Western Europe: New Unity. After the end of World War II, most of Western Europe recovered economically and the region became more unified.

Western Europe: New Unity After the end of World War II, most of Western Europe recovered economically and the region became more unified.

Western Europe: New Unity (cont.) The Marshall Plan helped Western Europe experience dramatic economic growth and prosperity. France Charles de Gaulle formed a new government in France under the Fifth Republic.

Western Europe: New Unity (cont.) France became a major industrial producer and exporter. France invested in nuclear arms to try to become a world power once again. In April 1969 de Gaulle resigned following large government deficits, and cost-of-living increases leading to widespread public unrest including student protests and a general labor strike.

West Germany experienced an economic miracle that lasted until an economic downturn in the mid- 1960s. Western Europe: New Unity (cont.) West Germany The leader of the Christian Democratic Union, Konrad Adenauer, sought respect for West Germany.

Great Britain gave up its colonial strongholds and status as a world power. Western Europe: New Unity (cont.) Great Britain After World War II, Great Britain was left with massive economic burdens and created a modern welfare state.

Western Europe: New Unity (cont.) In order to form a European unity amid the bitter divisions of the Cold War, six European countries came together to form the European Economic Community, or EEC. The EEC was a free-trading bloc that encouraged cooperation, and all nations benefited economically.

The U.S. after the War In the years following World War II, the United States faced a range of difficult social and political issues.

The U.S. after the War (cont.) After World War II, social issues such as equality for all minorities, especially African Americans, became a priority in America. The rise of labor unions brought higher wages to many Americans; the real wages grew an average of 3% per year.

The U.S. after the War (cont.) A fear of communism, know as the Red Scare, spread throughout the United States.

The U.S. after the War (cont.) After the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson became president and began the growth of a welfare state. Johnson s programs included health care for the elderly, federal assistance for education, assistance for the poor, and equal rights for African Americans.

The U.S. after the War (cont.) The civil rights movement began in 1954 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that separate but equal schools were illegal. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., led the movement for racial equality. Under Johnson, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act were passed, but racial tensions still existed.

The U.S. after the War (cont.) Race riots after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and antiwar demonstrations against the Vietnam War divided the American people.

The U.S. after the War (cont.) Fearful of being lost in the shadow of the United States, Canada established its own identity in politics. Canada was a founding member of the United Nations and joined NATO.

The U.S. after the War (cont.) Canada created a welfare state with a national social security system and a national health insurance program.

Changing Values After World War II, advances in technology and the struggle for rights led to rapid change in Western society.

A consumer society was born when the working class became preoccupied with buying goods. Changing Values (cont.) Computers, televisions, and jet planes are just some of the new inventions that changed the postwar society. Changes in the social structure of America also occurred, such as the growth of the middle class.

Changing Values (cont.) Buying on credit and owning an automobile were signs of the new consumerism. During World War II, women entered the workforce in vast numbers. Once the soldiers returned home, many women fell back into traditional roles. By the 1960s, women began to rebel against the inequalities facing them and started the women s liberation movement.

Changing Values (cont.) Simone de Beauvoir s writings influenced both the American and European women s movements. After the war, enrollments in Europe s universities grew dramatically by lower and middle class students. Many universities were overcrowded and outbursts of student revolts occurred.

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