Western Society and Eastern Europe in the Decades of the Cold War

Decolonization Decolonization decreased west’s power Overall, decolonization went smoothly but Kenya, Vietnam and Algeria were exceptions Europe still intervened in their colonies Despite the loss of colonies, neither economic growth nor political stability weakened significantly

Resurgence of Western Europe Spread of liberal democracy Universal suffrage Development of the welfare state- medical care, housing, and the development of a large, expensive bureaucracy to deal with that state with government planning Rise of student protests Development of the European Union and later the Euro Economic growth surged

The Cold War: conflict took shape Boundaries- “iron curtain” - Churchill Marshall Plan- loan program to rebuild economies was a spit in the face to Soviets Germany the focal point of war at the beginning 1946 unified West Germany, 1947 stable currency created 1948 airlift to Berlin NATO and the Warsaw Pact 1949 Soviets had developed nuclear capability Spilled over into conflicts in other parts of the world

Influence of the U.S. U.S. after 1945 had to serve as the world’s defender of democratic and capitalist values Truman doctrine- support for people resisting aggression Communist frenzy at home – McCarthy Era Korean War and increased military spending Eisenhower- containment policy of the USSR U.S. intervention in Central America against suspected communist takeovers Cuban missile crisis- JFK policy of vigilance Vietnam- expensive war- more bombs dropped than in 20 th century cease fire Reagan and arms race helped bring down USSR which couldn’t keep up After cold war U.S. emerged as only superpower

Culture and Society in the West Increased prosperity for all groups and increased social mobility Change in family structure as women entered the workforce Feminist movement demanded more rights for women Slow shift to the U.S. for producing new inventions and breakthroughs (partly due to large immigration of intellectuals) Coca-cola-ization of the world- spread of U.S. culture

Soviets in Eastern Europe Opposition to Soviet rule crushed (except in Greece, Albania, and Yugoslavia (Tito) ) Propaganda, collectivization, industrialization (new 5-year plans) Berlin wall built Soviet army crushed uprisings in E.Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland Solidarity movement in Poland

Soviet Culture and Economy Stalinist system eased in the 1950s but Communist party control still tight Sciences strongly promoted (military use) Lagged in consumer goods because of focus on heavy industry, which led to complaints about consumer products and long lines Environmental damage from industry Problems in agricultural sector

De-Stalinization Nikita Krushchev emerged after Stalin and eased some policies and tried to cooperate with the west Space race and “sputnik”- Soviet Union led the race until the 1960s Relations with Communist China and other nations turned sour Gorbachev and “perestroika” 1989 the fall of the wall