Europe is less dynamic than other areas in the world. The European Union will lose its position as the largest economic region, with the share in world output decreasing to less than 15% in 2050. This article designs a strategy based on which Europe can increase its internal dynamics, connect with its dynamic neighborhood and stabilize its eastern and southern regions. These regions are currently searching for development paths different from those in the US and China. The envisaged strategy learns from past errors, counteracts "my country first calls", balances uneven trade and investment pacts, and prevents land and resource grabbing. A new partnership strategy with neighbors in Eurasia, the Middle East and Africa will enable Europe to overcome its growth fatigue. It could help to reshape globalization and convert the current "ring of fire" into a "ring of friends". Then, together with its neighbors, Europe could still be an important economic region in 2050, on par with China and larger than the US plus its neighbors.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the development of international trade in Czechoslovakia from the end of World War II to the period of "sovietization". The author will examine foreign trade during the first post war years. He will concentrate on international trade in Czechoslovakia during 1945 -- 1953, especially on the problem of restricting trade with West European countries and strengthening ties with the Eastern bloc. The contribution of this paper consists mainly of creating a compact view of Czechoslovakian foreign trade after World War II until the end of the first five year plan (after the communist revolution).

The topic of my diploma thesis is the Danish foreign policy between the years 1945 and 1949 and its relation to the Danish national identity. The main research question is, if and how the Danish national identity influenced the state's shift from the traditional neutrality policy to the North Atlantic Agreement. To understand the national narrative I use a discoursive analysis of selected sources, mainly the daily press and political speeches intended for public. I focuse not only on the image Danes had about them selves, but also on their view of the other agents of the international relations - mainly on the Soviet Union, the United States and the North. Keywords: Denmark, USA, Greenland, Occupation of Bornholm, NATO, UN, Marshall Plan, Easter Crisis 1948

Text in English / This thesis is an attempt to investigate how local churches (re)define their international orientation in response to the shockwaves of globalisation and their interpretation of the signs of the times. The analysis is guided by the key dimensions of interdependence, responsibility, and partnership. The local church is expected to have reached an increasing awareness of interdependence in her international relationships by the emergence of the postmodern systemic paradigm as never before in the history of the ecumenical movement. Consequently, this results in a sense of responsibility developing directly from a prophetic reading and an interpretation of the signs of the times as well as in a receptivity to be fertilised by international impulses. The local church is perceived by both individual Christians and pastors as direct platform for international responsibility. The wounds of the world, the needy and the suffering are suggested as inviting primary responses of local churches in the North. International church partnerships are investigated as practical attempts to live out interdependent relationships, to translate the sense of responsibility into action, and to receive fertilisation from the partner churches. Qualitative case studies from Reformed, United (Lutheran/Reformed) and Free churches present a status analysis of churches regarding the points under discussion. The tendency is observed that pastors inc~easingly look for ways alternative to the old ecumenical structures, which are characterised by rich/poor and donor/recipient relationships, thus operating their churches with free initiative and association. Studies regularly narrow down topics to interdependence, postmodernism, development, development politics, church development services, international partnerships, ecumenical learning, etc. Often recommendations for action are made based on the one single area of research presented. In this study, however, it is argued that pastors and churches do not derive their decisions and programmes from considerations of one single area, but they consider all these areas together. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

This diploma work is concerned with the analysis of Czechoslovak economy in years 1945 -- 1947, where is focusing on the most important economical and political revisions and their relation to the transition of the democratic society of Czechoslovakia to the socialistic society. This period represent very important part of Czechoslovak history that merit particular attention. With the analysis of chosen economical revisions it would like to come to the answer on the question, whether the process of socialization of Czechoslovak society started in 1948 or in the period of years 1945 - 1947. The diploma work is analyzing the most important problems of that period and trying to advert to different possibilities of the economical and political process. The goal of the work is not a deep assay of revisions but just the fact of connectivity of these revisions to the transition of the whole Czechoslovak society.

