The Cold War, Integration, and Globalization (^) ‹ 203
• In Czechoslovakia, resurgent nationalism split the country in half, as the Slovak region
split off to form the republic of Slovakia, leaving the Czechs to form the Czech Republic.
• In Azerbaijan, Azerbaijanis and Armenians fought for dominance.
• In the Russian Republic, Chechens began a guerilla war against Russian troops when
their demands for independence were refused.
• In Yugoslavia, the fragile, multiparty system fell apart. Serbians and Slovenes fought over
land and power; ethnic groups in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Macedonia followed
suit as the situation degenerated into a vicious, multisided war with acts of genocide
committed on both sides.
While politics in the post–Cold War era often seemed to regress, the unity of the
world’s economies, societies, and cultures continued to move forward. Near the end of the
twentieth century, the term globalization became prominent to describe the increasing inte-
gration and interdependence of the economic, social, cultural, and even ecological aspects
of life. The term refers not only to the way in which the economies of the world affect one
another, but also to the way that the experience of everyday life is becoming increasingly
standardized by the spread of technologies that carry with them social and cultural norms.
Social Changes in Postwar Europe
The concept of the cradle-to-grave welfare state came under increasing pressure in the latter
quarter of the twentieth century, squeezed by twin pressures of changing demographics and
shrinking budgets. Improved medical technologies extended life expectancies; at the same
time, people gained more control over their own fertility than at any other time in history,
reducing the birth rate. An aging population led to imbalances between those drawing
welfare state benefits and those contributing to the system. Governments have responded
by scaling back benefits or even shifting government-controlled industries to the private
sector. An example of privatization occurred during the 1980s in Great Britain under Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher, who sold off British Telecom, British Steel, and the water
industry, among others. Frequently, attempts to increase working hours or to scale back
benefits have been met with protests and strikes by workers, who charge that governments
are reneging on promises made.
Additionally, Western European governments have attempted to address declining birth
rates by supporting families with children through a range of policies including subsidized
or free childcare, generous parental leave, tax breaks to families, or even cash payments to
couples for a second child (Italy). Though the policies vary from country to country, most
have made efforts in this regard.
Immigration, which has reshaped many traditionally homogeneous European nations
into diverse cultures, is another source of social tension. Fears of a weakening national
identity, concerns about competition for jobs, and anxiety over national security have
sometimes led to a backlash against immigrant communities. In addition, particularly with
respect to Muslim immigrants, European governments struggle to balance their commit-
ment to secularism with religious freedom (in the case of Muslim girls wearing the hijab
headscarf in French schools, for example) and to individual rights with national security.
Anti-immigrant sentiment has taken political shape in the form of right-wing political
parties such as the National Front in France, who advocate economic protectionism and
restricted immigration. Recent attacks by followers of the Islamic State (also known as ISIS
or ISIL), a terrorist organization advocating an extremist version of Islam, have further
inflamed these tensions.23_Bartolini_Ch23_195-206.indd 203 27/04/18 1:56 PM