AP European History: Unit 9

Post-WWII Europe

Europe after 1945 faced destroyed cities, damaged industry, displaced people, weakened economies, and a new division between capitalist Western Europe and communist Eastern Europe.

USA = capitalist

After WWII, the United States represented liberal democracy, capitalism, private property, and market-based economics.

USSR = communist

After WWII, the Soviet Union represented communism, one-party rule, state control of the economy, and Soviet influence over Eastern Europe.

Western Europe

Postwar region generally aligned with the United States, democracy, capitalism, NATO, and economic recovery through U.S. aid.

Eastern Europe

Postwar region controlled or dominated by the Soviet Union, communist governments, planned economies, and membership in the Warsaw Pact.

Yalta Conference

1945 meeting where Allied leaders discussed postwar Europe, including the division of Germany and plans for democratic elections in liberated countries.

Potsdam Conference

1945 Allied meeting after Germany’s defeat that finalized occupation zones, reparations, and postwar arrangements.

United Nations

International organization created after WWII to promote peace, cooperation, and conflict resolution; it replaced the League of Nations.

Iron Curtain

Term used by Winston Churchill to describe the division between democratic Western Europe and communist Eastern Europe.

Planned economy

Economic system used in the Soviet bloc where the state controlled production, prices, and distribution.

Marshall Plan

1947 U.S. aid program that gave billions of dollars to Western Europe to rebuild economies and prevent the spread of communism.

Containment

U.S. Cold War policy aimed at stopping the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

1947 U.S. policy promising aid to countries resisting communism, especially Greece and Turkey.

Economic miracle

Rapid postwar economic recovery in Western Europe, helped by the Marshall Plan, industrial growth, and cooperation.

OEEC

Organization for European Economic Cooperation; coordinated Marshall Plan aid in Western Europe.

Schuman Plan

1950 plan to pool French and German coal and steel production, helping begin European economic integration.

European Coal and Steel Community

Organization that placed coal and steel industries of member states under shared control to reduce conflict and promote cooperation.

EEC

Common Market created by the Treaty of Rome that reduced trade barriers and increased economic cooperation among Western European states.

Common Market

Economic organization allowing freer movement of goods, services, labor, and capital among member states.

Treaty of Rome

1957 treaty creating the European Economic Community.

European Union

Political and economic union that developed from earlier European integration efforts and promotes cooperation, trade, and shared institutions.

Maastricht Treaty

1992 treaty that formally created the European Union and expanded political and economic integration.

Euro

Common currency adopted by many European Union members to increase economic unity.

Brexit

Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union, reflecting nationalism, sovereignty concerns, and skepticism toward EU integration.

World Bank

International financial institution created after WWII to support reconstruction and development.

International Monetary Fund

International organization created to stabilize exchange rates and support global financial stability.

World Trade Organization

International organization that promotes global trade rules and reduces trade barriers.

NATO

1949 military alliance between the U.S., Canada, and Western European nations created to defend against Soviet aggression.

Warsaw Pact

1955 Soviet-led military alliance of Eastern European communist states created in response to NATO.

Berlin Blockade

1948–1949 Soviet attempt to cut off Western access to West Berlin.

Berlin Airlift

U.S. and British operation that supplied West Berlin by air during the Berlin Blockade.

Berlin Wall

Wall built in 1961 to stop East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin; became a symbol of Cold War division.

Fall of Berlin Wall

1989 event symbolizing the collapse of communist control in Eastern Europe and the approaching end of the Cold War.

Cold War

Ideological, political, military, and economic conflict between the U.S. and USSR from 1945 to 1991.

Ideological conflict

Cold War struggle between capitalism/democracy and communism/authoritarianism.

Proxy wars

Conflicts where the U.S. and USSR supported opposing sides without directly fighting each other.

Korean War

1950–1953 Cold War conflict where communist North Korea, backed by China and the USSR, fought U.S.-backed South Korea.

Vietnam War

Cold War conflict where the U.S. tried to stop communism in Vietnam but eventually withdrew.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation between the U.S. and USSR over Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba; one of the closest moments to nuclear war.

Arms Race

Cold War competition between the U.S. and USSR to build more powerful nuclear and conventional weapons.

MAD

Mutually Assured Destruction; the idea that nuclear war would destroy both sides, discouraging direct conflict.

Nuclear buildup

Expansion of nuclear weapons stockpiles during the Cold War.

Space Race

Cold War competition between the U.S. and USSR for achievements in space exploration.

Sputnik

First artificial satellite, launched by the USSR in 1957, intensifying the Space Race.

Moon landing

1969 U.S. achievement when astronauts landed on the moon, marking a major Space Race victory.

Détente

Period in the 1970s when Cold War tensions relaxed between the U.S. and USSR.

SALT talks

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks that aimed to limit nuclear weapons during détente.

Helsinki Accords

1975 agreement recognizing European borders and encouraging human rights commitments.

