*Chapter 12: Cultural Geography of Europe

*Unit 1: Population

Patterns

Terms to Know

Ethnic group

Ethnic cleansing

Refugee

Urbanization

*Diversity in Europe

*More than 40 countries

*Peoples belong to many different cultural groups

*Speak variety of languages

*Due to centuries of :

*Migration

*cultural diffusion

*Conflict

*changing borders

*Ethnic Diversity

*Long history of migration

*Most descended from various Indo-European and Mediterranean peoples

*Settled continent centuries ago

*Population today includes recent immigrants from Asia, Africa and Caribbean

*Arrived within past 100 years

*Many immigrants come from areas formally ruled by European countries

*Ethnic Groups

*160 separate ethnic groups

*Groups of people with a shared ancestry, language, customs and often, religion

*Some have one major ethnic group

*Sweden – 89% population Swedes – descendants of Germanic/other groups settled Scandinavia

*Share common traits:

*Swedish language

*Lutheran religious heritage

*Ethnic Groups

*Other countries – two or more major ethnic groups

* i.e. Belgium – 2 leading ethnic groups: Flemings & Walloons

*Flemings:

*56% of population

*Related to Dutch

*Descended from Germanic groups

* Invaded area of present-day Belgium in 400s AD

*Walloons:

*32% of population

*Ancestors were Celts; lived in area during Germanic invasions

*Misc:

*Both Roman Catholic

*Language differences – led to bad relations between them

*But differences put aside to keep Belgium united

*Ethnic Tensions

*Tension among ethnic groups

*Led to armed conflict

*Balkan Peninsula: shatterbelt

*Region caught between external and internal rivalries

*1990s – Balkans battleground among Sebs, Croats, Bosnian Muslims and Kosovar Albanians

*After WW II – these groups and others in region called Yugoslavia

*Communist fell in 1990s – ethnic tensions erupted

*result? Yugoslavia broke up in separate independent republics

*Ethnic Tensions

*Ethnic hatreds sparked worst fighting in Europe since WW II

*Bosnia-Herzegovina & Kosovo (Serb-ruled) – centers of most brutal warfare

*Ethnic Cleansing policy – Serbs expelled or killed rival ethnic groups in area

*Result? Many became refugees

*People who flee to a foreign country for safety

*Refugees able to return after international peacemaking efforts

*Population Characteristics

*Europe - continent is smaller then all others (except Australia)

*3rd most populous continent (Asia & Africa)

*2001 – population 583 million (not including Russia)

*Germany – largest European country in population (82.2 million)

*Vatican City – smallest European in population (1,000)

*Population Density

*Europe – lots of people, not enough space

*Population density highest – except Asia

*If population distributed evenly – 256/square mile

*However – population not distributed evenly

*Most densely populated areas are urban centers

*Population Distribution

*Population distribution – related to physical geography

*Areas less populated: mountainous area and cold northern areas

*Plains area – more densely populated

*Share 1 or more features:

*Favorable climates

*Plains

*Fertile soil

*Mineral resources

*Inland waterways

*Urbanization

*Industrial Revolution – transformed Europe

*Rural, agricultural society urban, industrial society

*Rural villagers moved to urban areas, became factory workers

*Urbanization – concentration of population in town and cities

*Growth of industries & cities – began in western Europe (1700s)

*After WW II – spread to eastern Europe

*75% of Europeans live in cities today

*Paris and London – world’s largest urban areas

*Urban Features

*Population movements – occur all the time

*1800s – Europeans migrated to Americas, parts of Africa and South Pacific

*Mid-1900s – fewer leaving but more migrating into Europe

*1950s and 1960s – economy boom in western Europe

*Labor shortages – invited guest workers to fill available jobs

*1970s – economy slowed

*However, many immigrants had brought family and established home in host country

*Tensions rose – immigrants felt unwanted

*Governments began to limit further immigration

*Section 2:History & Government

*Early Peoples

*Evidence suggests that early humans lived in Europe more than 1 million years ago

*Moved from place to place in search of food

*6000 BC – farming spread from SW Asia to SE Europe

*With intro of farming – settled agricultural villages

*Later developed into Europe’s first cities

Terms to KnowCity-state Middle AgesFeudalism CrusadesRenaissance ReformationEnlightenment Industrial CapitalismCommunism ReparationsHolocaust Cold WarEuropean Union

*Ancient Greece & Rome

* Foundations of Europe – 2 civilizations in Mediterranean Sea:

