European Crisis in the 1970s and 1980s

The changing composition of employment relates to the change in the structure of the workforce. Job growth has become generally greater in those segments of the labour force with relatively low levels of trade union membership, and a contraction of employment among the more highly unionised segments of the labour force (Healey, 1995). Most of the employment growth that occurred in the 80’s and 90’s was confined to the private sector whose union density was considerably lower to that of the public sector. In addition to that, the constant decline in the manufacturing industries, where unionisation is high, compared to

From the end of the second world war, and up until the 1970’s trade unionism was continually growing. By 1979, 57.3% of all people employed were members of trade unions.

Initially, the intent of labor unions was for employed workers to meet together and collectively agree on fundamental workplace objectives and goals. The rise of the union came about after the Civil War, in the United States- responding to the industrial economy boom. Following the war, labor unions finally reached public popularity within the 1930-1950’s, and then again began to slowly decrease, through the 1960’s and on to today’s times. Although, the popularity of labor unions has decreased, its importance remains to be evident with politics, journalism, auto, and the public education industries.

During the nineteenth century, many economic changes took place in Europe due to the Industrial Revolution. They dramatically increased the number of European industrial workers. The changes completely altered the conditions under which they lived and worked. How to improve these lives was where the conflict was. The opinions varied from some people believing the government should intervene, some believing it would better if the government didn’t interfere and also some believing the workers should improve their own lives.

An assassination that threw an entire continent into war, a brutal bloodshed that stretched over four year, and ten million lives lost. The morale of entire countries beaten into a tired submission. This is was what WWI left for Europe at it’s close in 1918. And these are the most popular details of this war. And although WWII is often spoke of more often and televised more than it’s predecessor, it’s importance and relevance does not waver. If it were not for this war, entire empires may still be in place. One could argue that if it were not for this war, Russia may still be under imperial rule. This one war was a spark in a flame that kept burning in Europe long after it ended. And though the assassination

Whether or not there truly was a ‘post war consensus’ in British politics from 1951 to 1964 is a highly debatable topic of which historians can often appear to be in two minds about; on one hand, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson infamously described the period as ‘Thirteen years wasted’, whereas historian Robert Blake (a supporter of the Conservatives’, regards it as a ‘Golden age of growth’. The likes of Kevin Jeffrey’s even argue that consensus had even started before the war. Overall, the central issue was the idea of a mixed economy.

Economic development was high from (1950-1973) but ‘The Golden age’ in Europe then came to an end. The first major reason for the slowdown in economic growth was the closure of the technological gap between the US and Europe. Europe had now stabilised its growth by reaching a

10. It has been argued that demand for services traditionally provided for by unions has declined over time due to: (Points : 1)

Moving forward a couple of centuries puts us in the United States during The Great Depression. During this time the unemployment rate was at an all-time high with almost 13 million Americans out of work. Those individuals who were well educated were able to continue to keep their jobs. They were not greatly affected as much by the depression. The Great Depression had pretty big negative impacts on manufacturing. Because of the

The Industrial Revolution hit Europe and along with it came a great deal of change. Not only did this industrial revolution affect standards of living in cities, it also affected greatly the nature and quality of labor. The Industrial Revolution had an impact of the greatest magnitude on Europe and has shaped the work style and nature of labor that Europeans know today. Although it may seem like a revolution of this sort would have great benefits for those who lived through it, evidence seems to show otherwise. For many it was difficult to adapt to this new world of industrial labor and for others it was a bit easier to adjust.

Not many could have anticipated the rapid rise of the European industry that was realized from industrial revolution. As a note, dominance in wage labor, rapid growth of cities and evolution of industries mostly from steel and iron factories were perhaps the greatest changes that were experienced. In economic changes, manifestations were evident through the increased rates of immigration to better places, rapid growth of cities as centers of trade and changes in the type of work and working structures. Socially, reorganization of family was experienced as well as changes in ownership of jobs, rural to urban migration as well as where and when to work (Lynn et al. 413-414). Politics also played a great role in

By the end of 2008, the European Union began experiencing rippling effects of the United States financial crisis. Several member countries, most notably on the southern end of the continent, faced high levels of debt and unemployment. Portugal, Iceland, Ireland, Greece, and Spain, derogatively referred to as “PIIGS,” required extensive economic support from the EU in order to repay government debts and bail-out private banks. Disbursal of aid in 2010 proved successful in promoting economic recovery in some countries; however, the vast majority observed only slight economic improvement which led to doubts regarding the effectiveness of the harsh austerity measures implemented. Ireland has most clearly benefited from the financial support of the European Union as the country’s unemployment rate has dropped below ten percent and is expected to witness 4.5% GDP growth in 2016. Portugal, on the other hand, shows little fiscal improvement as evident in an unemployment rate of 13% and an expected GDP growth of only 1.6% in 2016. Although both countries faced tough financial crises in 2010, Ireland has notably outperformed Portugal in resolving the situation. The weak economy in Portugal, as well as continued fiscal hardship in the remaining “PIGS” countries, threaten the preservation of the European Union as financial inequality between the members persists.

The terrible internal economies control. The countries in euro area, especially Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain lost their control over the domestic financial situation. Specifically, Greece had long standing financial problems. The government spent largely on the social welfare, and had a great number of public servants who had extremely generous wage and pension benefits. Besides, the government had little control over its budget deficit, leading a long standing financial budget overrun. In Ireland, the estate bubble greatly destroyed government tax income and consumption power of public. Portugal’s lasting recruitment policies led to a great number of redundant public servants. The Italian economy suffered from the high unemployment rate and high tax rate, and had a slow growth in recent years.

From the 1815 until the 1871, Europe underwent a great change. As the revolution of the 1830s showed, the Vienna Settlement did not last, even though the great European powers were able for a while to take the situation under control with brutal repression. However, it was impossible to stop the liberal revolution, which led to important political events and deep social changes. In the political field there are three major events: the rise of Napoleon III, the unification of Germany and the Italian Risorgimento. In the field of social changes there are the extraordinary doubling of the population, the new technologies, which made possible the development of communication and transportation, and the important consequences of the industrial

This paper is mainly focusing on the historical background and causes of debt crisis in late 1970s and 1980s.