Similarities Between Eastern And Western Europe

One of the similarities in the economic development of both Eastern and Western Europe in the years following the war was the establishment of government incentives/programs to counteract decline in population. Due to the devastations of the war, population had been reduced to a critical level forcing government officials to enact programs in order to increase the birthrates in their regions. These social programs were set up as incentives to financially assist couples to have more children. Medical benefits and healthcare programs were made available to pregnant women as well as new mothers. Also, both Eastern and Western Europe used much of its finances on military use: Korean War forced the U.S. to build more goods to fight that war which in turn helped support economic growth in Europe. Soviets were testing atomic bombs. In the years following the war, people in …show more content…
Economic developments differed in Eastern and Western Europe. Eastern Europe lagged behind its counterpart in Western Europe and did not prosper economically either. In Eastern Europe, the economy was controlled by the USSR; its tight rein on the economies of the countries in the eastern bloc prevented economic progression from occurring. For instance, when the United States sent economic assistance to Europe (the Marshall Plan), Stalin refused. Feeling slighted and viewing the U.S.’s offer with indignation as the USSR could not offer any relief to clients in the eastern bloc., Stalin refused the Eastern countries from responding to the U.S.’s offer for help. Eventually, he eliminated democracy from those