Three postwar eras in comparison : western Europe 1918--1945--1989

This book has its origins in a joint conference of the German History Society, the Association for the Study of Modern Italy and the Association for the Study of Modern and Contemporary France, held at Keele University in 1995 and co-hosted by the Goethe Institute Manchester. Since then a number of new papers have been added and others substantially revised. As well as acknowledging the particular generosity of the Goethe Institute, Manchester and the assistance of the aforementioned societies and institutes, the editors would like to thank the following bodies for generous support: the Service Culturel of the French embassy, London; the British Academy; the British Council, Rome; and the Royal Historical Society. We would also like to thank Palgrave for their patience and support. Finally, we would like to record our debt to our original co-organizer, Peter Morris, whose enthusiasm, intelligence and good humour contributed so much to the success of the Keele conference. His unexpected and untimely death was a deep shock; the academic community is the poorer for his loss. Front Matter....Pages i-x 1918–1945–1989: The Making and Unmaking of Stable Societies in Western Europe....Pages 1-38 Front Matter....Pages 39-39 Empires or Nations? 1918, 1945, 1989.......Pages 41-66 America as a European Power: Four Dimensions of the Transatlantic Relationship: 1945 to the Late 1990s....Pages 67-85 The Nationalist Challenge to Stability in Eastern and Central Europe: 1918–1945–1989....Pages 86-96 Front Matter....Pages 97-97 Public Debt as a Postwar Problem: The German Experience after 1918 in Comparative Perspective....Pages 99-119 Stabilizing Italy: 1945–1989....Pages 120-147 Visions of Prosperity: Consumerism and Popular Culture in Italy from the 1920s to the 1950s....Pages 151-172 Rationalizing Family Life — Stabilizing German Society: The ‘Golden Twenties’ and the ‘Economic Miracle’ in Comparison....Pages 173-195 1968/1989: Social Movements in Italy Reconsidered....Pages 199-215 The Youth Question: Generations, Stability and Social Change in France since 1945....Pages 216-234 Front Matter....Pages 235-235 France’s German Question, 1918–1945–1989....Pages 237-256 Defeat and Stability: 1918, 1945 and 1989 in Germany....Pages 257-275 The Roots of the Italian Political Crisis: A View from History, 1918, 1945, 1989...and After....Pages 276-296 Back Matter....Pages 297-306 A brief glance at twentieth century European history would suggest that wars and their aftermath produced the major turning points in its development. Three times - in 1918, 1945 and again in 1989 - Europe was confronted with major questions of restructuring and rebuilding. But can we really divide Europe's development into neat postwar eras? Why was the period 1945-1989 so much more stable and prosperous than 1918-1939? Has the end of the cold war changed the basis of the post-1945 settlement? This comparative collection offers some unique insights into these questions.