Contemporary Europe

1
Chapter 30

• Contemporary Europe

2
End of Dictatorship in Greece

• Army officers overthrow parliamentary system and
  the monarchy in 1967
• Democracy restored in 1973
• Became member of European Community in 1981

3
End of Dictatorship in Portugal

• Salazar regime
• Opposition grew in colonies Guinea, Angola and
  Mozambique
• Portugal used violent force to maintain its
  empire
• Condemned by UN, African nations and European
  nations
• Army seized power in 1974
• Promised civil rights for Portugal, self
  determination for colonies
• Portugal joined European Community in 1986

4
End of Dictatorship in Spain

• Franco called Juan Carlos, grandson of Spains
  last King, to take empty throne 1969
• Franco retired in 1973
• Juan Carlos increased freedom of speech,
  encouraged democracy
• New Constitution in 1978
• Attempted military coup failed
• Became member of European Community in 1986

5
Western Europe

• Energy Crises
• Oil producing (OPEC) nations banded together to
  raise oil prices in 1973
• Europe relied on imported oil from Middle East
• Western Nations began to look for domestic
  sources of energy
• Oil discoveries in North Sea mad Norway self
  sufficient, and Britain nearly so
• Nuclear Power plants sprang up all over Europe,
  especially France
• Greens protested Nuclear power, especially after
  Chernobyl

6
Western Europe

• Stagflation
• High cost of energy increased inflationary
  pressure
• Inflation rates of 20-30 in Britain, Italy and
  Portugal in 1975-76
• Undermined planning, savings and trade
• Stagflation-high inflation and stagnant economies
• Increased unemployment
• Competition from Japan
• Expensive social programs and little support for
  higher taxes left governments little room to
  maneuver

7
Great Britain

• Post WWII
• Labour Party
• Cradle to grave social welfare programs
• - Benefits for sick, unemployed, retired
• - National Health Service (NHS)
• Nationalized Bank of England, the railroads,
  electric, iron and steel industries
• - Many of these industries were under govt
  control during war

8
Great Britain

• Post WWII
• Debt to U.S.
• Gold and currency reserves depleted fighting the
  war
• Large military spending due to Cold War, overseas
  commitments
• Age of Austerity
• Wartime rationing of butter and sugar lasted
  until 1954

9
Great Britain

• Exhausted by slow pace of change
• Conservative won elections in 1951
• Continued nationalization, social programs of
  Labour Party
• Politics of Consensus

10
Great Britain

• Economic Decline
• Great Britain did not achieve the economic
  miracle of postwar Germany and Italy
• Reliance on older factories
• Lack of central economic planning
• Aggressive unions fought for higher wages without
  increasing production

11
Great Britain

• Margaret Thatcher (Conservative) became first
  female Prime Minster in 1979
• Break with failed policies of the past
• Thatcherism
• tight control of the money supply to reduce
  inflation
• Sharp cuts in public spending
• Cut in taxes
• Reduce power of trade unions
• Selling off of many nationalized industries

12
Great Britain

• Falkland War 1982
• War with Argentina over Falkland Islands
• Revived Thatcher's popularity
• Retired in 1990

13
Great Britain

• Labour Party returned to power in 1994
• Tony Blair elected
• New Labour
• Moved party away from its socialist roots
• Did not renationalize economy
• Focused on improved Social Services, reforming
  the House of Lords
• Regional power to Wales and Scotland
• resigned in 2007 after his support was reduced
  over backing the U.S. in the Iraq War

14
France

• Charles De Gaulle dominated life in postwar
  France
• Fourth Republic
• Granted right to vote to women
• Series of colonial wars in Indochina and Algeria

15
France

• Conflict in Algeria led to fear of a military
  coup
• Plebiscite held for new Constitution in 1958
• Fifth Republic
• More powerful presidency, held by De Gualle
• Wanted to restore Frances presences on the world
  stage
• - Vetoed Britain's entry into Common Market in
  1962
• - Withdrew from NATO in 1966
• - Refused to sign Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
• - Developed hydrogen bomb in 1968

16
France

• Economic Struggles
• 1945- 5 million men returned home from Germany
  that needed jobs
• Transportation system in shambles
• Limited supplies of coal and food

17
France

• Monnet Plan 1947
• CGP established, nonpolitical technocrats to run
  economy
• Increased foreign investment and central planning
  helped French economy grow rapidly

18
France

• As France became more prosperous, there was a
  sense they were losing their unique way of life
• Resistance to Americanization
• - Coca Cola banned in 1950

19
France

• 1968 Revolutions
• Students united with workers
• Demanded education reforms and wage increases
• De Gaulle survived crises, resigned in 1969

20
France

• Members of De Gaulles party held power until
  1981
• Socialist Francois Mitterrand elected
• Social reforms and reducing unemployment
• Did not radically socialize France
• Retired in 1995

21
France

• Replaced by Gaullist Jacques Chirac
• Platform of healing social ills (racism and labor
  strikes), tax cuts and job programs
• Social unrest and corruption
• Racial rioting
• Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy elected in 2007
• Plan to control immigration and modernize economy

22
Italy

• Postwar
• Italian monarchy was associated with the fascist
• In 1946 a republic was established
• Economic Miracle
• Role of the state
• Institute for Industrial Reconstruction (IRI)
  created under Mussolini
• Controlled shipbuilding, airlines, metallurgy and
  chemical industry

23
Italy

• Benefited from membership in common market
• Cheap labor from Southern Italy
• Southern Question
• Reduce economic gap between north and south
• Land reform
• Investment, five year plans
• Significant economic gap remains

24
Italy

• Problems
• Political terrorism
• - red brigade
• Organized Crime
• - Mafia
• Corruption

25
Germany

• Divided postwar
• Berlin Airlift 1949
• West Germany became a democracy, East Germany
  ruled by Communist dictatorship 1949
• West Germany joined NATO, East Germany the Warsaw
  Pact
• Berlin Wall built in1961

26
West Germany

• Politics
• Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
• Led by Chancellor Konrad Adenuer 1949-1963
• Gerhard Ritter, Minister of Economics, became
  Chancellor after Adenuers retirement

27
West Germany

• Economic Miracle
• Influx of millions of Germans who had fled from
  Poland Czechoslovakia and East Germany
• Marshall Plan investment
• GNP grew from 23 billion in 1950 to 103 billion
  in 1964
• Increased wages and higher productivity for
  workers

28
West Germany

• Willy Brandt charismatic leader of the Social
  Democrats, became Chancellor in 1969
• First socialist leader since 1930
• Ostpolitik
• Signed treaties with USSR, Poland and
  Czechoslovakia
• Visited Poland, monument to those who died at
  Warsaw Ghetto
• Recognized East Germany
• Won Nobel Peace Prize in 1972
• Resigned after a one of his aides was found to be
  an East German spy

29
Germany

• Helmut Kohl (CDU) became prime minister in 1982
• Reunification
• Germany reunited in 1990 after fall of Berlin
  wall
• West Germany unprepared
• Economic strains integrating East Germany into
  market economy
• Weak east German currency exchanged one to one
  basis with strong currency of West Germany
• West Germany invested heavily to modernize the
  economy and infrastructure of East Germany
• After reunification, Germany faced high
  unemployment

30
Germany

• 1998, Social Democrat Gerhard Schroder elected
  Prime Minister
• Faced high unemployment
• Dismantled many social programs
• Gained popularity for opposing U.S. war in Iraq

31
Germany

• In 2005, conservative Angela Merkel (CDU) became
  first female chancellor of Germany
• Germany economy grew rapidly
• High approval ratings