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World War II : A Great Impact On The European Economy And Political Conditions Essay

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Europe faced many challenges during the immediate aftermath of World War II (WWII). Firstly, this essay will examine the most important negative consequences confronted by Europe after WWII including the effects the war had on the European economy and political conditions. In this regard, it will look specifically at the Soviet Union, Germany, Poland and Britain. Secondly, the essay will review the numerous displaced populations WWII left behind as well as the expulsions of several Germans from Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. Lastly, this essay will observe the destruction and loss of cultural heritage Europe encountered following WWII.

The loss of life and resources had a great impact on the economy of the Soviet Union. During WWII the Soviet Union lost the lives of approximately twenty-seven million people. Nineteen million were civilian deaths due mainly to starvation in the Siege of Leningrad, poor conditions in Germany and Soviet Union prisons and concentration camps, mass shootings, famine and disease. As well as casualties, the Soviet Union also had approximately twenty-five per cent of capital resources destroyed during WWII. With the lower population and fewer resources, industrial and agricultural output dropped to amounts lower than it had been prior to the war in the late 1920s. During WWII nearly 32,000 Soviet Union large-scale industrial enterprises were put out of production. The reduction in the Soviet Union labour force, as well as the destruction

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