What happened to Western Europe after ww2?

What happened to Western Europe after ww2?

Europe was divided into a US-led Western Bloc and a Soviet-led Eastern Bloc. The devastated great powers of Western Europe formed the European Coal and Steel Community, which later evolved into the European Economic Community and ultimately into the current European Union.

How did Europe change after ww2?

At the end of the war, millions of people were dead and millions more homeless, the European economy had collapsed, and much of the European industrial infrastructure had been destroyed. The Soviet Union, too, had been heavily affected.

Who controlled Western Europe after ww2?

Germany had occupied much of Europe during World War II. Many of the countries in the west returned to the same governments and borders they had prior to the war. However, Germany was divided up into Eastern and Western Germany. The Eastern part was controlled by the USSR (Russia) and the Western part by the Allies.

How did the Western European countries recover after the war?

In order to help Europe recover from the war, the United States came up with the Marshall Plan. Although the US had already been helping Europe to recover, the Marshall Plan made it official in 1948. Over the next four years the US gave $13 billion in assistance to Western European countries.

What are the 3 major factors that explain the recovery of Europe after WWII?

This column, part of a Vox debate on WWII, lays out three factors that made this paradox possible: the strong foundations of economic recovery in Western Europe, vital support for the reconstruction of European trade and cooperation, and Allied support for the revival of the German economy.

How did the United States stop communism in Western Europe?

The US tried to stop the spread of communism by the Marshall Plan (giving economic aid to devasted countries), by the Berlin Airlift, by the creation of NATO and by helping form the United Nations. Berlin blockade and soviet union develops first atomic weapon and this puts them on a par with the US.

How did Europe recover its economy after ww2?

After World War II, much of Europe lay in ruins. In order to restore its economic stability, the U.S. enacted the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan and the OEEC helped many Western European countries regain economic stability after World War II.

What kept the peace in Europe after 1945?

Transatlantic cooperation and European integration was designed to maintain the fragile peace that was created in Europe. Within the zone of integration, there has been no conflict since 1945, making it the longest period of peace on the western European mainland since Pax Romana.

How did Europe change after World War 2?

Continental Europe emerged from German domination in 1945, shattered and transformed. After the German surrender, Great Britain, the United States, France, and the Soviet Union divided Germany and Austria into four occupation zones, each to be administered by one of the victorious powers.

Who was involved in the occupation of Germany after World War 2?

After Germany’s defeat in the Second World War, the four main allies in Europe – the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and France – took part in a joint occupation of the German state.

When did the Germans surrender in Central Europe?

German forces in Bavaria surrender: At 14:30 on 5 May 1945, General Hermann Foertsch surrendered all forces between the Bohemian mountains and the Upper Inn river to the American General Jacob L. Devers, commander of the American 6th Army Group. Central Europe: On 5 May 1945, the Czech resistance started the Prague uprising.

Why was the European economy so good in 1945?

For all these reasons, 1945 was a favorable jumping-off point for the European economy. Looking back on the extraordinary economic progress of the subsequent fifty years encourages a tendency to regard what followed as preordained. In fact, many things had to go right, and there was considerable uncertainty about whether they would.