Return to Normalcy or a New Beginning: Concepts and Expectations for a Postwar Europe around 1945

At the end of the Second World War in 1945, the countries of Western Europe found themselves at a crossroads regarding Europe's future. How should they react to the challenges posed by the peace, by Germany's defeat, and by the newly won freedom? How should they deal with the emerging division of the continent, with the eastern part being controlled by the Soviet Union? Would they repeat the experiences that followed 1918, relapsing into national isolationism, or would they engage themselves in new ways of transnational co-operation? Addressing these questions, Return to Normalcy or a New Beginning presents new accounts and interpretations of the immediate postwar views and political considerations in leading circles of Western European countries and regions. The book is a revised version of actual conference contributions from the symposium "1945 - Back to Normal or a New Beginning? Expectations and Concepts for a Postwar Europe" held at the Copenhagen Business School in September 2005.