* Ancient Greece & Rome

*Ancient Greece – peak 400 and 300 BC

*Due to mountainous landscape & proximity to sea

*Formed communities known as city-states

* Each independent – linked to others by language & culture

*Coast soon colonized by merchants & sailors

* Seeking relief from overcrowding and new wealth

*Laid foundations of European government and culture

* Athens – introduced democracy

*Women & enslaved – no vote

*Many had voice in government different than other centuries

*Other Greek fixtures left impression on world:Art Literature Drama

Philosophy Math Medicine

*Ancient Greece & Rome

*Rome – vast empire – peak during 27 BC and 180 AD

*Armies sent to conquer an empire that spanned:

*Much of Europe

*Some of SW Asia

*North Africa

*Imitated Greek art and literature

*Borrowed Greek science and architecture

*Roman developments: government, law and engineering

* Influenced other cultures

*Engineers – built large network of roads, bridges and aqueducts

*Artificial channels for carrying water

*Christian Europe

*Late 300s AD – Christianity became official religion of Roman Empire

*Later – world’s major religions

*Empire ruled by 2 emperors – 1 in eastern and other in western

*Developed into eastern & western Europe

*Each had own political, cultural and religious traditions

*400s – German groups from north overthrew Roman rule in western half and founded separate kingdoms

*Accepted western form of Christianity (aka Roman Catholicism)

*Eastern half – Byzantine Empire – capital Constantinople

*Developed own Christian civilization lasted to late 1400s

* b/c known as Eastern Orthodoxy

*Middle Ages

*After fall of Rome – western Europe entered Middle Ages (500 to 1500 AD)

*Period between ancient and modern ages

*Feudalism – system where monarch/lords gave land to nobles in return for pledges of loyalty

*Replaced centralized government

* Roman Catholic Church – brought Roman culture & government principles of law to Germanic peoples

*Religious centers (cathedrals, monasteries) – major centers of learning

*Eastern Europe – Byzantine Empire preserved ancient Greek and Roman cultures

*Spread ideals to Slavic peoples

*Middle Ages

*Cities and towns in western Europe – home to Jewish communities

*Contributed to European society

*Often persecuted b/c Christians saw Jews as outsiders

*Islam – another influence on Christian Europe

*Religion based on belief in one God and preaching's of Muhammad

* Prophet who lived in SW Asia in 600s

* Islam spread from SW Asia through North Africa into Spain and then Europe

*Expansion of Europe

*1000s – western Europeans fought in Crusades

*Series of brutal religious wars

*Goal: win Palestine (birthplace of Christianity) from Muslim rule

*Failed to win permanent control of area

*Did extend trade routes to eastern Mediterranean world

* Trade brought spice and other exotic products to Europe

*Sparked interest in some educated Europeans – began the Renaissance period (1300s)

*300 year period of discovery and learning which brought great advances to Europe

*The Renaissance

*During this time – educated Europeans developed new interest in cultures of ancient Greece and Rome

*Stressed importance of people and place in world

*Writers stressed human feelings

*Artists created life-like painting and sculptures

*Architects built religious structures, buildings (palaces/villas)

*Led to scientific advances

* i.e. invention of movable type in printing

*Spread new ideas quickly and easily

*The Renaissance

*Reformation – new religious movement spurred by production of books and pamphlets

*Lessened power of Roman Catholic Church

*Led to beginnings of Protestantism

*Mid-1500s – Protestant churches dominated n. Europe

*Roman Catholic Church retained hold on southern, central and northwestern parts of region

*Religious wars engulfed Europe

*European monarchs able to strengthen power over nobles and church leaders

*European Explorations

*Europe lagged behind Chinese and Muslim empires in economic development

*Late 1400s – western Europe emerged as significant force in world affairs

*Portugal – seafarers developed new trade routes around Africa and Asia

*Spain – rulers founded Columbus’ voyage to America

*Other countries sent out explorers – England, France and Netherlands

* Resulted in conquests of foreign lands

* Destroyed cultures already there

*Great wealth brought through trade with colonies in Americas, Asia and Africa

*Changing Europe

*Late 1600s to early 1700s – educated Europeans:

*emphasized importance of reason

*began to question long-standing traditions and values

*Known as Enlightenment

*Followed by political and economic revolutions

*Revolution

*Europeans wanted voice in government

*Began political revolution

*Late 1600s – English Parliament passed Bill of Rights

*Limited power of the monarch

*French Revolution (begin 1789) – overthrew French monarchy

*Spread idea of democracy

*1800s – uprisings in rest of Europe

*Challenged power of monarchs and nobles

*1900 – most European countries had constitutions

*Limited rulers’ powers & guaranteed some political rights to citizens

*Revolution

*Industrial Revolution begin in England

*Spread to other countries

*Power-driven machines & new production methods

*Transformed life in Europe

*New ideas developed:

