1. Changing Societies Preview Main Idea / Reading Focus North America
Faces of History: Martin Luther King Jr.
Western Europe
Quick Facts: Contrasting Economic Systems
Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union
Faces of History: Mikhail Gorbachev

2. Changing Societies Main Idea Reading Focus
The Cold War brought tremendous economic and social change to North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.
Reading Focus
What were the major social changes taking place in North America after World War II?
How did Western Europe recover economically in the postwar era?
How did Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union change after World War II?

3. Inflation, Unemployment
North America
The postwar United States was a land of tremendous prosperity. At the same time, the country was undergoing rapid social change.
U.S. economy enjoyed great success after World War II
By 1960, total value of U.S. goods, services two-and-a-half times greater than in 1940
Much economic growth driven by consumer spending
After years of economic depression, Americans ready to buy consumer goods
The U.S. Economy
Early 1970s, rapid inflation, high unemployment slowed U.S. economy dramatically
World’s oil supply disrupted
Steep spike in cost of energy, driving prices of other goods higher as well
Early 1980s employment, economy grew, though nation’s debts rose sharply
Inflation, Unemployment

4. Industry and Technology
Postwar decades brought major structural changes to economy
Nation’s heavy industry suffered during 1970s, 1980s
American shipbuilders, automakers, steel companies found it more difficult to compete with companies in other countries
Many Americans lost jobs when U.S. companies closed factories
Other American industries still proved successful
New jobs created in advanced technology
Also new jobs in service industries like banking, health care, sales

5. Social Changes Returning Veterans African Americans
1950s, booming U.S. economy raised living standards of millions, as did G.I. Bill of Rights
G.I. Bill helped millions of American veterans attend college
Many World War II veterans married, began families
Birthrates rose, nation entered so-called baby boom
Returning Veterans
African Americans made major advances in postwar era
Served bravely during war—but in units segregated from whites
1948, President Truman issued executive order ending segregation in armed forces
Desegregation of military first in series of victories for African Americans
African Americans

6. Civil Rights Groundwork for Future
1954, U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education segregation of public schools had to end
Next came civil rights campaign led by Martin Luther King Jr., James Farmer, Malcolm X, other activists, organizations
Groundwork for Future
Civil rights movement achieved some major reforms
1964, Congress passed Civil Rights Voting Act, followed by Voting Rights Act the next year
Laws knocked down longstanding barriers for equality for African Americans
Did not end racism, laid groundwork for future progress

8. Other Social Changes Women’s Rights Movement
Civil rights movement helped inspire renewed women’s rights movement in 1960s, 1970s
Core belief: women, men should be socially, politically, economically equal
Changing Traditional Ideas
Some wanted to change traditional ideas about women’s roles—including idea that women happiest as wives, mothers, homemakers
Idea met opposition—including women who believed in traditional roles
Counterculture
1960s, counterculture—rebellion of teens, young adults against mainstream American society—spread across country
Unconventional values, clothing, behavior adopted by many young people
Some questioned government’s actions in Vietnam War

9. Changes in Canada Similar Path Jobs, Births, Movements Other Events
Canada underwent many of same economic, social changes
Government programs helped military veterans go to college, buy homes, start businesses
Jobs, Births, Movements
Economy provided jobs, birthrates rose
Canada also had active civil rights, women’s counterculture movements
Other Events
Canada sheltered many American men who fled military draft in U.S. during Vietnam war
Quebec experienced Quiet Revolution, 1960s
Quiet Revolution
Movement featured growing nationalism among French-speaking residents of Quebec
Called for separation of Quebec from rest of Canada

10. What postwar changes took place in North America?
Summarize
What postwar changes took place in North America?
Answer(s): economic boom; veterans bought homes and consumer goods, went to college; the civil rights, feminist, and counterculture movements

11. Western Europe Economic Growth Influx of Immigrants
Western Europe faced challenging future after World War II
At end of war, much of Western Europe lay in ruins
Property, farmland destroyed; national economies collapsed; millions displaced from homes; seemed on brink of chaos
Chaos did not come, thanks in large part to Marshall Plan
With American aid, Western Europe’s factories produced more in 1950s than before war
West Germany became major economic power
Growth strong in other countries
Economic Growth
Availability of jobs attracted immigrants from former colonies
Created strain as Europeans struggled to adapt to newcomers, their cultures
Influx of Immigrants

12. Alliances and Economic Unity
World War II had changed Europe’s place in the world. The continent was no longer the center of world power; instead, the United States and the Soviet Union were centers of power.
European nations began to end longstanding rivalries, work for common good
NATO unified many nations in strong military alliance with U.S., Canada
Alliances
Many Western European nations moved toward economic unity
Cooperation begun in coal, steel industries, and development of atomic energy
Economic Unity
Broader efforts to develop single regional market, free of trade barriers
Goal to create single market to rival United States
Markets

13. European Economic Community
The Common Market
European Economic Community
1957, six European nations founded European Economic Community; also known as Common Market
1960, seven other European countries formed rival European Free Trade Association
True economic unity in Europe still years in future

15. Describe the economic recovery in Western Europe after World War II.
Find the Main Idea
Describe the economic recovery in Western Europe after World War II.
Answer(s): uneven, some countries recovered quickly with the Marshall Plan; others lagged; generally high standard of living

16. Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union
The challenges facing the Soviet Union and the Eastern European nations under its control were even more overwhelming than those facing Western Europe. Like Western Europe, however, the region soon began to recover.
Tens of millions killed in war
Heavy damage to cities and farms
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin determined to rebuild quickly
Soviet Union had command economy
The Postwar Soviet Union
Government controls all economic decisions
Goods at prewar levels by 1953
Nikita Krushchev became leader of Soviet Union, undertook effort to “de-Stalinize” Soviet Union
Command Economy
Stalin-era economic and political restrictions loosened, but country remained Communist. Individual freedoms limited, still hostile stance against the West.

17. Revolts in Eastern Europe
Changes after Stalin’s death led Eastern Europeans to hope for end of Soviet domination
Soviet leaders made it clear reforms were limited
Used or threatened force to crush public protests in many countries, assert control
Troops put down revolts in East Germany (1953), Poland (1956), Hungary (1956), Czechoslovakia (1968)
Many Changes
Soviet crackdowns did not end protests in Eastern Europe
1980, Polish electrician Lech Walesa led hundreds of thousands of workers in anti-government protest movement, called Solidarity
Poland’s Communist government used martial law to suppress movement, could not destroy it
Solidarity

18. Glasnost and Perestroika
Soviet Economy Faltered
Soviet economy performed well after war, began to falter in 1960s
By 1980s, Soviet Union faced crisis; command economy system inefficient
Production goals with little regard for wants, needs of marketplace
Gorbachev
Goals stressed heavy industry, neglecting needed consumer goods
As result most sectors of Soviet economy ceased to grow
1985, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power, saw need for change
New Concepts
Proposed two radical concepts—glasnost, perestroika
Glasnost, “openness,” willingness to discuss Soviet problems openly
Perestroika, “restructuring,” reform of Soviet economic, political system

19. Reforms Policy Reversal
Gorbachev pushed through number of major reforms
Aggressively pursued arms control agreements with U.S.
Also reduced central planning of Soviet economy, introduced some free market mechanisms
Policy Reversal
Gorbachev knew Soviet Union could not afford to prop up Communist governments of Eastern Europe
Began to pull Soviet troops out of region, urged local leaders to adopt reforms
Reversed decades of Soviet policy in Eastern Europe

21. Revolutions in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europeans longed for freedom, did not wait for reform
1989, revolution spread; citizens overthrew Soviet-backed leaders
Gorbachev, no longer wanting to control Eastern Europe, did not interfere
Most revolutions were peaceful
Solidarity forced elections in Poland; Lech Walesa elected president
Czechoslovakia had Velvet Revolution—so called because it was peaceful
Pushed communists out of power
Only bloodshed in Romania, where some military forces remained loyal to Communist dictator
Czechoslovakia, Romania
Most dramatic changes took place in East Germany
Berlin Wall opened November 1989
Strongest symbol of Soviet repression, Cold War, finally fell
Less than year later, East, West Germany reunified as single nation
East Germany

22. What changes took place in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe after
Summarize
What changes took place in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe after
World War II?
Answer(s): Khrushchev tried to "de-Stalinize" and loosen political restrictions, revolts after Stalin's death, Solidarity, Gorbachev introduced reforms, glasnost and perestroika