Collapse of Communism

Fall of communist governments in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union around 1989–1991.

Gorbachev

Soviet leader whose reforms weakened communist control and contributed to the end of the Cold War.

Glasnost

Gorbachev’s policy of openness, allowing more free expression and criticism in the USSR.

Perestroika

Gorbachev’s policy of restructuring the Soviet economy and political system.

Solidarity

Polish labor union and anti-communist movement that challenged Soviet-backed rule in Poland.

Lech Wałęsa

Leader of the Solidarity movement in Poland and later president of Poland.

Boris Yeltsin

First president of post-Soviet Russia after the collapse of the USSR.

European decolonization

Process after WWII in which European empires lost colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Causes of decolonization

WWII weakened European powers, nationalist movements grew, colonies demanded self-determination, and the U.S. and USSR opposed old empires.

Indian independence

India gained independence from Britain in 1947, followed by partition into India and Pakistan.

Partition of India

Division of British India into India and Pakistan, causing mass migration and violence.

Algerian War

1954–1962 conflict in which Algeria fought for independence from France.

Suez Crisis

1956 crisis showing the decline of British and French imperial power after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal.

Neocolonialism

Indirect economic, political, or cultural control of former colonies after formal independence.

Northern Ireland Troubles

Conflict between mostly Protestant unionists and mostly Catholic nationalists over Northern Ireland’s relationship with Britain and Ireland.

Good Friday Agreement

1998 peace agreement that helped reduce violence in Northern Ireland.

Basque ETA

Separatist group in Spain that used violence to seek Basque independence.

Yugoslav Wars

1990s ethnic conflicts after the breakup of Yugoslavia, especially in Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, and Kosovo.

Ethnic cleansing

Forced removal or killing of ethnic groups from a region, seen during the Yugoslav Wars.

European Challenges

Postwar Europe faced terrorism, immigration, ethnic conflict, separatism, economic crises, and debates over nationalism versus integration.

Terrorism

Use of violence against civilians or governments for political goals; examples include ETA and IRA-related violence.

Welfare state

Government system providing social support such as healthcare, pensions, housing, and unemployment aid.

Cradle-to-grave welfare

State support from birth to death, especially associated with postwar Western European welfare states.

Keynesian economics

Economic theory supporting government spending and intervention to reduce unemployment and stabilize economies.

Labour Party

British political party associated with welfare state expansion after WWII.

Consumer culture

Postwar growth of mass production, shopping, entertainment, travel, and higher living standards.

Mass production

Large-scale manufacturing that made consumer goods cheaper and more available.

Middle class growth

Expansion of professional and consumer classes after WWII due to economic recovery and welfare protections.

Leisure culture

Postwar increase in entertainment, tourism, sports, television, and popular culture.

Welfare state crisis

Economic strain on government benefits caused by unemployment, aging populations, inflation, and slower growth.

Stagflation

1970s economic problem combining stagnant growth and inflation.

1970s oil crisis

Economic shock caused by rising oil prices that hurt European economies and contributed to inflation.

2008 financial crisis

Global banking and housing crisis that caused recession and austerity debates in Europe.

Eurozone crisis

Debt crisis in countries using the euro, especially Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland.

Austerity

Government spending cuts used to reduce debt, often unpopular because they reduced welfare benefits and public services.

Thatcherism

Policies of Margaret Thatcher emphasizing privatization, reduced union power, free markets, and limited welfare spending.

Margaret Thatcher

Conservative British prime minister who promoted free-market reforms and challenged the welfare state.

Youth culture

Postwar rise of youth identity through music, fashion, protest, consumerism, and rebellion against older values.

1960s protests

Student, worker, feminist, civil rights, and antiwar movements challenging traditional authority.

May 1968

Student and worker protests in France that challenged capitalism, consumerism, and conservative social norms.

Counterculture

Youth movement rejecting traditional values and promoting personal freedom, music, protest, and alternative lifestyles.

Second-wave feminism

Women’s rights movement focused on workplace equality, reproductive rights, education, and challenging gender roles.

Simone de Beauvoir

French feminist writer whose work helped influence modern feminism.

Betty Friedan

American feminist author associated with second-wave feminism and criticism of domestic gender roles.

Women’s rights

Movement for equality in education, employment, politics, reproductive rights, and family law.

Birth control pill

Medical development that gave women greater control over fertility and contributed to changing gender roles.

Legal abortion

Debate and reform issue connected to women’s rights and reproductive freedom.

Gay rights movement

Movement seeking legal and social equality for LGBTQ people.

Civil rights movements

Movements demanding equality, rights, and protections for marginalized groups.

Immigration to Europe

Postwar movement of migrants from former colonies, Turkey, North Africa, South Asia, and Eastern Europe into Western Europe.

Guest workers

Foreign laborers invited to work in Western European economies after WWII, especially in Germany.

Multiculturalism

Policy or idea that diverse ethnic and cultural groups can coexist within one society.