* Industrial cities

* Improved transportation

*New forms of communication

*Industrial capitalism – economic system where business leaders use profits to expand companies

*Revolution

*New social groups emerged

*Middle class – merchants & factory owners

* prospered

*Working class – factory laborers

* At first paid poorly & lived in crowded, unhealthy conditions

*Social problems of mid 1800s led to:

*Communism – philosophy that called for society based on economic equality where workers controlled factories & industrial production

*End of 1800s – European governments passed laws to improve conditions for workers in workplace

*Also expanded education, housing and health care

*Conflict and Division

*Changes in Europe during 1st half of 1900s

*Due to two World Wars

*WWI – due to conflict among European powers for colonies & economic power

* Lasted 1914 to 1918

*Result: monarchies collapsed in Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia

*Central and eastern European countries won independence

*Versailles peace treaty (1919) – Germany guilty of starting war

*Germany had to make reparations (payment for damages)

*Conflict and Division

*WW II caused by:

*Large number of unresolved political problems from WW I

*Worldwide economic depression

*Dictators gained control of European countries

* Benito Mussolini – Italy

* Adolph Hitler – Germany

*Aggressive territorial expansion – WW II begin 1939

*Ended in 1945 – most of Europe and rest of world involved

*Holocaust – major horror of WW II in Europe

*Mass killing of more than 6 million European Jews and others by Nazis

*Conflict and Division

*WW II left Europe ruined & divided

*Eastern Europe – under communist control of Soviet Union

*Western Europe – backed democracy; received economic & military support from U.S.

*Cold War – brought about division of Europe

*Power struggle between communist world (Soviet Union) and non-communist world (United States)

*“hot point” of Cold War – divided Germany

*Cold War in Europe

*Allies victorious after WW II

*Divided Germany into four zones

*1949: 3 western zones of Germany combined West Germany

*Capital – Bonn

*Eastern zone occupied by Soviet Union

*Capital – East Berlin

*Many east Germans fled to West to escape communism

*1960s – East Germany built Berlin Wall to stop movement

*Cold War – western European democracies more productive and economically secure

*Eastern Europe – people had little voice in government or economy

*New Era for Europe

*1950s to 1980s – revolts against communist rule swept eastern Europe

*Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Romania and Bulgaria citizens demanded freedom and better way of life

*Early 1980s – Polish workers founded Solidarity, free labor union in communist world

*1989 – public demonstrations led to fall of eastern Europe’s communist governments

*Changes followed:

*Berlin World came down

*2 parts of Germany reunited (1990)

*Czechoslovakia split into 2 countries (1993)

*New Era for Europe

*Western Europe – changes also occurred

*1950s – countries banded together economically and politically

* Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and West Germany

*Movement toward unity – led to European Union (EU)

*Organization whose goal was a united Europe

*Goods, services, workers move freely among member countries

*Maastricht Treaty – signed in 1992

*Set goals for central bank & common currency

*1999 – new currency – Euro – replaced national currencies

*15 member countries – expand membership to include eastern European countries

*Section 3: Cultures and Lifestyles

*Europeans express values through:

*Language

*Religion

*Arts

Terms to KnowDialect Language Family

Good Friday Peace AgreementRomanticism RealismImpressionist Welfare State

*Languages

*Europe has 50 different languages – over 100 dialects

*Local forms of languages

*Almost all European languages belong to Indo-European language family

*Group of related languages developed from earlier language

*Major branches in Europe:

*Eastern Europe:

* Slavic languages: Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, Slovak, Ukrainian, Belorussian and Serbo-Croatian

* Baltic languages: Latvian and Lithuanian

*Northern Europe:

* Germanic languages: German, Dutch, English, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian

*Languages

*Romance languages: (come from Latin – language of Roman Empire) spoken in southern Europe

* Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Romanian

*Indo-European branches: Greek, Albanian and Celtic languages

*Non Indo-European language families:

*Uralic (Finnish, Estonian and Hungarian)

*Basque

*Countries – one or more official languages recognized by government

* i.e. – Romanian – official language of Romania, but Hungarian and Germany also spoken

*Religion

*Religion deeply shaped European values, societies and cultures

*Today – many not practicing members of religious body

*Still maintain cultural links to faiths of ancestors

* Esp. in celebrating religious holidays

*Mostly largely Christian heritage – some Muslim or diversity of faiths

*Majority of Europe – Roman Catholic

*Protestants – belong to Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed churches

