AP Euro Seminar
Peyton Lyon
3-16-12
MY PROMPT
Analyze the common political and economic
problems facing western European nations in
the period 1945-1960 and discuss their
responses to these problems.
The End of
WWII
 The end of WWII left many
of Europe's strongest
powers in chaos.
 France, Western Germany,
Great Britain, and Italy all
faced similar problems.
 They needed to:
-Rebuild their economies
-Re-create their
democratic institutions
-Prevent the growth of
Communist parties and
ideas
Post WWII Europe
Common Issues In European Nations
Rebuilding the
Economy
 Trade markets all over
the world were down in
production.
 Industrial power was
very low.
 Unemployment rates
were very high.
Opposition to
Communism
 The rising popularity of the
communist party within Europe
was putting the established
government's power at risk.
Re-creation of
Democratic Institutions
 Many different political partiers were
forming in Europe
 The rise of the Christian
Democratic Party was a key factor in
the rebuilding of Europe’s leading
nations
Outside Help
 In 1947, U.S Secretary of State, George Marshall, offered economic
aid to all European countries.
 The Marshall Plan
 Officially known as the European Recovery Program
 Provided over 13 Billion dollars in aid to Europe
 The battered economies of Western Europe began to improve
 European Coal an Steel Community (ECSC)
 European Economic Community (EC) / Common Market
 By promoting economic cooperation among individual European
nations, it reduced the threat of conflict.
French Responses
 At the end of WWII, France established its Fourth Republic
which had a weak executive with too many political parties.
 Although the Fourth republic was not an effective government,
the country made a good economic recovery and industrial
production increased 250%
 But, With the threat of Civil war in the African Colony of Algeria,
the Fourth Republic started to collapse.
 With France on the verge of civil war, they called in retired
political man, Charles de Gaulle. He formed the French Popular
Movement.
 By forming the French Popular Movement, France’s political
mess was blamed on the presence of too many political parties.
 The National Assembly gave Charles de Gaulle complete power
for 6 months to write a new constitution for France.
 He finished the Fifth Republic in 1958.
French Fifth Republic
 Greatly increased the power of the President
 President now had the authority to
- Choose the Prime Minister
- Dissolve Parliament
- Supervise defense and foreign Policy
- Submit popular issues to the people
- Assume emergency power when necessary
 De Gaulle invested greatly into Nuclear Arms.
 He pulled France out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
 In 1962, he granted Algeria its freedom.
 When De Gaulle came into power, he reformed within the government to
make France a major industrial producer and exporter.
West German Responses
 Within Germany in 1945, political parties started to re-emerge.
 Three major parties developed:
 The Social Democrats (SDP)
 The Christian Democrats (CDU)
 The Free Democrats (FDP)
 Konrad Adenauer, leader of the Christian Democrats, served as chancellor from 1949-1963
and was considered the “founding hero” of the Federal Republic.
 The U.S worked with the CDU to ensure that West Germany became a solid part of the
Western Alliance.
 Adenauer wanted to reconcile with France, Germany’s longtime enemy.
 Western Germany re-armed themselves and joined North Atlantic Treaty Organization,
NATO.
 Adenauer’s leadership was referred to as an economic miracle.
 Unemployment rates went from 8% in 1950, to .4% in 1965.
 Starting in 1953, the German government started making payments to all Holocaust
survivors and their families as well as Israel in attempt to repay the crimes in the Nazi era.
 Western Germany rebuilt its cities, factories, and trade system.
 By the 1960’s, West Germany had become one of the leading economies in Western Europe.
British Response
 Elections were held in Britain immediately after the war ended. The Labour Party succeeded
over Churchill’s Conservative Party.
 When Clement Attlee was the prime minister, he started the reforms that created a modern
Welfare State.
 British Welfare State



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Nationalization of the Bank of England
Nationalization of coal and steel industries
Nationalization of social welfare
National Insurance Act
- Established a comprehensive social security program and nationalized medical insurance
- Enabled the state to subsidize the unemployed, sick and elderly
 National Health Service
- Created a system of socialized medicine that required doctors and dentists to work with state hospitals
- Private practices were still allowed
- Within a few years, 90% of medical practitioners were participating
 The British modeled a welfare state to other European countries
The British Welfare State
 The costliness of creating a welfare state, forced Britain to reduce national
spending
 Reducing spending meant unraveling of the British empire.
 As economic problems continued, the Conservatives returned to power and
undertook the Welfare State. They even extended it by instituting a program
to improve British housing.
Great Britain’s Recovery
 British recovery from the war was a long
process.
 It moved at a much slower rate than other
European countries.
 Although Britain made a recovery from WWII,
it had lost much of its prewar revenues, and was
left with debt form its multiple international
commitments.
Britain was no longer viewed as a World
power.
Italian Response
 When WWII ended, Italy rejected and removed the fascist monarchy
and set up a republic.
 Italy was the Western country had faced the most physical
destruction, only second to Germany
 Two regions were established, the successful industrial North, and
the rural South.
 Similar to West Germany, the Christian Democrats, who were allied
with the Catholic Church, dominated.
 Alcide De Gasperi came to power rather than the Communists who
wanted power.
 The alliance between the Catholic Church and the Christian
Democrats supplied national unity to Italian politics by providing
prime ministers with a coalition government.
Economic Italy
 Italy developed into one of the 10 industrial powers.
 The Marshal Plan helped the Italian economy to get back
onto its feet.
 Rapid steps of growth took place within Italy
 Italy started to produce electrical appliances, cars, and
everyday machinery, which took the largest leap towards
a successful economy.
In Conclusion
 The road to political and
economic recovery in
Europe was aided largely
by the Marshall Plan
drawn by the U.S
 Britain’s position as a European
power, was decreased.
 France, West Germany,
Great Britain, and Italy all
recovered from the
damage in WWII.
 Germany rebuilt and was on the
right track to becoming a strong
leading power again.
 Italy witnessed an economic
miracle in its recovery.
 France was led strongly be De
Gaulle to a victorious
reconstruction.