The thesis deals with importance of European Recovery Program (Marshall plan) for Irish economy. The aim is to analyse whether the Marshall plan aid was in the case of Ireland rather a political decision or an economic necessity. In the first half of 20th century the economic and political development was adherent to Great Britain, although Ireland was anxious to break this bound since the foundation of the Free State. Second World War neutrality and disputable survey of post-war Irish economy caused bitter relationships with the United States and therefore even harder communication in the case of Marshall plan. Prevailing and historically determinated Irish isolationism and nationalism, trading orientation mainly on Great Britain, undeveloped economy and scepticism about the leading role of the United States in post-war world and economic integration of Europe in consequence led to the fact that Ireland was one of least developed countries in western Europe in the beginning of 1960s, even though it adopted the Marshall plan.

(in English) This diploma thesis deals with the influence of the United States of America on Italy during the years 1945 and 1948. One of the factors that played an important role in this issue was the Cold War, since it had an immense impact on American foreign policy as well as the changing relationship between Italy and the USA. With regard to American foreign policy, Italy was not really in the centre of its attention after the Second World War. This, however, changed after the relationship between the USSR and USA had deteriorated in 1946 and 1947, which brought a shift in the American stance towards the Apennine peninsula. The strength of the Communist party of Italy was a major cause for concern to the American administration worrying about the spread of communism in Western Europe. The thesis puts special emphasis on 'the Propaganda Battle' led by the American administration, namely the Ambassador in Rome James Dunn, and the newly established CIA. This 'battle' is viewed especially from a cultural perspective, as the communist propaganda campaigns focused mainly on film industry, the radio and newspapers. Key words (in English) Italy, the United States of America, 1948, Communist Party of Italy, Marshall plan, CIA

The United Kingdom's postwar economic recovery and the usefulness of Marshall Plan aid depended heavily on a rapid increase in exports by the country's manufacturing industries. American aid administrators, however, shocked to discover the British industry's inability to respond to the country's urgent need, insisted on aggressive action to improve productivity. In partial response, a joint venture, called the Anglo-American Council on Productivity (AACP), arranged for sixty-six teams involving nearly one thousand people to visit U.S. factories and bring back productivity improvement ideas. Analyses of team recommendations, and a brief review of the country's industrial history, offer compelling insights into the problems of relative industrial decline. This dissertation attempts to assess the reasons for British industry's inability to respond to the country's economic emergency or to maintain its competitive position faced with the challenge of newer industrializing countries.

My research seeks to explain the evolution of trade policy debates among American business leaders between World War I and the 1960s. The key finding is that a new framework for discussing trade policy was widely adopted after the United States became a creditor nation during World War I. This framework related tariffs and imports to exports, international lending and American foreign policy. High levels of imports ceased to be a threat and instead came to be seen as a pre-requisite for high levels of exports and a well-functioning global economy; raising the levels of imports, including through tariff cuts, became a strategy for providing American allies and debtors with dollar revenues. This new insight into the political economy of American foreign economic policy is based on new evidence from the archival records of business associations and a wide range of other primary and secondary sources. In addition to bringing to light new evidence, my research also addresses some of the gaps that still exist in the literature on the history of the foreign economic policy of the United States, the Cold War and transatlantic relations.

Among the states, the history of which was affected by the Cold War can undoubtedly be ranked both Greece and Turkey. Their geostrategic singularity, accentuated by the outcomes of the World War II, caused that the "struggle" between the United States and the Soviet Union for influence in those countries had considerably contributed to a shift in the course of U.S. foreign policy towards the Soviet Union and to adopting an entirely new strategic concept which was to be called as the "strategy of containment". A number of quality books have already been dealing with the general characteristics of this strategy; however, historians have not turned enough attention - which is rather surprising - to its implementation in particular countries and territories. Therefore, an analysis of particular impacts of the strategy of containment on Greece and Turkey, as well as an evaluation of how successfully this approach of the United States towards both the countries worked, have become primary aims of my dissertation. The U.S. strategy of containment, which can be regarded as an example of the so called "grand strategy", had become a key factor of the U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War. The process of its coming into existence was complicated and cannot be marked off by one document or an event; its...