01:506:201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 32: Eastern Bloc, Warsaw Pact, Europe 1
17 May 2018
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Chapter 32
Western Society and Eastern Europe in the Decades of the Cold War
1. Introduction
1. After World War II
1. Soviets create an empire that dominates Eastern Europe
2. Western Europe recovers, but not totally dominant
3. US breaks from isolationist and turns international
2. Cold War - democratic capitalism vs. communism
1. Led to alliances and arms race
3. Western Europe
1. Turned to service based economy
2. Social transformation > more roles for women
3. Democracy had firm roots - unlike decades before
4. Europe started to work together not as indepedent
nationalistic nations
4. Soviet Union turns industrialist
1. New world role
2. Science exploration and sports achievement
2. After World War II: International Setting for the West
1. Introduction
1. Infrastructure of Europe destroyed - bombings
2. Boundary changes + forced labor = refugees
3. USSR and USA size/industrial strength dwarf European
nation-states
2. Europe and Its Colonies
1. Two major changes - decolonization and cold war
1. Colonies
1. Only maintainable at a high cost
2. French finally give up Vietnam in 1954 - costly
defeats
3. French finally give up Algeria in 1962 - almost
civil war
4. Most independence achieved peacefully
1. France/Belgium actually
intervened/helped later
5. West continues to economically exploit Africa
2. Decolonization's Effect on Europe
1. Returning settlers ticked off
2. Europe's role in world affairs minimal
1. Suez Canal crisis of 1956 symbolic shift
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2. War ends only after US and USSR end it
3. Europe goes on without colonies
3. The Cold War
1. Lines drawn immediately after WWII
1. Eastern bloc emerges
1. Soviet troops remained
2. Communist governments amazingly
elected
3. USSR gets more Western lands
4. Having base in East Berlin - Soviets
in heart of W. Europe
2. US and Britain respond
1. Churchill claims iron curtain has
descended - free/repressed
1. Britain no power to defend
views
2. US takes more active stance -
having bomb helps
1. Refuses loans to rebuild
eastern Europe
2. Gives money to Iran, Turkey,
Greece to avoid communism
3. Marshall Plan - tons of money
to W. Europe
1. US now has tons of
influence
2. Focal point in early years - Germany
1. US wants to build economically
successful W. Germany - combat
commies
2. US tries to stabilize German currency -
USSR bitter at US for being nice
1. Cuts off all roads into Berlin - even
West Berlin
2. US responds with Berlin Airlift
3. NATO created - W. Europe plus Canada
1. Military alliance
2. Rearms W. Germany
3. Goal - combatting communism
4. USSR responds with Warsaw Pact and gets the
bomb
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5. Cold War effects on W. Europe
1. US influences policy of Europe
1. Larger military budgets for
France/Britain
2. Rearm W. Germany
2. Why would they listen to US?
1. Hold rebuilding money
2. Stationed troops throughout Europe
3. Protected by nuclear umbrella
3. USSR scared the bejeepers out of W.
Europe
1. Even sent money to forment
communist movements
4. Cold War issues move to Middle East and
East Asia after 1950s
1. France pulls out of NATO - looks
like Britain/US calling all the shots
2. W. Germany wants to reopen trade
with Eastern bloc in 1970s
5. US military power increases, allowing
Europe to devalue military
1. Europe puts values on civilian
values/goals - sure...US paying the
tab
3. The Resurgence of Western Europe
1. Introduction
1. Europe made progress post WWII
1. Exentending democratic systems
2. Modifying nation-state rivalries
3. Rapid economic growth
1. Took care of many gender/social problems
2. The Spread of Liberal Democracy
1. Notion of revolution faded
1. Fascism proved a failure
2. Communists started working within the system
2. Focus became government planning for welfare
3. New West Germany - Federal Republic of Germany
1. Combined 3 zones
2. New gov't outlawed extremist political movements
4. New European gov'ts had universal suffrage - and women
1. Remain stable
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