Europe, 1945 to the Present

This forthcoming volume will join Oxford University Press's successful series of compact, accessible, and insightful guides covering the general history of Europe from ancient times to the present. Each book in the series offers a clear outline of political history alongside discussions of social and cultural issues; an authoritative narrative that takes the latest historical interpretations into account; support for many different lecture and discussion formats; and chapter summaries, an end-of-book chronology, detailed maps, numerous illustrations, and text boxes with primary source excerpts.

Maps and Boxes

vii

Preface

ix

Europe in a Bipolar World

1

(24)

A Continent in Ruins

1

(3)

The Cold War Breaks Out

4

(4)

The United States Pursues a Policy of Containment

8

(7)

Restlessness in the Soviet Bloc, 1948--1968

15

(5)

Did a Nuclear Balance Create a Nuclear Peace?

20

(2)

Summary

22

(3)

The Loss of European Empire

25

(23)

The Vasco da Gama Era

25

(1)

The French War in Indochina

26

(4)

The French War in Algeria

30

(6)

Britain Leaves India

36

(2)

The Netherlands Yields in Indonesia

38

(1)

Oil Transforms the Middle East

39

(3)

The Creation of Israel---The Suez Crisis---Arab-Israeli Conflicts

The Scramble for Africa

42

(3)

Exploiting the Congo---Violence Wracks the Congo

Peaceful Transitions from European Rule

45

(1)

Summary

46

(2)

Western Europe

48

(24)

Britain from Postwar Social Reform Through the Thatcher Revolution to Tony Blair's New Labour Party

48

(5)

France from Defeat in World War II to Leadership of the European Union

53

(4)

Germany from Disunion to Reunification

57

(4)

Italy Pursues Political Stability

61

(2)

The Vatican Faces the Winds of Change

The Low Countries, Spain, and Greece

63

(1)

Norwegians, Danes, Swedes, Icelanders, and Finns: Similarity and Difference Among the Scandinavians

64

(1)

Toward a European Union

65

(5)

Summary

70

(2)

The Collapse of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union

72

(17)

The Decline of Marxist Ideology

72

(5)

The Soviet Thaw

77

(1)

The Soviet Quagmire in Afghanistan

78

(2)

The Gorbachev Era

80

(2)

The Collapse of Communism in the Soviet Bloc

82

(3)

The End of the Soviet Union

85

(2)

The Disintegration of Yugoslavia

87

(1)

Summary

88

(1)

Arts and Sciences

89

(29)

The Revolution in Physics

89

(4)

The Revolution in Biology

93

(4)

Modern and Postmodern Architecture

97

(4)

After Modern Art

101

(2)

History, Fiction, Film, and Social Criticism After 1945

103

(8)

Popular Music from 45 RPM to I-Pod

111

(3)

Postmodern Literary Theory

114

(2)

Summary

116

(2)

Europe Since 9/11

118

(30)

Globalization

118

(9)

9/11

127

(5)

The War in Afghanistan

132

(2)

The Crisis over Iraq

134

(7)

The Iraq War---Al Qaeda Strikes in Europe

The Enlargement of the European Union

141

(4)

Europe's Demographic Prospects

145

(1)

Summary

146

(2)

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Europe, 1945 to the Present

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials