1. Redefining the West, After World War II
CHAPTER 28

2. The Cold War Goes Global
1949: Communists seize control of China, founding a one-party state
The Cold War became hot in Korea, as the US feared an advance of communism across Asia
Japan became economically and militarily allied with the West
Dramatic expansion in US military budget

3. Bridges and Brinkmanship: The Cold War, 1953-1963
Both Eisenhower and Khrushchev pursued aggressive policies of nuclear brinkmanship
1955: First summit meeting between the US, Britain, France and the Soviet Union
Construction of the Berlin Wall, in 1961, symbolized the Cold War divide
The Cuban Missile Crisis discouraged brinkmanship and led to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the “hotline” between the US and the Soviet Union

4. Breaking the Blocs: The Cold War After the Crisis
Ostpolitik: Pursuit of diplomatic and economic contacts between West Germany and Eastern Europe
SALT, : Arrested nuclear arms proliferation and shifted Cold War relations to détente
Split between Soviet Union and China encouraged US reconciliation with China

5. The End to Empire
Britain sought to diminish and delay colonial nationalist movements
Independence movements defeated the French in Algeria and Indochina
Upsurge in immigration from lost colonies fostered more overt racism in Europe
US civil-rights activists linked their own struggle with colonial independence movements

6. The Imperialist Legacy
All-white rule endured in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and South Africa, after independence
African states became economically dependent upon the West
Imperial rule had failed to foster political participation, leading to instability, military coups, and corruption

7. Cold War Empires
The Cold War superpowers replaced imperial influence in Africa, Asia and South America
Cold War rivalries were superimposed upon a colonial conflict, in the Vietnam War
Emergence of the Third World - as a non-aligned force in international affairs

8. The Soviet Union After Stalin
Khrushchev sought to dismantle the Stalinist systems of terror and centralized control
Soviet economy stagnated, but government welfare improved living standards improve
Brezhnev ended de-Stalinization and repression increased again
In the 1970s, clandestine political dissent and non-Russian nationalism increased

9. Diversity and Dissent in Eastern Europe
The communist states of Eastern Europe developed in different ways
Soviet repression of dissenting governments, in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, defined the limits of diversity, in the East
Except in Romania and Albania, living standards improved and political repression became less overt

10. The Triumph of Political Consensus
Establishment of domestic, political stability in Western Europe, in the 1950s
Realization of the universal franchise, across most of Western Europe
Construction of comprehensive welfare systems
Parliamentary domination of centrist Christian Democrat politics

11. Economic Integration
Idea of European union emerged during WWII, as a way to guarantee peace
Anti-communist fears and US pressure promoted European economic union
European Economic Community founded, 1957, to foster free trade and financial co-ordination
The EEC fostered economic growth

12. The Age of Affluence
Western European economies grew by an average of 4%, in the 1950s
Boom in housing construction and consumer consumption
Expansion of automobile ownership
Development of credit buying, print, and television advertisements, fostered a culture of consumption

13. Cultural Encounters
Reciprocal cultural exchanges between Europe and America
Hostility toward perceived Americanization of European culture
Economic prosperity led to increased immigration
Emergence of urban, ethnic subcultures

14. The Second Sex?
New affluence promoted the higher education and employment of women
Increased prosperity also encouraged and reinforced women’s domestic identity
Religion, popular culture, and Cold War concerns all praised domesticity
Despite material and political gains, traditional gender roles remained intact

15. High Culture in the Age of Consumption
Continuity of modernism, neorealism and existentialism
Emergence of post-modernist ideas that devalued the individual and abandoned notions of universal meaning
Pop art challenged Western ideas about reality and representation
Emergence of structuralist social theory

16. Science and Religion
Discovery of DNA, 1953, and medical breakthroughs promised longer and healthier lives
The space race launched humanity beyond the physical confines of Earth
Church attendance rose in the 1950s, but began to fall dramatically in the 1960s
Both Protestant and Catholic churches sought to modernize the Christian message and practice

17. 1968 and the End of the Postwar Era
Rise of widespread protests against the postwar order, by students and workers
“New Left” ideas called for greater popular participation in politics and less state power
Students identified their cause with the politics of colonial independence movements
Focused on cultural liberation fostering feminist and environmentalist ideas, and the sexual revolution

18. New Definitions, New Divisions
Democracy became firmly entrenched in Western Europe, but Soviet repression destroyed any hopes of a democratic Eastern Europe
By the late 1960s, protest movements challenged emphasis of anti-Soviet concerns over democracy
By the early 1970s, the sharp Cold War bipolarization was weakening