Rebuilding Europe after WW2?

Question

Even as a history B.A. I should know this but I don't. Can someone tell me how long the rebuilding efforts of Europe after WW2 took and who did it?

The reason why I'm asking is that I saw a picture of my recently-deceased grandpa in Europe when he was in the army back in the early 50s (ironically, during the Korean War).

He never told his grandkids (my cousin and I) any stories about his time in France. I don't know why he was there and my main assumption is that he was there to help rebuild France after all the shellings and bombings and such. Is my assumption correct?

Answer 1

Most of the rebuilding of each of the countrIEs destroyed by the Nazi were done by the people actually living in those countries. The reason why your Grandfather was in France was maybe due to the fact he was there to protect American interest ie Army bases. A lot of European countries were home to American, English and Canadian Army and Air Force bases after World War 2. Reason was that there was a cold war happening until 1991 it was a shoot em war but one of gun boat diplomacy. Meaning as long as NATO had bases in Europe the Russians who were under Communist rule at that time wouldn't dare cross over the East German boarder. As you know democrats governments which have a demo-crated philosophy hate communist policies and the last thing democrat countries want is the whole world to be taken over by communist rulers.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Rebuilding Europe after WW2?
Even as a history B.A. I should know this but I don't. Can someone tell me how long the rebuilding efforts of Europe after WW2 took and who did it?

The reason why I'm asking is that I saw a picture of my recently-deceased grandpa in Europe when he was in the army back in the early 50s...

Answer 3

World War II (abbreviated WWII), also known as the Second World War, was the largest and deadliest war in world history. Lasting from 1939 and 1945, it saw the Allied Powers, led by the "Big Three" of Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States, together with China, defeat the Axis Powers, led by Germany, Japan, and Italy. Numerous smaller powers were involved.

six years-12

In Germany, the fascist dictator Adolf Hitler, leading the Nazi Party, put the country on a course for war by forcing ever-increasing territorial demands on its neighbors. This led to a general war when Germany formed a (temporary) alliance with the Soviet Union and invaded Poland. In 1940 German conquered most of western Europe but failed to subdue Britain. In 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union, where massive battles went on continuously until the end. Meanwhile in 1937 Japan had invaded China, an informal ally of the United States. In December 1941 Japan attacked the United States and Britain. After six months of successes, the Japanese were turned back as sea and finally succumbed to the United States, a much larger industrial power. During the war, Germany also implemented the "Final Solution", the systematic murder of Europe's Jews, Gypsies, and other minorities.

The war turned on munitions production, and in the end the Allies greatly outproduced and overwhelmed the Axis powers.

Vast areas of Europe, eastern Asia and North Africa, as well as the oceans, became battlefields. Some 62 million people, or 2.5% of the world population, died in the war; estimates vary greatly. About 60% of all casualties were civilians, who died as a result of disease, starvation, genocide (in particular, the Holocaust), massacres, and aerial bombing.

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of the war represent the only time that nuclear weapons have been used in warfare.

After World War II, Europe was informally split into Western and Soviet spheres of influence, which set the stage for the Cold War. There was a shift in power from Western Europe and the British Commonwealth to the two new superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. In Asia, the defeat of Japan led to its democratization. China's civil war continued, resulting in the establishment of the People's Republic of China. The former colonies of the European powers began their road to independence.

Answer 4

Your assumption makes sense, but I don't know how much credence I can lend to it. As to how long it took to re-build Europe. Well, let's put it this way. There are still people working in Germany and other places to restore the old cities back to their former glory (Nurmburg being one of the places to put the biggest effort in) Hell, just last year, a French farmer had his barn knocked down by the government because it was sitting on top of an undetonated petard (or trench lifter) from the FIRST World War they figured contained over six tonnes of TNT. Point is, they made a hell of mess of that continent and its still something they deal with to this day.

Answer 5

This is from Wikipedia

"The Marshall Plan, known officially following its enactment as the European Recovery Program (ERP), was the primary plan of the United States for rebuilding the allied countries of Europe and repelling communism after World War II. The initiative was named for United States Secretary of State George Marshall and was largely the creation of State Department officials, especially William L. Clayton and George F. Kennan.

The reconstruction plan was developed at a meeting of the participating European states in July 1947... The plan was in operation for four fiscal years beginning in July 1947. During that period some $13 billion of economic and technical assistance, equivalent to around $130 billion in 2006, when adjusted for inflation, was given to help the recovery of the European countries which had joined in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development."

It would seem the US gave economic aid rather than having military personnel get involved. However, I found another site that says:

US Cold War Bases Abroad
"No nation, not even the British Empire at its zenith, deployed armed forces at as many military installations beyond its borders as the United States of America did during the Cold War. They were unusual compared with most bases abroad, being sited on the sovereign territory of allies and other friends with whom the U.S. Government negotiated mutually acceptable Status of Forces Agreements that legally prescribed U.S. rights, privileges, and limitations. ...They also positioned U.S. Armed Forces to deter Soviet aggression and respond most effectively if required.

The buildup began in 1947, after Stalin rang down an Iron Curtain in Central Europe and communism everywhere seemed to be on the march. "

Your grandfather might have been part of NATO forces. France threw NATO out in 1966 but they had an office in or near Paris.

Answer 6

They were all within geographical range of the USSR so the broken and derelict Europe would easily have come under the communist sphere of influence. Possibly only the UK, Ireland and Spain would have remained outside of an enlarged communist Europe. Japan too was not far from the USSR and the newly communist North Korea and later, communist China so you would have another Soviet satellite. The USSR for all its own suffering had vast resources and could have aided post war Western Europe sufficiently enough.

Answer 7

i know US helped Britain rebuild a lot,incl france n even poland. i know 1/3 of bri. was destroyed by combs in ww2. so ht's why bri is forever indebted to US. tht's why it's alwiz supp. US despite a v. angry bri. public over d iraq issue n d taliban issue now d israel lebanon conflict. but all bri PM s have some form of oblig. to US gov. coz US spent a lot 2 rebuild UK,france,poland,some extent germany,italy.

Answer 8

Hey there,
If you are looking for a free download of Axis and Allies you can check here: http://j.mp/1BDxuGn

it's a perfectly working link, no scam!
You can pick to be either the Allied powers of Britain, Russia, and America, or instead opt to play as the Axis powers of Germany and Japan. Either way, this is a worldwide conflict where you'll have to learn to play strategically across two fronts, no matter who you’re playing as.

Answer 9

The Physical rebuiding process took about 6 years and was funded by the Marshall plan. The emotional recovery took longer.