The document summarizes post-World War II economic and social developments in Western Europe and North America. It discusses how the Marshall Plan aided recovery in Western Europe. Countries like France, West Germany, and the UK saw periods of economic growth and the establishment of welfare states. Western European countries also moved toward greater economic integration through organizations like the European Economic Community. Meanwhile, Canada increased industrialization while establishing social programs and alliances like NATO and the UN. Socially, Western societies experienced shifts like rising consumerism, the women's movement, and student protests of the 1960s.

1. Chapter 20 Section 3
Western Europe and
North America

2. I. Western Europe: Recovery
A. The Marshall Plan helped the
countries of W. Europe recover
relatively rapidly from the
devastation of WWII.
1. The 1950s and 1960s were periods
of dramatic economic growth and
prosperity in W. Europe.

3. B. For almost 25 years after WWII,
France was mostly led by Charles de
Gaulle.
1. He established the 4th Republic, which
featured a strong parliament and a weak
presidency.
a. But the government was largely ineffective,
and de Gaulle withdrew from politics.
b. He returned in 1958 and est. the 5th Republic.
2. France became a major industrial
producer and exporter.
3. Government deficits and a rise in the cost
of living led to unrest.
a. De Gaulle resigned from office in 1969.

4. C. From 1949-1963, Konrad
Adenauer, leader of the Christian
Democratic Union, served as
chancellor of W. Germany.
1. Under Adenauer’s leadership and
that of the minister of finance,
Ludwig Erhard, W. Germany’s
economy was revived.
a. The unemployment rate fell greatly.
2. The Social Democratic Party, led by
Willy Brandt, became W. Germany’s
leading political party in 1969.

5. D. At the end of WWII, G.B. had large
economic problems.
1. The Labour Party, which promised far-
reaching reforms, defeated Churchill’s
Conservative Party.
2. Prime Minister Clement Attlee and the
Labour Party created a modern welfare
state.
a. A state in which the government takes
responsibility for providing citizens with
services and a minimal standard of living.
3. The British welfare state became the
norm for most European states after the
war.

6. II. Western Europe: The Move
toward Unity
A. After WWII, many Europeans
wanted European unity.
1. Nationalism, however, was too
strong for European nations to give
up their sovereignty.
a. Instead the countries focused on
economic unity.

7. B. In 1957, France, W. Germany, the
Benelux countries, and Italy
created the European Economic
Community, also known as the
Common Market.
1. The six-member nations would
impose no tariffs on each other’s
goods.
B. By the 1960s, the EEC was an
important trading bloc—a group of
nations with a common purpose.

8. III. The Development of Canada
A. After WWII, Canada increased its
industrial development.
1. Much of the Canadian growth was
financed by people from the United
States, leading to U.S. ownership of
many Canadian businesses.
2. Some Canadians feared American
economic domination of Canada.

9. B. Canada was a founding member
of the UN in 1945 and joined
NATO in 1949.
C. The Liberal government of
Canada created a welfare state by
enacting a national social security
system and a national health
insurance program.

10. IV. The Emergence of a New Society
A. Postwar Western society had a
changing social structure.
1. Managers and technicians joined the
middle-class groups.
2. The number of people in farming
declined dramatically.
3. The number if industrial workers declined
as white-collar workers increased.
4. A consumer society developed as the
real wages increased.

11. B. Buying on credit became
widespread in the 1950s. The
automobile was a sign of
consumerism.
C. Women in many Western
countries had gained the right to
vote after WWI.
1. Women in France and Italy gained
voting rights in 1945.

12. D. Women who had worked during WWII
returned to traditional roles.
E. Birthrates rose, creating a “baby
boom” in the late 1940s and the
1950s.
F. By the end of the 1950s, birthrates
declined.
1. Married Women entered the workforce.
2. Women earned much less than men did
for equal work.
3. Many women worked and raised families

13. G. By the late 1960s, women renewed
their interest in the women’s liberation
movement.
1. The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
influenced both the American and
European women’s movements.

14. H. Growing discontent in European and
U.S. universities led students to revolt
in the late 1960s.
1. In the 1970s and 1980s, student’s rebels
became middle-class professionals.