After the conclusion of the Second World War in 1945, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union met at the Potsdam Conference to discuss, among other things, the fate of Germany following the reign of the Third Reich. Germany was to be divided into four zones, each controlled by either the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, or France. In addition, Berlin, which lied in the Soviet territory, was divided into four zones. Eventually, an Iron Curtain (as Winston Churchill described it) fell over the entire continent of Europe and created a rift between the East and the West. In 1949, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France combined their German land to create the Federal Republic of Germany, commonly
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However, the communist Eastern Europe had laws and regulations that far exceeded those in the West. Abortion was briefly recriminalized, and contraceptives were hard to come by as Soviet access to them was denied. As Dagmar Herzog points out in Sexuality in Europe: A Twentieth Century History, the Soviet Bloc’s general view on sex was that it was “bad” and demanded suppression and control. Homosexuals were heavily persecuted in the East. As the years past, more and more countries began to legalize homosexuality, but the countries of Eastern Europe did not do so until much later than most countries in the West. It is evident that in the East, Communism controlled and regulated most aspects of everyday life, including politics, culture, and …show more content…
Because Eastern Europe was predominately communist, citizens were heavily regulated, censored, and controlled, mainly by the leaders of the Soviet Union. Literature, music, and popular culture from the West were not made freely available to the public. Consequently, the sexual freedom of the citizens of Eastern Europe was not widespread. Abortion, contraceptives, and homosexuality were all discouraged and in many cases persecuted. In contrast, Western Europe did not face the same level of control. Much of the culture from this time was borrowed from the Americans, and just about anybody could get a sense of the materialistic culture that would take over Western Europe. Because of this lack of control, Western Europeans had much more sexual freedom. There were more options for contraceptives and abortions, and homosexuality gradually became decriminalized, way before that would happen in the East. Sex and romance not only became more normal between partners, but it also became more commonplace in the eye of the public. The effects that the social and political landscapes had on sexual liberties in post-World War II are evident, and the respective halves of Europe consequently experienced vastly different post war
However, the communist Eastern Europe had laws and regulations that far exceeded those in the West. Abortion was briefly recriminalized, and contraceptives were hard to come by as Soviet access to them was denied. As Dagmar Herzog points out in Sexuality in Europe: A Twentieth Century History, the Soviet Bloc’s general view on sex was that it was “bad” and demanded suppression and control. Homosexuals were heavily persecuted in the East. As the years past, more and more countries began to legalize homosexuality, but the countries of Eastern Europe did not do so until much later than most countries in the West. It is evident that in the East, Communism controlled and regulated most aspects of everyday life, including politics, culture, and …show more content…
Because Eastern Europe was predominately communist, citizens were heavily regulated, censored, and controlled, mainly by the leaders of the Soviet Union. Literature, music, and popular culture from the West were not made freely available to the public. Consequently, the sexual freedom of the citizens of Eastern Europe was not widespread. Abortion, contraceptives, and homosexuality were all discouraged and in many cases persecuted. In contrast, Western Europe did not face the same level of control. Much of the culture from this time was borrowed from the Americans, and just about anybody could get a sense of the materialistic culture that would take over Western Europe. Because of this lack of control, Western Europeans had much more sexual freedom. There were more options for contraceptives and abortions, and homosexuality gradually became decriminalized, way before that would happen in the East. Sex and romance not only became more normal between partners, but it also became more commonplace in the eye of the public. The effects that the social and political landscapes had on sexual liberties in post-World War II are evident, and the respective halves of Europe consequently experienced vastly different post war