Efterkrigstiden

Efterkrigstiden is a term used in Nordic languages to denote the period after major wars, most often after World War II. The exact span varies by country, but it generally covers the late 1940s through the 1960s or 1970s. The era is defined by reconstruction, demobilization, and political and social transformation.

Reconstruction involved rebuilding infrastructure, industry, and housing, aided by international programs such as the Marshall Plan in Western Europe. Economies shifted from wartime to peacetime production, leading to sustained growth in many countries. Governments expanded welfare provisions, universal health care and education, labor rights, and social protection, contributing to the rise of modern welfare states. Demographic changes, urbanization, and increased mobility reshaped societies, as did greater participation of women in the workforce and changes in family life.

Internationally, efterkrigstiden was framed by the Cold War, decolonization, and international institutions like the United Nations and Bretton Woods system. Economic and political ties fostered regional integration in Western Europe, while different trajectories operated in Eastern Europe under Soviet influence. Collective memory of the war also shaped national identities and commemorations, with trials of crimes and efforts toward reconciliation.

In Nordic history, the era is often linked to consensus politics, rapid economic growth, and the expansion of universal welfare. The end of the period is not fixed but typically associated with shifts in the late 1960s to 1970s, when growth slowed and social and political life became more pluralistic.