Posted in #5 Reconstruction

Reconstructing Regimes

  Published Date: October 3, 2016  2 Comments on Reconstructing Regimes
Allied victory, communist defeat, crumbling empires, emerging super-powers; the aftermath of the second World War was a lengthy, complex period in which reconstruction was at the forefront. Reconstruction, in its most literal sense, means rebuilding. What needed to be rebuilt? How was this growth managed? The state of most nations Post-WWII was not a pretty one, […]

Author: Ashleigh Grubb

2 thoughts on “Reconstructing Regimes”

  1. I liked how you brought up the different ways that Europe had to reconstruct itself after World War II. I think that sometimes we overlook how people had to give up power, like you mentioned with the soldiers lowering the Nazi flag. The physical rebuilding of the towns and rebuilding the industry were the main issues that most historians focus on. Although the Marshall Plan was helpful to the European countries, it was hard for them to be independent states. I feel like their economic dependence on America during the beginning of reconstruction put a damper on the moral of their country, but also gave them strength to rebuild so they could be independent again.

  2. I think it is very important that you tried to distinguish between rebuilding and reconstruction. Often nations were not trying to replace the former state, as was the case for Japan and Germany. Meanwhile the Soviets were also trying to create a whole new empire post war. Because of all these differences it is nearly impossible to lump post war reconstruction into one category, or even try to place one world region’s reconstruction into the same category.

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