Chapter13EasternEurope&WesternRussia:

Recoveringfromwar,communism,genocide,and“unfortunategeography”

(Pg.393-420)

Lesson1:PhysicalGeographyofEasternEurope&WesternRussia

Pg.396-401

Landforms&WaterwaysofE.Europe&W.Russia

• Thisregioniscoveredmostlybyfertileplainsorsteppe (flat,drierland),surroundedbyuplands(highelevation)andseas.

o Veryfewnaturalbordersinthenorthtopreventmovement

• ThemainseasaretheBaltic,Adriatic,Ionian,Black,andCaspian.

Poland:“Ifyoucannotpreventyourenemiesfromswallowingyou,atleastpreventthemfrom

digestingyou.”• BeinglocatedinEasternEuropepresentsbenefitsandchallenges:o Good:o Bad:

Climates • Liesinthemiddlelatitudes&northintotheArcticCircleo North– Subarctic

§ Long,coldwintersandshort,coolsummers.

o Central- Humidcontinentalclimate§ warm,rainysummers&cold,snowywinters

o South(Albania&Macedonia)- Mediterraneanclimate§ hot,drysummersandmild,rainywinters

• ManyportsontheBalticSea&PacificOceanarefrozenduringpartoftheyearo ColdesttemperatureinRussia:-94°F

NaturalResources

• AlthoughRussiaisthelargestcountryintheworld,onlyone-sixthofitslandissuitableforagriculture.

• Morethanone-fifthoftheworld'sforestsareinRussia,butthecountry'sclimatecausestreestogrowslowly.

• Russia,Poland,andRomaniahavevastnaturalresources.

Lesson2:HistoryofEasternEuropeandWesternRussia

Pg.402-409

EarlyHistory• TimePeriod:AD400-1600• Government:– earlycivilizationsfoundedbySlavs– themostcommonethnicgroupintheregiontoday• Largestgroup- Kievan Rus,basedinKiev(inpresent-dayUkraine)

• Economy:– agriculture

• DailyLife:– invadedbytheMongolsin1200s– Christianity(EasternOrthodox)wasbroughttotheregion

CzaristRussia• TimePeriod:1533-1917• Government:

– powerfulRussianczars (kings)thattookovermuchofEasternEurope• IvantheTerrible- 1st czarofRussiain1533• PetertheGreat– modernizedinthelate1600s• CatherinetheGreat– expanded&modernizedinthe

1700s

• Economy:– poorserfs (farmlaborerswhoweretiedtoland

likeslaves)workedonlandownedbytherich

• DailyLife:– 1812 invasionbyFranceandNapoleonBonaparte– greatwealthforczars&nobles,crushingpoverty

formostothers– WorldWarIledtoincreasedmiseryforpoor

Russians,sotheyoverthrewtheczar

TheCommunistSovietUnion• TimePeriod:1917-1991• Government:– theSovietUnion- 15republicsunderthecontrolofaCommunistpartyledbydictators• VladimirLenin– founderoftheSovietUnion• JosephStalin– crueldictatorthatindustrialized&modernizedthecountry

• MikhailGorbachev– allowedsocial&economicreformsthatledtothefalloftheUnion

• Economy:– communist – governmentownseverything,socollectivized agriculture&developedheavyindustry,butspentmostmoneyonweapons

TheCommunistSovietUnion

• DailyLife:– noreligionorfreespeechallowed– participationinWWIIresultedin20milliondeaths– ColdWartensionandnucleararmsracewiththeUSA

– resistancetoSovietcontrolbyEasternEuropeancountries

Post-Communist EasternEurope&Russia• TimePeriod:1991-present• Government:– democraticconstitutionswereadoptedinallofthe15republics&presidentshavebeenelected• Russia:BorisYeltsin(1st)&VladimirPutin(current)

• Economy:– capitalist,butstrugglingtoconverttolightindustry(consumergoods)

• DailyLife:– shortagesofsupplies,utilities&jobs– adistrustofRussiafromEasternEurope– conflict,bloodshed,andthedivisionofYugoslaviaintheBalkanPeninsula