EUROPE 5 Value Shaping Events Essay Samples

EUROPE 5 Value Shaping Events 20 Ranked Values

Europe is one of the most diverse continents in the world. Containing 46 countries, Europe stretches from the Ural Mountains in the east to the Straits of Gibraltar to the West including some of the most contrasting landscapes and cultures. ... As a result of this, we are seeing a strong articulation of the shared values of these nations through the arms of the European Union. ... While Britain was industrializing, the rest of Europe remained divided and backwards. By the mid-1880’s, however, the wave of industrialization hit the rest of Europe with Germany surpassing Britain by 1890. ... Cultural Values Brought About • The industrial revolution brought about a dramatic demographic shift in Europe. ... World War I: • World War I had, without a doubt, left Europe’s economy war-torn. ... World War II and European Recovery: By the time the war in Europe had ended, the continent was ravaged and devastated. Some facts to drive this point are: • 25 million Russians were homeless • all major German cities had 80% of their pre-war housing destroyed • half of France and Italy’s railway equipment was destroyed • England used ¼ of its foreign investments to finance the war • 9 ½ million Germans from other regions were resettled in Germany • 4 million Poles and Soviet citizens were relocated into new areas of Poland re-acquired from Germany • 1 million Russians migrated into the Soviet Union However, the economy of Europe was not demolished by the war, only severely impeded by it. By 1946, England had returned to its pre-war production levels and by 1947 the rest of Europe had too, except for Germany. America’s Effects on the recovery of Europe • In 1948, the United States Congress approved the plan of General Marshall to give $12 billion worth of aid to Europe • This helped the European economies achieve remarkable recoveries • It helped stimulate multilateral trade • It made the dollar the basis for all trade in Europe • American investors started going into Europe (2nd decade of recovery) • European manufacturers started gaining markets in America (typewriters, automobiles, aircraft, sewing, etc.) Economic Reorganization • European governments reorganized economies (controlled many companies, made them semi-public) • Nationalization of key energy and transportation companies in France and England (semi-public) • Laws of inheritance and income were redrafted to tone down pre-war inequities • "welfare state" replaced the laissez-faire state, the state became responsible for the citizen and not the citizen responsible for the state • the nation was no longer seen as a self-sufficient economic unit New Dimensions • Technocrats called for a economically integrated Europe • Efficiency of development and distribution was the key concept, and the result was success.

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