Western Europe: New Unity
Charles de Gaulle was a war hero who dominated France for nearly a quarter of a century after the war. He helped establish a new government in 1946 called the Fourth Republic. However, this government was largely ineffective. Leaders of the Fourth Republic were frightened by divisions caused by a crisis in the French colony of Algeria. Because of that, they asked de Gaulle to form a new government. So de Gaulle drafted a new constitution for the Fifth Republic that greatly enhanced the power of the president. The president would now how the right to choose the prime minister, dissolve parliament, and supervise both defensive and foreign policy. A lot of people approved this constitution and Gaulle became the first president of the Fifth Republic. He wanted France to be a great power again and to achieve this status he invested heavily in nuclear arms. France exploded its first nuclear bomb in 1960. During his presidency, the French economy grew at an annual reate of 5.5 percent which was faster than the United States. France became a major industrial producer and exporter, especially of automobiles and weapons. There were still problems with a rise in the costs of living which led to unrest. Students led protests which was followed by a labor strike. De Gaulle was sick of this and so he resigned from office in april 1969 and soon passed away.
Konrad Adenauer was the leader of the Christian Democratic Union from 1949 to 1963. He served as chancellor, or head of the state. He sought respect for West Germany. He cooperated with the United States and other Western European nations. He especially wanted to work with France because it was Germany's longtime enemy. Under him, West Germany experienced an economic miracle. After 14 years of guiding West Germany through its post-war recovery, he resigned in 1963.
Clement Attlee was the new prime minister. Under him, the labour government set out to create a modern welfare state which is a state in which the government takes responsibility for providing citizens with services and a minimal standard of living. The new government passed the National insurance act and the National Health Service act in 1946. The insurance act gave government funds to help people who were old, sick and unemployed. The health act made a system of medicine that gave medical care for everyone. Because building this welfare state was so expensive, Britain was forced to reduce expenses abroad. This meant dismantling the British Empire. Britain was no longer allowed to able to play the rold of a world power.
John F. Kennedy became the youngest elected president in the history of the United States at age 43. He was soon assassinated on November 22, 1963. After that Lydon B. Johnson who was vice president at the time, became the new president. He used his stunning victory to pursue the growth of the welfare state which began in the New Deal. His programs included health care for the old, various measures to combat poverty, and federal assistance for education. Another passion Johnson had was for the equal rights for Africans. He supported the civil rights movement which began in 1954 when racisim was made illegal in public schools. Johnson wanted something he called a Great Society.
In August 1963, Reverend Marin Luther King Jr., lead of a growing movement for racial equality; led a march on Washington D.C, to dramatize the African desire for equality. He used passive disobedience such as Mohandas Gandhi did. In 1968 he was assassinated. He left a big impression on a lot of people both black and white. On his march to D.C he made one of the most famous speeches, the "I have a Dream" speech. A year after this the civil rights act of 1964 was passed and then the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which prohibited laws and practices that kept African Americans from voting. King was a great leader and helped make many things better for the African Americans during this time.