Paul Sargent Makes History
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4.4 Changes in 20th Century Lives

Demographic changes, economic growth, total war, disruptions of traditional social patterns, and competing definitions of freedom and justice altered the experiences of everyday life.

Concept Overview

The disruptions of two total wars, the reduction of barriers to migration within Europe because of economic integration, globalization, and the arrival of new permanent residents from outside Europe changed the everyday lives of Europeans in significant ways. For the first time, more people lived in cities than in rural communities. Economic growth — although interrupted by repeated wars and economic crises — generally increased standards of living, leisure time (despite the growing number of two-career families), educational attainment, and participation in mass cultural entertainments. The collapse of the birth rate to below replacement levels enhanced the financial well-being of individual families even as it reduced the labor force. To support labor-force participation and encourage families, governments instituted family policies supporting child care and created large-scale guest-worker programs.

Europe’s involvement in an increasingly global economy exposed its citizens to new goods, ideas, and practices. Altogether, the disruptions of war and decolonization led to new demographic patterns — a population increase followed by falling birth rates and the immigration of non-Europeans — and to uncertainties about Europeans’ cultural identity. Even before the collapse of communism and continuing afterward, a variety of groups on both the left and right began campaigns of terror in the name of ethnic or national autonomy, or in radical opposition to free-market ideology. Other groups worked within the democratic system to achieve nationalist and xenophobic goals.

By the 1960s, the rapid industrialization of the previous century had created significant environmental problems. Environmentalists argued that the unfettered free-market economy could lead Europe to ecological disaster, and they challenged the traditional economic and political establishment with demands for sustainable development sensitive to environmental, aesthetic, and moral constraints. At the same time, a generation that had not experienced either economic depression or total war came of age and criticized existing institutions and beliefs while calling for greater political and personal freedom. These demands culminated with the 1968 youth revolts in Europe’s major cities and in challenges to institutional authority structures, especially those of universities.

Feminist movements gained increased participation for women in politics, and before the end of the century, several women became heads of government or state. Yet traditional social patterns and institutions continued to hinder the achievement of gender equality. While these internal movements and struggles went on, immigrants from around the globe poured into Europe, and by the end of the century, Europeans found themselves living in multiethnic and multireligious communities. Immigrants defied traditional expectations of integration and assimilation and expressed social values different from 20th-century Europeans. Many Europeans refused to consider the newcomers as true members of their society. In the early 21st century, Europeans continued to wrestle with issues of social justice and how to define European identity. 
*Language on this page is provided by the College Board.

​Sub-Concept 1

The 20th century was characterized by large-scale suffering brought on by warfare and genocide as well as tremendous improvements in the standard of living.

Sub-Concept 2

The lives of women were defined by family and work responsibilities, economic changes, and feminism.

Sub-Concept 3

New voices gained prominence in political, intellectual, and social discourse.



Reading Assignments

Pages below are from Jackson Spielvogel's Western Civilization, Updated 9th AP Edition
Reading assignment 1:
  • The Impact of World War I - page 797
  • The Costs of World War II - page 861
  • The Structure of European Society: A Society of Consumers - pages 891-892
  • The Expansion of Mass Culture and Mass Leisure - pages 822-824
  • Mass Leisure - page 892
Reading assignment 2:
  • The Explosion of Popular Culture - pages 897-899
  • Popular Culture: Image and Globalization - page 923
  • The Growth of Mass Sports - pages 923-924
Reading assignment 3:
  • Toward a Global Civilization: New Challenges and Hopes - pages 953-958
Reading assignment 4:
  • The Social Impact of Total War - pages 778-781
  • The Mobilization of Peoples - pages 855-858
Reading assignment 5:
  • Gender Issues in the Welfare State - pages 892-893
  • Women in the Postwar Western World - page 894
  • A Revolt in Sexual Mores - page 902
  • The Feminist Movement - pages 905-906
  • Transformation in Women's Lives - pages 945-946
Reading assignment 6:
  • Youth Protest and Student Revolt - pages 902-905
  • Antiwar Protests - page 906
  • The Environment and the Green Movements - page 919
Reading assignment 7:
  • France: Right and Left - page 939
  • Guest Workers and Immigrants - pages 946-947
  • Social Challenges of Globalization - pages 957-958

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Paul Sargent Makes History

  • Home
  • My YouTube Channel
  • AP European History
    • Historical Reasoning Skills
    • Thematic Learning Objectives >
      • Interaction of Europe and the World
      • Poverty and Prosperity
      • Objective Knowledge and Subjective Visions
      • States and Other Institutions of Power
      • Individual and Society
      • National and European Identity
    • Concept Outline
    • Period 1: 1450-1648
    • Period 2: 1648-1815
    • Period 3: 1815-1914
    • Period 4: 1914-Present
    • Exam Review Resources
  • AP Government
    • Concept Outline
    • Constitutional Underpinnings
    • Political Beliefs and Behaviors
    • Linkage Institutions
    • Institutions of Government
    • Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
    • Exam Review
  • Government and Economics
    • Foundations of Government
    • The Constitution
    • Executive Branch
    • The Judicial Branch
    • Voting and Elections
  • My Blog