The Youth Culture and the Hostility Between the East and West

Please respond to each of the following posts, #1 & #2 (at least 100 words for each response). Each response should be substantive and add something to the discussion, rather than simply restating or agreeing or disagreeing with something the original writer has written.

Response #1: Youth Culture 

The teens during this time in my opinion had a different type of lifestyle than their parents did just decades before. Europe during their parent’s time was in wars and was a very strict country. The kids were used as laborers they had to help provide. Not to mention Hitler’s rule and a time of great depression throughout the entire country. The kid’s during this time lived in a free type of world they for the most part were able to do as they pleased with very little consequences and in my opinion deservedly so after all the country had been through. During this time the kids had more to do than their parents did also. There were new technological advances such as television which from what I understand was just taking off in Europe at the beginning of the 1960’s. Also, the music started to change from this almost rudimentary style to a freer and laxed type. Also, as you can tell in the music videos of “Bonnie and Clyde” and "Tous les garcons et les fillese.” The whole “sex sells” argument came to fruition. In the Bonnie and Clyde video the women played a very seductive part, she pulls up her dress a few times and obviously does this on purpose. The same thing happens in the other video as there are what appear to be young women on a swinging ship and in a very seductive manner the wind blows up their dresses. I think this expresses that freeing new culture that was present or becoming present during this time. I believe this was a time when the values of the traditional Europe were slowly slipping away. There was a more modern or futuristic style coming to light in Europe. One may even call it Americanism. Yes, in my opinion the new music, fashion styles and even film clips were aimed at changing the traditional culture of Europe with the main target audience being the youth during this time. As I said I think in the new films and music seem to be a freer style, laid back with more of a Riske and fresher approach.

Response #2: East vs. West

After World War II Europe was devastated. All of the landscape was affected. Buildings, town, cities, and even the countryside was left in ruins. Not only was the lanscape affected but all the Europe was in shambles. So was the economy, well what was left. After the war all of Europe had to recover, with some countries having no governments the allied powers had step in. However the was a problem with this. The allied powers had different types of government aligned, this led to a whole new set of problems. After the war the Communist U.S.S.R and the western democracies crashed on how Europe should be rebuilt. Eventually Europe was split by what was called the Iron Curtain. After the war Eastern Europe and Western Europe were divided among the Allied powers. Eastern Europe fell under the control of the communist U.S.S.R, while Western Europe was under the other Allied powers such as the United States, and Great Britain. The same rules applied to Berlin the capital of Germany. The two side of Europe and Berlin were ruled differently. The Western powers used the same approach to the government of the nation as their own and that was Democracy, while the U.S.S.R enforced a communist government on the Eastern side. The side had very different lifestyles. The economies were different and that led to different levels of happiness. The communist side was as happy as the more Democratic side. This could be seen through the upcoming decades, many people fled the communist side. The process of splitting Europe among the powers hurt everyone; many families were split up. There wasn't as much freedom on the communist side.