Domestic & “Family” Issues1953-65ish

What’s Going On Inside Countries and Alliances

Great Britain• Labour Party 1945-51– Victory over Churchill’s Conservatives– Creation of the… – Rebuilding effort– “ ” with the United States– Dealing with decolonization & Commonwealth issues

• Conservatives 1951-64– Continue the rebuilding efforts– Preside over a period of initial economic growth, followed by

stagnation• Continued welfare state, but promoted economic liberalism and less

state involvement – 1959 election “Britain never had it so good”; things go south after that

– Not allowed into EEC(1963); declining role in world affairs

Cod Wars (1970’s)

• Reoccurring conflict between GB & Iceland over fishing rights

• Iceland gunboats destroy Brit gear

• GB gives up claims b/cIceland’s importanceto NATO

France• Fourth Republic (1946-1958)

– Economic growth and rebuilding– Creation of ….

• Social Security, Health Care, Unemployment insurance, disability pensions to ALL citizens

– 20 different gov’t coalitions in 10 years• Why the instability???

– Discuss French Reading – 1st half

• 5th Republic (1958-today!)– De Gaulle & Fr exercised a disproportionate influence in Euro affairs

• GB stagnating under Conservative gov’ts; rising tide of anti-US• Saw France as major power & leader of Euro• Supported Euro unity, but not at expense of sovereignty and not =

– EEC led by Fr & Ger– NATO led by Fr, GB, & US– Wanted own nukcear weapons

• Franco-German “treaty” (1/1963) Brought two states closer together; supposed to be a check on the power of NATO, EEC, & GB-US relationship

– Discuss French reading- 2nd half

West Germany (FRG)• Konrad Adenauer– First Chancellor (1949-1963)

• Headed Christian Democrat Union; Centre-right• “In his years in power, Germany achieved prosperity, democracy,

stability, and respect.” (Richard Hiscocks, The Adenauer era (1975) p. 290)

– Worked for FULL alignment with West, not just neutrality like original plan• Forged close relations with …

• Fast rebuilding and MASSIVE econ growth– The “German miracle”

• 1955- full sovereign state– Allowed to rearm

• Limited, and monitored

– Joins NATO

Strains Within NATO

• De Gaulle & his nationalism• Differences between US & Euro on role of

NATO– Role of nuclear deterrent

• Conflicts between NATO members over “local” issues– Cod Wars; troops; economic issues

Problems Within Soviet Block• Enthusiasm of Stalin’s 5-Year Plans replaced with exhaustion

from war

• Economic– Consumer goods given LOW priority in econ

• 12.1% (US averages about 25%)

– Reassertion of control over private land• By 1952, 1940 ag levels (grain, potatoes, cattle) still not reached

• Social– Little social mobility

• Status & hierarchy emphasized

– Women’s rights reduced • Intellectual

– ALL art, lit, music, & film had to promote socialism• Cultural ties to outside world cut• All learning focused on the Party

Problems Within Soviet Block• Political– Increasingly centralized under Stalin• State and Party subordinate to Stalin

– Continued & increased use of terror

– Decentralization under destalinization • Some increases, but also …

– Cultural conservative- Russian nationalism became more chauvinistic

• Dislike of Russian heavy-handedness– Didn’t like loss of …– Don’t like their econ …

Demonstrations of Discontent

• East German Workers’ Revolt (1953)• Polish October or Polish Thaw (1956)– Demonstrations & strikes led to some minor

liberalizations & autonomy • Hungarian Revolution (1956)

A Soviet tank in Berlin, 17 June 1953.

East Germany

• Full police state– Elections manipulated– All media, art, and culture censored– Churches harassed– Stasi- secret police

• Most effective & repressive secret police in the world• Motto: “The shield and sword of the Party”

• Consumer goods still below pre-war levels in 1953– What was available was LOW quality

• Inefficient distribution system• Food supplies always low

Rumania • Nicolae Ceaușescu is head of Party– Used nationalist assertiveness to mask & distract

from repression & bad econ• Talk about how that works with partner• HUGE foreign debt; shortage of consumer goods; econ

dependence on USSR • Used cult of personality