Transcript Europe Since 1945 - Fabius

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
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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
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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.