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How does this make you feel? Why?. Instructions. Anything written in yellow (SLOW down and pay attention) is useful information. You should write it in your notes IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Anything in red (STOP and pay close attention) is critical information and should be copied exactly.
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Instructions Anything written in yellow (SLOW down and pay attention) is useful information. You should write it in your notes IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Anything in red (STOP and pay close attention) is critical information and should be copied exactly. Anything in green (GO on to the next point) you do not have to write.
In the years after World War II, tensions between the Western Allies and European History the Soviet Union divided Europe into East and West. By the late 1980s, those tensions were at last coming to an end. Europe could finally work toward unity.
The Big Idea After years of division during the Cold War, today Europe is working toward unity.
Main Idea 1 • The Cold War divided Europe between democratic and Communist nations.
The United States and the Soviet Union emerged from World War II as superpowers, or strong and influential countries. The two soon grew to distrust each other. • This distrust led to the Cold War, a period of tense rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Much of the hostility between the two countries stemmed from political and economic differences: • The United States is a democracy with an economy based on free enterprise. • The Soviet Union was a Communist country in which freedoms were limited. Its leaders exerted strong control over both politics and economics.
A Divided Europe • Western Europe • Supported democracy and the United States • Members of NATO • Experienced much economic growth after World War II
A Divided Europe • Eastern Europe • Practiced Soviet-style Communism • Members of Warsaw Pact • Failed to develop after World War II and suffered many shortages
Germany was divided between Western and Eastern Europe. • West Germany was part of Western Europe and democratic. • East Germany was part of Eastern Europe and Communist. • The city of Berlin was also divided into East and West Berlin.
Berlin Airlift of 1949 • At the start of the Berlin Blockade, before the Airlift started, West Berlin had just thirty-five days’ worth of food, and forty-five days’ worth of coal.
Without the involvement of the Allied Armed Forces, West Berlin would have been lost and the nature of post-war Europe would have altered significantly.
Quick Facts about the Berlin Airlift • The Airlift officially ended on Sept. 30, 1949, fifteen months after its meager beginnings in June of '48. • In total, the US delivered 1,783,572.7 tons, while 541,936.9 tons were delivered by the British totaling 2.3 Million tons from 277, 569 total flights to Berlin. • C-47's and C-54's alone traveled over 92 million miles in order to do so. • A total of 101 fatalities were recorded as a result of the operation, including 31 Americans, mostly due to crashes.
Main Idea 2 • Many Eastern European countries changed boundaries and forms of government at the end of the Cold War.
The Cold War came to an end in the late 1980s through the efforts of American and Soviet leaders.
American president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev worked to slow the arms race between the two countries. Gorbachev also introduced many reforms in the Soviet Union, including democratic elections.
In part because of these reforms, democratic movements swept through Eastern Europe. Countries threw off Communism, and the Berlin Wall was torn down. In 1991 the Soviet Union broke apart.
Changes in Eastern Europe • Germany • East and West Germany reunified after 45 years of division. The Berlin Wall was torn down. • Soviet Union • Former Soviet republics became independent countries. Among them were Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Belarus.
Changes in Eastern Europe • Czechoslovakia • Czechoslovakia peacefully broke apart into two countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia. • Yugoslavia • Ethnic conflicts triggered violence between groups. Several former republics of Yugoslavia declared their independence, but ethnic groups fought for territory. Years of civil war resulted in thousands of deaths. In the end, Yugoslavia split into five countries.
Main Idea 3 • European cooperation has brought economic and political change to Europe.
A European Community • After World War II some leaders thought that working together was the only way to avoid another world war. • In the 1950s several European countries created a common market, a group of nations that cooperates to make trade easier.
The European Union • Over time more countries joined the common market. Today it is known as the European Union or EU and has 25 members. • Members of the EU work together on issues such as trade, migration, and the environment. By working together, EU members can compete economically with countries like the United States and Japan. • The EU is helping to unify Europe. Since 1999, for example, many EU members have used a common currency, the euro.
