ABSTRACT
The revolutions in Eastern Europe and the magnetic attraction of the Western European model for the nascent democracies serve to underline the relative success of Western Europe in re-establishing economic prosperity and a social equilibrium after the war. Remarkable economic prosperity during the first two decades after the war and the development of strong, albeit diverse, welfare states, have engendered considerable political stability. The Western European welfare state revolves around the notion that all citizens have a right to benefit from the material wealth created by economic growth, and that those who fail to benefit must be protected by redistributive social welfare policies.
