Chapter 12 The Cultural Geography of Europe

Chapter 12 The Cultural Geography of Europe - Study Guide for Apollo Team

Chapter 12 The Cultural Geography of Europe

Study Guide for Apollo Team

Chapter 12, Section 1

Terms to Know

ethnic group - People with a shared ancestry, language, customs, and often religion (page 288)

ethnic cleansing - The expelling of an ethnic group from a particular area (page 288)

refugee - Person who flees to a foreign country for safety (page 288)

urbanization - The concentration of populations in towns and cities (page 290)

Introduction (page 287) Europe is made up of more than 30 countries. The people in these countries belong to many different ethnic groups, and they speak many different languages. This diversity is due to migration, cultural diffusion, conflict, and changing borders.

1.  What is the cause of diversity in European countries?

Ethnic Diversity (page 287) Most Europeans are descended from Indo-European and Mediterranean

peoples who settled in Europe centuries ago. Today Europe’s population includes more recent immigrants from Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Many of these recent immigrants came from countries once ruled by Europeans.

Europe has more than 160 ethnic groups, or people who share an ancestry, a language, customs and, often a religion. Some countries have one major ethnic group. Others have two or more. In many cases these ethnic groups manage to keep their differences from causing conflicts. In other cases, tensions have caused violent conflicts. For example, when Yugoslavia broke up into separate republics in the early 1990s, several different ethnic groups began fighting. Serbian leaders followed a policy of ethnic cleansing. They expelled rival ethnic groups from Serb-controlled areas of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the province of Kosovo. Many people became refugees, or people who escape to a foreign country for safety.

In recent years Europeans have been working toward unity. They generally share common values, such as the importance of family and a commitment to democracy and a free market. Europeans also believe that government should provide people with social welfare and should regulate economies. These similarities help to make people in Europe think of themselves as Europeans as well as members of national or ethnic groups.

2.  Why are people who live in Europe able to think of themselves as Europeans?

Population Characteristics (page 289) Europe is the world’s second smallest continent in land area. However,

with a population of about 583 million, it is the third most populated continent. Europe’s population density is greater than all other continents except Asia. Europe’s urban centers are among the world’s most densely populated areas.

Like other parts of the world, Europe’s population is not evenly distributed. The population distribution is related to its physical geography. Mountainous areas are less populated than plains areas. Those areas of Europe that have higher than average population densities share the following features:

A.  They have favorable climates. B.  They are made up of plains. C.  They have fertile soil. D.  They have mineral resources. E.  They have inland waterways.

3.  What factor determines how Europe’s population is distributed?

Urbanization (page 289) The Industrial Revolution changed Europe from a rural to an urban society. Starting in the late 1700s, many rural farmers moved to cities to work in factories. This concentration of populations in cities is known as urbanization. More than three-fourths of Europe’s people live in cities. Like other world cities, European cities face the problems of overcrowding and pollution. However, these cities also combine old and new ways of life, with historical landmarks located next to new restaurants and shopping malls.

Migration has been a constant part of European life. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many Europeans moved to the Americas, Africa, and the South Pacific. In recent years few Europeans have moved permanently, but many foreigners have migrated to Europe. Many came for jobs that became available when Western Europe’s economic boom resulted in labor shortages. By the time the economy slowed down, many of these foreigners had moved their families to their new country. Tensions increased between the immigrants and local residents as they competed for jobs. European governments have tried to limit further immigration while protecting the rights of the immigrants. Europe’s overall population is decreasing. This is largely due to the low birthrates in several European countries and a larger aging population.

