverty the world must feed, house, educate, employ and care for others.

• Economic Dependence – Even though former colonies are free they are often dependent on their imperialist conquerors. A cash crop often is not enough to pay back loans for development.

• Economic Policies – Many countries moved toward Socialism and saw short-term gains block long-term growth. Countries would eventually introduce free-market policies.

• Political Instability – Political unrest in the form of civil wars or military dictators leads to heavy military spending instead of education, housing and health care. This also causes refugees and a loss of labor, leading to the cycle of poverty.

Urbanization and its effects

• ½ the world’s population live in cities.• Shantytowns: slums on the outskirts of cities

that often lack running water or sewers and experience crime and drug problems.

• Breakdown of the extended family for the nuclear family.

• Traditions undermined by material wealth, education and job status, which can lead to stress and isolation.

The Changing Roles of Women

• Throughout most of recorded history, women have been denied equal social, political, and economic rights.  In many cultures women are treated as second class citizens who are virtual slaves to their fathers or husbands.  Slowly, women have gained many rights in western societies, yet in many developing nations, women are still regulated to a subservient existence.

Science & Technology

• Technology– The computer, internet, medical and biological breakthroughs

and space travel.

• Benefits– E-commerce, or buying and selling on the internet, led to

economic growth.– Medicines saved many lives.– Satellites helped scientists map varying trends.– Green Revolution: 1960s rice and other grain production

doubled in India and Indonesia.

• Limits– Technology has still yet to solve issues of hunger, poverty and

has led to increased unemployment.

Britain & Northern Ireland

• Ireland, has been independent of Great Britain since 1922, but 6 northern counties are Protestant, and support the British remaining in control.  The people of the Irish Republic are Roman Catholic, and wish to reunite Ireland while driving the British from the island.  

• This situation has resulted in widespread violence between the Protestants and the Catholics.  Some Catholics formed the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to rid the northern counties of the British.  They use terrorism as a way of achieving their goals.  The Protestants have also formed paramilitary-terrorist organizations to strike back at the Catholics.  Despite a cease fire signed in 1995, religious violence continues to occur.

Germany Divided & Reunited

• Post-WWII Events– 1945-48: Germany was desperate with starvation,

destruction and division.– 1961: The Soviet Union built the Berlin Wall to halt

migration to West Germany.– 1969: West German Chancellor Willy Brandt’s policy

Ostpolitik, or “eastern policy” attempted to ease tensions with its communist neighbor.

– 1989: Soviet Communism declined and Germany moved toward unification by tearing down the wall.

– 1990: German voters approved reunification and Helmut Kohl became chancellor of Germany.

European Union

• Economic union between countries in Europe for mutual gain. Originally formed in 1951 as the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), it later became the European Community in 1967, then the European Union in 1991.– In 1999 the EU began launching the euro, a

single currency to be used by member nations.

Soviet Rivalry with US and impact on USSR

• The Cold War– Soviet-American relations swung between

confrontation & détente.• 1961 – Berlin Wall intensified tensions.• 1962 – Cuban missile crisis brought the two

nations to the brink of war.

Fall of the Soviet Union

• Causes– Mikhail Gorbachev– Glasnost: A policy that called for more openness with

the nations of West, and a relaxing of restraints on Soviet citizenry.

– Perestroika: A policy to revitalize the Soviet economy by opening it up to more free enterprise.

– The economy of the Soviet Union faltered as many businesses could not function without help from the government.

– Countries in the Soviet Empire gained independence by 1991.

Fall of the Soviet Union

• Effects– Economic turmoil.– Shortages grew & prices soared.– Factories closed and unemployment rose.– Reforms were denounced.– Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania gained their

independence in 1991.– Poland, East Germany, Romania & Bulgaria

gained independence too.

Freedom Sweeps Eastern Europe

• Hungary: Imre Nagy & freedom fighters resist Soviets. Nagy executed, but Hungary joins NATO in 1999.

• Czechoslovakia: Alexander Dubcek introduced reforms, but again flattened by the Brezhnev Doctrine. (NATO 1999).

• Bulgaria: Broke out of Soviet orbit by 1991.• Yugoslavia: Communist nation led by Josip Tito.

They refused to join the Warsaw Pact and stayed neutral in the Cold War.

Freedom Sweeps Eastern Europe

• East Germany: Reunited with West Germany after the Berlin Wall was destroyed.

• Romania: When Nicolae Ceausescu refused to step down he was overthrown and executed to bring freedom.

• Poland: Faced many blocks to freedom from 1950s-1980s. Gained freedom when Gorbachev vowed not to interfere in Eastern Europe.

Yugoslavia

• Tito’s Death– This led to a surge of Nationalism among the

many republics that made up the country.– As we have already learned, Slobodan

Milosevic used his army to keep the country united.

– In the process he killed or forced non-Serbs to migrate, a campaign known as ethnic cleansing.