1945: A Turning Point Of Modern European History

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Explain, in what says was the year 1945 a turning point of modern European history.

Immediately after the close of the WWI, Europe plunged itself into WWII, a major world conflict that ended in 1945 and brought forth significant changes that set the footnote for Europe’s future development. In many ways, the 1945 was seen as a turning point of modern European history.
First, 1945 ushered in the Cold War, whose major belligerents were the rising powers of the US and the Soviet Union. Before 1945, Europe was bathed in regional conflicts of its own. Nations of different Alliances, for example, the France and Britain of the Triple Entente rivaled Germany and Austrian Hungry of the Triple Alliance in the fields of increased militarization and nationalism. However, the WWII cost the European nations high death tolls and huge militarization expenditure so much that their supremacy was tremendously diminished, resetting the stage of international order. After the close of the WWII, namely 1945, the US rose to the stage of international affairs and wielded greater influence as it was one of the victors of war and it contributed much to end the War. On the other hand, the Soviet Union, which came into being long before 1945, amidst the chaos of the WWI, also became the major world power that contained the US. This straining confrontation between the two powers, signified the ideological differences each of them represented and led – Cold War shortly started as the US and the Soviet

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