Chapter 12, Section 2

Terms to Know

city-states-  Separate, independent communities (page 295)

Middle Ages - The period between ancient and modern times (page 296)

feudalism-  A system in which lords gave land to other nobles in return for pledges of loyalty (page 296)

Crusades - A series of religious wars over control of Palestine (page 296)

Renaissance - A 300-year period of discovery, learning, and creative activity (page 296)

Reformation - A religious movement that lessened the power of the Roman Catholic Church (page 297) Enlightenment - A movement that emphasized the importance of reason and questioning traditions (page 297)

industrial capitalism An economic system in which profits are used to expand companies (page 297)

communism - A philosophy that called for a society in which workers would control industrial production (page 298)

reparations Payment for damages (page 298) Holocaust The mass killing of more than 6

million European Jews (page 298)

Cold War - A power struggle between the communist world and the noncommunist world (page 298)

European Union - An organization whose goal was a united Europe in which goods, services, and workers could move freely among member countries (page 300)

1.  How did European culture spread to other parts of the world?

The Rise of Europe (page 294) Europe’s physical geography has helped shape its history. Much of Europe

borders large bodies of water, allowing Europeans to move between regions. Mountain passes allow contacts between inland groups. Rivers and fertile land have encouraged settlement and led to conflicts.

Early humans lived in Europe more than a million years ago. Prehistoric Europeans moved from place to place. Then about 6000 B.C. they began to settle in villages to farm. Some of the villages grew into cities.

The civilizations of Greece and Rome influenced the development of government, arts, and sciences of the Western world. The mountainous Balkan landscape led the Greeks to form independent communities called city-states along the Mediterranean coast. Greek civilization reached its peak during the 400s to 300s B.C. The Roman Empire also developed along the Mediterranean coast. At its height of power between 27 B.C. and A.D. 180, the empire covered half of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia.

In the late 300s, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Also in the late 300s, the empire split in two. The eastern empire became known as Byzantium, and eastern Christianity developed into Eastern Orthodoxy. Western Christianity developed into Roman Catholicism.

After the fall of the Roman Empire in the late A.D. 300s, Western Europe entered a period called the Middle Ages, the time between ancient and modern times. From about 500 to 1500, feudalism—a system in which monarchs or lords gave land to nobles in return for pledges of loyalty—took the place of centralized government.

2.  Which ancient civilizations laid the foundation of Western Civilization?

Expansion of Europe (page 296) In the 1000s, western European armies fought in the Crusades. These were a series of religious wars to free Palestine, the birthplace of Christianity, from Muslim rule. Although Europeans failed to gain control of the area, they extended their trade to the eastern Mediterranean. The increased trade sparked a European interest in other parts of the world. Starting in the 1300s, the Renaissance—a 300-year period of learning and discovery—brought about a renewed interest in the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome.

It was also a time of scientific advances. A religious movement known as the Reformation led to the beginnings of Protestantism.  In the 1400s and 1500s, Spain, Portugal, England, France, and the Netherlands sent out expeditions of explorers. Their search for new trade routes to Asia resulted in the conquest of other lands and brought great wealth and power to Western Europe.

A Changing Europe (page 297) During the 1600s and 1700s, a movement known as the Enlightenment led educated Europeans to begin to question long-standing traditions and values. Desire for a voice in government led to political revolutions that challenged the power of monarchs. By 1900 most European countries had constitutions that limited rulers’ powers and gave some political rights to citizens.

During the same time the Industrial Revolution began in England and spread to other countries. Power-driven machinery transformed everyday life. These changes led to industrial capitalism, an economic system in which business leaders used profits to expand their companies. New social groups emerged: a middle class made up of merchants and factory owners, and a working class made up of factory workers. The middleclass grew wealthy. The working class, however, were poorly paid and lived in unhealthy conditions. These problems led to the birth of communism in the mid-1800s. This was a philosophy that called for a society based on economic equality. In this society, workers would control factories and industrial production. In 1917 the Russian revolution established a communist state called the Soviet Union.

In 1914, competition among European countries for colonies and economic power led to World War I. The Versailles peace treaty, which ended the war, required Germany to make payments to other countries for damages, or reparations.

After World War I, Italy’s leader, Benito Mussolini, and Germany’s leader, Adolf Hitler, began an aggressive territorial expansion. This aggression led to the start of World War II in 1939. The major horror of this war was the Holocaust, the mass killing of more than 6 million European Jews by Germany’s Nazi leaders.