*Eastern Orthodox – strong in southern part of eastern Europe

*Muslim – Albania, Bosnia-Herzogovina and Bulgaria

*Jewish communities – found in all major European cities

*Religion

*Religion unites some Europeans – divides others

*Hostility between Catholics and Protestants led to conflict in Northern Ireland

*Catholics wanted to be part of Catholic Republic of Ireland

*Protestants – favored keeping ties with United Kingdom

*1998 – Good Friday Peace Agreement

*Paved way for Protestant and Roman Catholic communities

*Share political power

*Situation still unstable

*Balkan Peninsula – 1990s – religions fought over land and political power in Bosnia-Herzegovina

*Eastern Orthodox Serbs fought Albanian Muslim majority in Kosovo, Serbia

*The Arts

*Arts of Europe reflect history and ideas/values of people

*Temples and churches show close relationship of religion & architecture

* i.e. Parthenon in Athens and Pantheon in Rome

*Examples of temples built by ancient Greeks and Romans

* Cathedral in Cordoba, Spain – now Catholic church – previously mosque built by North African Muslims

* Notre Dame Cathedral – Paris – Gothic architecture that flourished in western Europe

• 1500s and 1600s – artists and writers work with everyday subjects and religious themes

• Influenced by da Vinci and Michelangelo• Shakespeare wrote plays• Miguel de Cervantes (Spain) wrote Don Quixote

• Classic novel about landowner who imagines himself a knight called to perform heroic deeds

*The Arts

*1600s and 1700s

*New music emerged

* Opera and symphony

*1800s

*Reflected romanticism

* Focused on emotions, stirring historical events and exotic

* Eugene Delacroix (French painter)

* Sir Walter Scott (British writer)

* Ludwig van Beethoven (German composer)

*Mid-1800s – realism

*Artistic style that focused on accurately depicting details of everyday life

*Late 1800s – impressionists

*French painters who moved studio outdoors to capture immediate experiences (“impressions”) of the natural world

*1900s – variety of new forms and styles

*Abstract painting & sculpture

* Emphasized form and color over realistic content

*Modern art – Pablo Picasso (Spain)

*Bauhaus school of design (Germany) – clean geometric forms and use of glass and concrete in architecture

*Quality of Life

*Western Europe – higher standard of living

* Industrial and urban growth

*Eastern Europe – struggle with problems inherited from communist past

*Rebuilding economies damaged by warfare or internal unrest

*Gap in quality of life poses obstacle to full European unity

*Education

*World’s best educated

*Quality of education linked to economic performance

*High standard of living – afford to improve schools & provide specialized training to students

*Literacy rate above 90%*

* (except war-torn Balkan countries)

*Required schooling – varies from country to country

*Portugal – only 6 years

*United Kingdom – 12 years

*Schools provide preparation for either college or vocational training

*State Sponsored Human Services

*Complete social welfare programs for citizens

*Aka welfare states

*Tax-supported programs for higher education, health care and social security

*Sweden and United Kingdom

*Sweden – government provides most wide-ranging human services

*Every Swedish family receives allowance for each child under 16, for secondary or university students

*Single parents with low incomes – allowances for family vacations*How funded?

*Expensive for European governments

*Large portions of national budgets to provide social services

*Governments tighten budgets and limit human services

*Those most in need

*Cutback – opposed by trade unions and voters

*Homelife

*Pre-Industrial Revolution: extended families shared homes and resources

*Post-Industrial Revolution: more moved to cities, less extended families

*Women have entered workforce

*Families more mobile

*Family life still important in Europe

*Live revolves around extended family

*Young leave family home – still maintain close ties

*Sports & Recreation

*Soccer – major sport

*Rugby football – team sport

*UK, France, Ireland

*Tennis – recreation

*Wimbledon tennis tournament

*Sports – response to climate, landscape or culture

*Spain – bullfighting

*Netherlands – Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour)

* Dutch ice-skating marathon along frozen rivers and canals

*Winter sports popular

*Downhill skiing – Alpine regions

*Cross-country skiing – Scandinavia

* Ice-skating: Ukraine

*Celebrations

*Celebrate many of same religious holidays as others in world

*Celebrations marked with distinctive traditions

* Easter: Greeks - feast of roast lamb; Ukrainians – share decorated eggs (pysanky)

* Hanukkah: European Jews – potato pancakes (latkes)

* Ramadan: family feasting at end

* Catholics: local festivals to honor patron saints

*Other Holidays – mark change of seasons or patriotic events

* British Isles: Yule logs and mistletoe at winter solstice

* France: July 14th – Bastille Day – storming of French prison in 1789 that started French revolution

*Monarch’s Birthdays: Denmark and Netherlands celebrate birthdays of reigning monarch as national holiday

*Celebrations help Europe maintain cultural heritage