Post WWII Eastern Europe

The face of Eastern Europe changed after World War II. The formerly independent countries fell under the influence of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The influence, of the Soviet Union, extended to the point of creating a new "socialist world" which encompassed more than just the political and economic spheres of socialism. The socialist world, which was created, replaced the cultural and religious heritage of the country with a socialist civilization. The basis for this new "socialist world" can be found, in the social, political, economic, and cultural aspects of the countries of Eastern Europe, and in the philosophy of the socialists themselves. The impact, of the Soviet Union on Eastern Europe, is exemplified by the reaction of the Czechoslovakian government to the potato bug infestation in 1950.

The political system operating in Eastern Europe after World War II was controlled by Moscow. Many of the individuals holding leadership positions, in the countries of Eastern Europe, had spent the war years in the Soviet Union. These leaders were heavily influenced by the tactics and philosophy of Stalin. The message preached was that people do not know what is good for them. A new consciousness must be taught to the people before democratic principles can be applied. The political leaders used symbolism taken from religion, especially christianity, to indoctrinate and conceptualize socialism for the population.

The socialism's goal was to bring a

Related Essays

Soviet-American Relations in Post WWII Period .... the Soviet Union for being a police state and for building an "iron curtain" in Eastern Europe. Another problem arose regarding the issue of post-war Germany .... (1846 7 )

US Strategic Air Operations in WWII Europe .... to assure the Soviet Union a major role in the post war future .... concentrated Soviet military action and Soviet diplomacy on securing Eastern Europe for Soviet .... (5060 20 )

Central and Eastern Europe Forms of Democracy .... it appears that since WWII parliamentary democracies .... legacy that has made post-communist societies .... countries in Central and Eastern Europe where lawlessness is .... (2302 9 )

Jews in Poland after 1945 .... an excellent article that puts the relations of Jews and Poles in post-war 1940s .... Such accounts demonstrate that in Eastern Europe after WWII, Jews were .... (2235 9 )

Pierre Trudeau .... 1973 (Alward 1). Pierre Trudeau did not serve in WWII, and his .... and his travels also took him to the turbulent post-war areas of Eastern Europe, and the .... (1163 5 )

list philosophy has as its ideal an efficient and dynamic economy. In this economy, people will be able to subjugate their own private benefit for the betterment of society as a whole. The individual's interests, activities, and talents will be directed away from their own personal affairs toward the goals of the whole society. An individual's and society's goals will be in harmony and will be directed toward development of the whole of society. Control of the economic sphere is of vital importance to a socialist society. Economics is the social science concerned primarily with the description and analysis of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Ludvik Vaculik claims that it is the economists who will control things. This is not entirely true. The political structure defines, to a great extent, how economic exchanges can operate. Social values determine which types of things and actions are valued by a society. The socialists operating in Eastern Europe, after the war, were determined to institute a socialist society using all methods to alter human behavior. The restructuring of the economy was only one step needed. The socialists needed to restructure the wants and desires of

Category: Foreign - P