Cold War Consequences for European Countries Essay

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Introduction

Economic issues formed a core axis in defining power structure in the expansive Europe. The French revolution, for instance, was based on economic issues in France. (John 117) After the war, immense ideological shift emerged in the European nations. Most countries realigned their policies and ideology in tandem with the new political and socio-economic dispensation presented by the prevailing post-war conditions. (John 187)

After the war, the nations faced humongous economic slump, the pecuniary implications of the war took toll on the European Nations. Industries were affected with decline in business; there was thus an urgent need to resuscitate the civilian apathy in the region.

Cold war

An ideological dialectics emerged between the USSR and the US that polarized Europe into blocks. Factually speaking it was based on economic issues.

The emergent of capitalists who believed on a free market economy and the socialists who emphasised on the need to control the market structures catapulted Europe into an economical and industrial frenzy. The ideological inclination of European countries during the cold war defined the government of the day. (John 78)

Emergence of NATO, brainchild of North America, and the Warsaw pact, championed by the USSR led to a significant epoch in the region. The Eastern Europe aligned itself towards the USSR and were signatories of the Warsaw pact. It included such countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania; The NATO housed the Western Europe countries.

The orientation of the European nations in relation to the cold war greatly influenced the membership of both the NATO alliance and the Warsaw pact; USSR and the US were in a rush to attract the European nations under their influence. It would be very accurate therefore to argue that the two treaties were based on how the European nations “read and balanced the equation of Communism and Capitalism.”(John 97)

The formation of the UN in 1945, delivered an ideology in the post war era that remains significant in Europe’s history. The emergence of Human rights and freedom activism played a leading role in the post war era.

European governments responded differently at the inception of this ideology that opened up the socio-political space in Europe, one arm believed in civil liberty based on the respect for human dignity and social emancipation, the other axis of Europe ignored human rights and pursued governance where the civil participation was limited to the lowest level.

Germany, United Kingdom and Italy

Germany remained heavily polarised into western and eastern blocks according to their orientation in the Capitalism-communism axis. The Eastern bloc leaning towards the USSR while Western Germany were capitalists. End of cold war saw the demolition of the wall followed by immense industrial and market rationalization (John 101)

The UK ended the war with very large debts, they eventually withdrew from the lend lease program where they were to purchase American goods as the Americans offer them aid. One year after the war, the government introduced bread rationing. Policy changes took form to accommodate the “nationalisation” of industries. (John 179)

Italy underwent rapid economic rise after the war. It formally joined the European community in 1958; however, in 1970s and 1980s, Italy faced immense unrest after the actions of the Leftists Red brigades. Currently, Europe is facing an economic slump of unprecedented quotient.

Works cited

Merriman, John M.. A history of modern Europe: from the French Revolution to the present.. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010.print

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IvyPanda. 2019. "Cold War Consequences for European Countries." May 31, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/cold-war-9/.

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