Discovery of oil- The discovery of oil in the north sea sprang up many jobs for the people in Britain. This created buisness development and economy.
Foremost industrial nation- The foremost industrial nation in Europe was Germany. After the U.S. began to loan them money their economy became richer than ours. They had natural resources, skilled workers and plenty of money.
N. Ireland- The fighting in N. Ireland has been going on for a a long period of time. After British Protestants moved in they forced of the good land Irish Catholics. This led to gang and secret wars. Margret Thatcher nor Major could find a solution to this problem.
Indo China and Algeria- France was fighting to keep it’s colonies but lost many of them. Eventually a war broke out for Algeria and Indo China. Afterward they were set free in 1955.
Francisco Franco- The man who had controlled Spain for four decades, controlling his country and colonies under his rule. King Juan Carlos eventually took over. He eased the country into a state of democracy.
Charles de Gaulle- The French when faced with civil war turned to Charles de Gaulle. He was a living symbol of France’s Nazi resistance. He soon took place as the first president of the Fifth Republic.
U.S. Aid- The United States had to offer financial and military help to some countries like Chzekolslovakia and others to protect themselves from Communism. Stalin had began a takeover to conform all of Europe to Communism.
Konrad Adenauer- West Germany’s first chancellor. Under his control he allied west Germany with NATO.
Margaret Thatcher- She was the first woman to lead a major western democracy. She was determined to set Britain on a new course. She cut taxes and government spending, which wasn’t very good for Britain.
Yalta Conference- This is where Britain, Russia and the U.S. met to talk about the outcome of the War.
Military Power- After the war the U.S.’s and Russia’s military power was still strong. Russia began to take over small countries and eventually put up the Berlin Wall.
Concerns-
Buffer zones- A region that lies between two rivals cutting down the threat of conflict. Stalin’s buffer zone was eastern Europe. This way he hoped that the Soviets could stop any invading force before it came to the Soviet Union.
Alliances- Many alliannces were made during this time. The UN and NATO were one. The other was the Warsaw Pact. The Soviet version of NATO.
Charters- The charters were the founding members of the U.N. Originally there were twelve, However later Greece and Turkey joined. There are now over 150 members.
Containment Areas- The U.S. set up a containment strategy to prevent communism from spreading to other countries. While the U.S. wavered over this, Turkey and Greece were being threatened.
Tito- The leader of Yugoslavia’s Communists. While he was a communist he fought against the Nazi’s and the Red Army. He was determined to keep his country free from Stalin’s rule.
Satellites- A country whose policies are dictated by another country. The Soviets had many such as Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary.
Charter members- There were 50 countries who joined the charter at first. Now there are over 150. Together these countries pledged to stop war.
Revolt in 1956-
NATO alliance- In 1949, twelve different countries joined together to create NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). They pledged military support to one another should they need it..
Berlin Wall- Eventually in 1961, the Communists built a huge barrier between the East and Western powers. It was a 28 mile barrier of concrete and barbed wire. Families were separated for years and it was almost impossible to cross.
Martial law- Poland set this up in 1981. Many leaders were arrested and the union was declared illegal.
Pres. Truman’s Containment policy- President Truman set up a containment policy for Europe. This was to prevent Communism from spreading to other countries.
General MacArthur-
Warsaw Pact- The USSR saw NATO as a threat. They developed the Warsaw Pact. It linked the USSR and seven eastern countries.
Cold War- The term used to describe the icy tensions between superpowers after WW2.
Ostpolitik- William Bradt became West Germany’s first Social Democratic chancellor. His Ostpolitik, or Eastern Policy, was to sign up treaty’s of peace with the Soviet Union and Poland..
Marshall Plan- Secretary of State, George Marshall, set up a plan to give aid to Western Europe. They would provide 16 different nations with up to 13 billion dollars in aid. With this, the countries industrial production went up about 41 percent.
Berlin Wall- Eventually in 1961, the Communists built a huge barrier between the East and Western powers. It was a 28 mile barrier of concrete and barbed wire. Families were separated for years and it was almost impossible to cross.