europe's history & geography

EUROPE’S GEOGRAPHY& HISTORY

CHAPTER 9-10

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY• Europe is a “peninsula of peninsulas”:

– Scandinanivan Peninsula– Iberian Peninsula– Balkan Peninsula– Italian Peninsula (“the boot”)

• It also contains many important islands:– Great Britain– Ireland– Greenland (technically North America, but it belongs to

Denmark)– Sicily– Corsica

Europe’s Climates• Most of Europe lies within the humid temperate

climate region• The North Atlantic Drift, a warm ocean current, keeps

temperatures mild• A Mediterranean climate brings mild, rainy winters and

hot, dry summer to land around the Mediterranean Sea• Eastern Europe has a humid continental climate with

long cold winters (like Nebraska!)• Iceland, Greenland, and northern Scandinavia have a

polar climate

A LONG COASTLINE• Europe has more than 24,000 miles of coastline!

(25 miles/day = 4 years!)• Easy water access makes trade easier and has led

to industries such as fishing being important• Towns grew up around bays where ships regularly

docked to trade– Bays: Water surrounded on three sides by land

• In Norway, the deep and narrow bays called fjords were harder to settle, and so attracted future people

Scandinavia’s Fjords

A LONG COASTLINE• In the Netherlands, people developed a way to

push back the sea by building giant walls called dikes to create polders, or low-lying farms

• The Netherlands has more than 3,000 miles of rivers and canals

MOUNTAINS, RIVERS & PLAINS• Mountain chains of Europe:

– Alps– Pyrenees– Apennines– Carpathians

• Important rivers:– Danube River – passes through 10 countries– Rhine River – passes through Switzerland and into Germany

• Many of these rivers cross the Northern European Plain– Stretches across France, Belgium, Germany, and Poland– An area especially good for farming– Contains many of the largest cities, such as Paris

Danube River

ROOTS OF DEMOCRACY

• Democracy was born in Athens, Greece• Over the years, Greek culture was spread by

various rulers, especially Alexander the Great• Greek archeology and philosophy impacted

other civilizations, like Rome

ROME: REPUBLIC & EMPIRE• In Rome, a republic formed, which is a type of

government in which the people elect officials who govern according to the law

• Eventually Rome became an empire that spread from Northern Africa all the way north to Spain and Great Britain

• It was the most powerful empire on earth for about 500 years, until German barbarians began attacking in A.D. 235

• Around 330, Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of Rome

• In 395, the Empire was divided into East and West, and the Western Empire was overthrown in 476 A.D.

THE MIDDLE AGES• In the Middle Ages, from 500 to 1500, Europe

consisted mostly of numerous kingdoms• In 1054, Christianity split into two:

– Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe– Eastern Orthodox Church in Eastern Europe

• The church was at the center of life in the Middle Ages – collecting taxes, making laws, and waging war, including the Crusades– Crusades: Holy wars to take back the “Holy Land” of

Palestine (today’s Israel) from Muslim control

THE MIDDLE AGES• During the Middle Ages, the kingdoms of

Europe lived according to feudal system, with serfs or peasants at the bottom

• In time, the growth of towns helped end the feudal system

• In 1347, the onset of the Black Plague killed millions and also upset the feudal system

• Farmers left the country to seek higher-paying jobs in town

RENAISSANCE & REFORMATION• The Renaissance was rebirth of art and

learning that began in the 1300s• It was helped by the work of artists like

Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael• Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing

press, which helped the spread of books and ideas, as well as the Reformation

RENAISSANCE & REFORMATION

• Led by Martin Luther, the Reformation was a break in the Roman Catholic Church that led some to try to “reform” the church

• Eventually, many left to become Protestants, and “protest” things they did not like in the church

• In 1415, Portugal began sending out sailors around Africa, seeking new trade routes

• This began the Age of Exploration• Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa to Asia• Christopher Columbus said to the Americas (he

was looking for Asia too!)• Jacques Cartier sailed to Canada• Sir Francis Drake sailed around the world in 1577

EXPLORATION & COLONIZATION

EXPLORATION & COLONIZATION• Exploration led to the establishment of colonies,

or areas controlled by a distant country• Most countries began colonizing in the

Americas, but soon moved on to Asia and Africa• Colonization brought a new sharing of goods

and ideas known as the Columbian Exchange• It also killed millions of natives in the colonies

through the European introduction of diseases like smallpox

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION• In the 1700s, industry began to change with

the invention of the steam engine• This made factories possible, as well as

railways• Cities began to grow rapidly and standards of

living rose for many• However, workers faced tough conditions and

child labor was common

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION• In 1789, inspired by the American revolution,

the French rebelled against their king• Their attempt to form a democracy was short-

lived, and radicals took over, killing an estimated 40,000 people by guillotine

• After five years of violence, a young general named Napoleon Bonaparte saw his chance and overthrew the French government

• His attempt to create an empire was not stopped until 1815.

