Ch. 16 Sec. 2 The Western European Democracies Bell work #2 Traveling north the detective and her partner realized suddenlike that they have taken a wrong turn onto highway 31

Intro  After 1945, the Western European democracies operated within a growing framework of regional and global cooperation, including the Common Market, NATO, and the UN. Each nation, however, faced its own problems and made its own contributions to postwar freedom and prosperity.

Britain: Government and the Economy  WWII left Britain physically battered and economically drained. In 1945, voters put the Labour party in power.  That “new world” gave government an ever larger role in the economy. It nationalized major industries and expanded social welfare benefits such as unemployment insurance and old age pensions. The government built housing for the poor and opened new state funded universities. A national health service extended free or low-cost medical care to all citizens. To pay for all these benefits, taxes rose tremendously.

Welfare Rollback  By 1979, Britain was reeling under economic hard times. The conservative party won power from the labour party. Led by Margaret Thatcher, Conservatives denounced the welfare state as costly and inefficient. During 11years as Britain’s prime minister, Thatcher worked to replace government social and economic programs with what she called an “enterprise culture” that promoted individual initiative.  Thatcher privatized government run industries. She curbed the power of labor unions, reduced the size of the government bureaucracy, and cut back welfare services. These changes did help to slow government spending but did not revive the British economy as much as Thatcher had hoped.

France: Revival and Prosperity  Like Britain, France was greatly weakened by WWII. The Fourth French Republic, set up in 1946, did little to renew confidence. Ineffective cabinets drew criticism from both communists and conservatives. Bloody colonial wars in Vietnam and Algeria further drained and demoralized France.

De Gaulle  In Algeria, longtime French settlers and the French military opposed Algerian nationalists who wanted independence. France itself was to divided over the issue that civil war threatened. Amid the deepening crisis, voters turned to General Charles De Gaulle, who had led the Free French during the war.  In 1958, de Gaulle set up the Fifth Republic. Its constitution gave him, as president, great power. De Gaulle realized that France must give up Algeria. In 1962, he made peace with the Algerians. Other French colonies in Africa soon won freedom without bloodshed.

De Gaulle  De Gaulle worked hard to restore French prestige and power. He forged new ties with West Germany, ending the long hostility between the two nations. He developed a French nuclear force and challenged American dominance in Europe.  In 1968, youth revolts shook France. The next year, de Gaulle resigned. Although he was widely disliked by the left, he had successfully asserted French leadership in Europe.

Germany: Reunited at last  The early years after WWII were a desperate time for Germany. People were starving amid a landscape of destruction. German cities lay in ruins.  By 1949, feuds among the Allies divided Germany. West Germany was a member of the western alliance. East Germany lay in the Soviet orbit. Over the next decades, differences between the two Germanies widened, and the Soviet union opposed a unified Germany that might pose a new threat to the security.

West Germany’s Economic miracle  As the Cold War began, the United States rushed aid to its former enemy. It wanted to strengthen West Germany against the communist tide seeping Eastern Europe. From 1949 to 1963, West Germany was guided by a strong minded chancellor, Konrad Adenauer.  During this time, West Germans rebuilt their cities, factories, and trade. Despite high taxes to pay for the recovery, West Germany created a booming industrial economy.  This “economic miracle” raised European fears of a German revival

East Germany  The post war decades brought no economic miracle to East Germany. Under communist rule, its economy rebuilt but stagnated. The Soviet Union exploited East German workers and industry for its won benefit. Still, unemployment was low, and East German workers did have some basic benefits, such as health care, housing, and free education.  Lured by glittering views of the West, however, many East Germans fled. This mass exodus led to the building of the Berlin Wall.

Ostpolitik  In 1969, West German chancellor Willy Brandt tried to ease tensions with communist neighbors to the east. He called his policy Ostpolitik, or “eastern policy.” Brandt signed treaties with the USSR and Poland. He opened economic doors to Eastern Europe and signed a treaty of mutual recognition with East Germany. But Brandt’s long term goal the reunification of Germany seemed impossible in the Cold War world.

Reunification  By 1989, the decline of communism in the Soviet Union at last mad reunification possible. Without Soviet power to back them up, East German communist leaders were forced out of office. The Wall was dismantled, as you read, and Germans set about reuniting their divided land.

Other Democratic Nations of the West  Italy- Postwar Italy was economically divided. In the urban north, industries rebuilt and prospered. In the rural south, the largely peasant population remained much poorer. Politically, Italy’s multiparty system led to instability, as one coalition government succeeded another.  The Mafia, a violent criminal syndicate, defied government efforts to end its power, especially in the south. Despite these problems, Italy made impressive economic gains and joined the powerful Group of Seven.