With the end of the Cold War, Europe stands at the crossroads. Today's quest is for a new security order which will provide lasting stability. After the First World War, and again after the Second World War the Western European states faced a similar problem. Many of our present problems have historical roots. The book examines the security policies developed after each of the two world wars. It asks what ideas shaped them and what difficulties they faced. Continuities and discontinuities are traced. Particular attention is paid to the question of how Western Europe achieved a new stability in the 1950s. This volumes brings together the work of twenty historians from eight countries. It deals with foreign policy, political and economic challenges, the impact of new military technologies and strategies, and the aims of the peace movement and the trade unions.