NATIONALISM & WORLD WAR I• Eventually, nationalism, or a strong sense of loyalty

to one’s country, led people to begin unifying their small kingdoms into nations

• In 1870, Italy unified, and in 1871, Germany followed suit.

• Countries competed for natural resources and colonies, and formed alliances, or agreements to work towards common goals– Triple Entente – Britain, France, and Russia– Central Powers – German and Austro-Hungarian Empires

NATIONALISM & WORLD WAR I

• In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated in Serbia.

• Within weeks, much of Europe was at war.• The war lasted from 1914 to 1918

• 32 nations total were involved• Germany was emerging as a world power

WORLD WAR I:MAJOR COUNTRIES INVOLVED

Allies:• Great Britain• France• Soviet Union (Russia)• Italy• U.S.

Central Powers:• Germany• Austria-Hungary• Turkey• Bulgaria

WWI: TECHNOLOGY• Both sides used deadly

new technology, including • Machine guns• Tanks• Airplanes• Poison gas• U-boats, or submarines

WORLD WAR I: TRENCH WARFARE

• Both sides fought from trenches, or long ditches that protected soldiers from enemy fire

• Approximately 200,000 men died in the trenches

WORLD WAR I: TRENCH WARFARE

WORLD WAR I: WAR TO END ALL WARS?• In 1917, two key things happened:

– Russia fell to the Communists, made peace with Germany, and dropped out of the war

– The United States entered the war on the side of France and Britain

• In 1918, Germany surrendered to France, Britain and the U.S.

• The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, angering and humiliating Germany

• New countries were also formed: Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Turkey

WWI: BEFORE & AFTER

IT’S PRIMARY TUESDAY!

Today we will:Vote!

Look at presentation requirements!Discuss WWII and the Cold War!

WORLD WAR II• After WWI, Germany was forced to pay

reparations, or money to cover victors’ losses• The economic depression caused led to Adolf

Hitler rising to power in Germany– Hitler promised to make Germany great again– Germany allied with Italy and also Japan

• In 1939, Germany invaded Poland– France & Great Britain, who were allies of Poland,

declared war– Germany quickly conquered most of Europe, including

France

WWII: COUNTRIES INVOLVED

Allies• Great Britain• France• U.S.• Soviet Union (Russia)

Axis• Germany• Japan• Italy

Nazi Germany under Hitler

WORLD WAR II: PEARL HARBOR• In 1941, Japan attacked the U.S. at Pearl

Harbor in Hawaii• The U.S. declared war on Japan, and then on

its allies Italy and Germany, and entered the war in 1941

353 Japanese Planes

Pearl Harbor, HawaiiDecember 7th, 1941

U.S.S. Arizona

WORLD WAR II: THE HOLOCAUST• On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered and

Adolf Hitler committed suicide• The Allies were stunned to find concentration

camps where 6 million Jews and others were murdered, victims of genocide, or the deliberate killing of a large group of people

• This mass slaughter was called the Holocaust, or the systematic mass murder of a large group of people.

Jewish Ghettos

Auschwitz-Birkenau

WORLD WAR II: ATOMIC BOMBS• Japan fought on until United States dropped

atomic bombs on the Japan• President Harry S. Truman authorized the

action– “Little Boy” on Hiroshima on August 6th 1945– “Fat Man” on Nagasaki on August 9th 1945

• Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945

BEFORE THE BOMB

Hiroshima

Nagasaki

IWO JIMA

THE COLD WAR• After WWII, the Soviet Union established

communist governments in eastern Europe• Germany was divided into two halves:

– East Germany = communist– West Germany = democratic

• An imaginary boundary between the democratic western countries and the communist eastern countries was called the Iron Curtain

• This was the beginning of the Cold War, a period of high tension between the U.S. and Soviet Union

To defend against possible attack, the U.S. and its allies formed NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (green).

The Soviet Union and its allies formed the Warsaw Pact (red).

Some nations, like Switzerland, chose to remain neutral during the Cold War.

THE FALL OF COMMUNISM• In the 1980s, many eastern European

countries overthrew their communist governments

• In 1991, the Soviet Union broke up, freeing many more countries it had taken over

• The Cold War ended, and democracy replaced communism in most of Europe

GERMANY & BERLIN DIVIDED

GERMANY & BERLIN DIVIDED

Built: 1961Came Down: 1989

THE BERLIN WALL

Approximately 96 Miles in Length

5,000 Attempts = 100-200 Deaths

A Walk Through Time

THE EUROPEAN UNION• Since WWII, some European countries have worked

together to form a single market• Single market = a group of countries that trade without

restrictions or fees at borders• In 1992, the European Union was created to unify the

economies of its member countries• It has a government and makes laws about economic policy• It also created a new currency, called the euro• To join, countries must have stable democratic government

and respect human rights

ANY QUESTIONS?