5 Steps to a 5TM AP European History

(^206) › STEP 4. Review the Knowledge You Need to Score High
II. In Czechoslovakia in the 1980s, people from all walks of life created a movement that
became known as the Civic Forum, which, by commandeering public spaces like libraries
and churches for town meetings, began to rebuild notions of citizenship and civic life that
had been destroyed by the Soviet system.

Rapid Review

Following World War II, the Soviet Union solidified its control of Eastern Europe, cre-

ating an “Iron Curtain” that divided East from West. The two superpowers, the United

States and the Soviet Union, engaged in a conflict, called the Cold War, which had global

implications. The advent of nuclear weapons forced Japan’s unconditional surrender but

subsequently created a nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Meanwhile, Western European nations followed a course of economic integration that

culminated in the creation of the European Union. Between 1985 and 1989, systemic

economic problems and a bold attempt at reform led to the rapid disintegration of the

Soviet Union, the destruction of the Iron Curtain, and the reunification of Germany. In the

decades that followed, two major trends affected life in Europe: the revival of nationalism

and the emergence of globalization.

KEY IDEA

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