Unit 9: Cold War & Modern Europe

The Cold War created tensions in Eastern and Western Europe as well as in the newly formed United Nations. East of the Iron Curtain, the USSR controlled the Warsaw Pact nations, while in the West, the United States exerted great influence over the NATO alliance (Key Concept 4.1.IV). Economically, the European nations began to cooperate more through the Common Market (for the western democracies) and COMECON (for the Warsaw Pact nations) (Key Concept 4.1.I). Nationalism caused the rise of independence movements in Northern Ireland, as well as decolonization movements in Africa and Asia (Key Concept 4.1.VII).

The Marshall Plan aided in reconstruction, bringing about an "economic miracle" in the West, while policies in the Soviet bloc brought about unrest and economic stagnation. The election of socialists in the West brought nationalization of large industries and "cradle to grave" welfare programs (Key Concepts 4.2.IV, 4.2.V).

Deaths from the two world wars, decimation of the Jewish population, and migration caused social upheaval and change. Organized religion continued to be important in European life, and the Vatican II Council brought reform to Catholicism (Key Concept 4.3.III). Imports from the United States fueled a new consumer culture, while new technologies and medical theories brought changes that were viewed in both positive and negative ways (Key Concepts 4.2.II, 4.4.I). Women continued to gain rights in Western Europe, but social inequities remained, and feminists continued to work for women's equality (Key Concept 4.4.II).

Source: Western Civilization, Spielvogel, pg. 863

Medical innovation and new laws gave women control over reproduction and allowed expansion of women's roles in the workplace and politics, resulting in the election of women to legislative assemblies and high political office. Green parties and gay and lesbian movements formed. Intellectuals and youths revolted against bourgeois materialism in 1968 (Key Concept 4.4.II, 4.4.III).

As the Cold War continued, propaganda campaigns and covert operations, as well as participation in limited "hot wars" around the globe culminated in a nuclear arms race. Nationalist sentiments and the failure of Khrushchev's de-Stalinization policies to meet their economic goals caused unrest in Eastern Europe. Revolts in Czechoslovakia and Hungary were put down harshly by the Soviet Union. Fearing a third world war, East and West made overtures of détente (Key Concept 4.2.V).

Postmodernist art and existential literature were products of disillusionment of World War II and the Cold War. New movements in the visual arts, architecture, and music broke completely from existing rules, often satirizing materialism and consumer culture (Key Concept 4.3.IV).

Source: Western Civilization, Spielvogel, pg. 896

In the USSR, the failure of Gorbachev's reforms of the economy and politics, glasnost and perestroika, led to an end of Soviet control over Eastern Europe and finally to the breakup of the Soviet Union itself (Key Concept 4.3.V). Nationalist sentiments and economic woes led to peaceful revolutions in most Soviet-controlled territories, although bloody revolts and genocide occurred in the Balkans (Key Concept 4.1.IV).

Organized religion continued to be important in European life, and immigration changed the religious makeup of some countries. New communication and medical technologies transformed daily life and contributed to globalization (Key Concept 4.3.III).

In Western Europe, cooperation resulted in the formation of the European Union. Economic and demographic pressures led to increased immigration from East to West and from former European colonies. "Guest workers," who had immigrated to the West to take advantage of economic growth of the 1950s and 1960s, were seen as interlopers after the economic downturn of the 1970s. Often from Asia and Africa, they altered the religious makeup of Western Europe and were regarded as competitors for jobs. The threat of global terrorism arose along with destabilization in the Middle East and Africa, causing European nations to rethink their stances on immigration and assimilation of refugees. Extreme nationalist political parties formed as anti-immigrant sentiments arose (Key Concept 4.4.III).

Source: Western Civilization, Spielvogel, pg. 920

Key Concepts

4.1: Total war and political instability in the first half of the 20th century gave way to a polarized state order during the Cold War and eventually to efforts at transnational union.
4.2: The stresses of economic collapse and total war engendered internal conflicts within European states and created conflicting conceptions of the relationship between the individual and the state, as demonstrated in the ideological battle between and among democracy, communism, and fascism.
4.3: During the 20th century, diverse intellectual and cultural movements questioned the existence of objective knowledge, the ability of reason to arrive at truth, and the role of religion in determining moral standards.
4.4: Demographic changes, economic growth, total war, disruptions of traditional social patterns, and competing definitions of freedom and justice altered the experiences of everyday life.

Guiding Questions

What was the Cold War? How did it influence international relationships during this era?
How did differing economic approaches affect Eastern and Western Europe? How did the rise of social welfare programs impact the lives of Western Europeans?
How did economic problems of the USSR combine with nationalism and economic troubles to bring about the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union?
How were former European colonies able to achieve independence, and what effect did this have on Western European nations?
What new rights did women gain in the postwar period, and how were gender roles affected within the family? How did this new freedom affect women’s participation in politics and economic life?
What caused the rise of the youth movement in the 1960s, and what effect did it have on European society?
What were the causes of rebellion in Eastern Europe, and how did the USSR and Western Europe react to it?
In what ways did nationalism and ethnic conflict continue to disrupt the peace achieved after WWII? How have European nations dealt with this issue?
How did the European Union form, and what effects did it have on the economy of Europe? How have European society and the European economy become more globalized?