When the war ended in 1945, most of Eastern Europe came under the control of the Soviet Union. Most of Western Europe received economic and military support from the United States. This division led to the Cold War—a power struggle between communist and noncommunist countries.

Over the next 40 years, the economies and standard of living of eastern European countries lagged behind those of western Europe. By 1989, communist governments there collapsed. In the 1990s, eastern European countries held free elections, formed new governments, and started market economies. By the 1990s, many western European nations formed the European Union (EU), an organization that called for a united Europe in which goods, services and workers could move freely among member countries.

Chapter 12, Section 3

Terms to Know

dialect-  Local forms of languages (page 302)

language family - A group of related languages that developed from an earlier language (page 303)

Good Friday Peace Agreement-  An agreement that allowed Protestant and Roman Catholic communities to share political power in Northern Ireland (page 304)

romanticism - Style of art that focused on the emotions, stirring historical events, and the exotic (page 305)

realism - Style of art that focused on the accurate depiction of everyday life (page 305)

impressionists A group of French painters who tried to capture immediate impressions of the natural world (page 305)

welfare state – A country that offers complete education, health care, and pension programs to their citizens (page 306)

Introduction (page 301) People in European countries have developed distinct ways of life. The physical environment in each country has helped to determine these ways of life. Although Europe is becoming more united politically and economically, each country still wants to keep its separate identity.

1.  What has helped to determine the way of life each European country has?

Expressions of Culture (page 301) Europeans, like people in other regions, express their values through the following ways:

A.  Language- There are about 50 different languages and more than 100 dialects, or local forms of languages, in Europe.  Almost all of Europe’s languages belong to the Indo-European language family, a group of related languages that started from an earlier language. Some of the major branches of the Indo-European language family are Slavic languages, such as Polish or Bulgarian; Germanic languages such as English or German; and Romance languages, such as French or Spanish.

B.  Religion Many European countries have a Christian heritage. Most Christians in Europe are Roman Catholics. Other Europeans are Eastern Orthodox, Protestants, Muslims, and Jews.  Although religion has united many Europeans, it has divided others. For example, conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland have raged for years. Roman Catholics there wanted to become part of the largely Catholic Ireland. Protestants wanted to keep ties with the mostly Protestant United Kingdom.  The Good Friday Peace Agreement, signed in 1998, allowed Protestant and Roman Catholic communities to share political power.

C.  The Arts The art of Europe has influenced cultures around the world. Europe’s temples and churches show the link between religion and architecture. During the 1500s and 1600s, European artists and writers began to deal with everyday subjects. New music forms, such as the opera and the symphony, started in the 1600s and 1700s. In the 1800s, European artists produced works that reflected the style of romanticism. This style focused on nature and the emotions. During the mid-1800s realism became the leading artistic style. Realism is a style that accurately depicts everyday life. In the late 1800s, a group of French painters called impressionists moved outdoors from their studios to capture immediate “impressions” of the natural world. During the 1900s, abstract painting and sculpture became popular. Abstract art expresses form and color rather than content.

What did impressionists attempt to do in their paintings?

Quality of Life (page 305) Most western Europeans enjoy a higher economic standard of living than southern and eastern Europeans. The differences are partly due to the fact that many eastern European countries are still dealing with problems they had during communist rule. Some of these countries have also experienced warfare and unrest. The difference in the standard of living among various European countries has become a barrier to European unity.

Education is an important value for Europeans. Europeans are among the best-educated people in the world. Most European countries have literacy rates above 90 percent.

Some European countries provide their citizens with complete social welfare programs. These countries are called welfare states. They have tax-supported programs for higher education, health care, and social security. Paying for social programs is expensive for the European governments. In recent years, governments had to tighten their budgets and cut back on some of the social programs.

3.  Why do people in Western Europe generally enjoy a higher standard of living than people in eastern Europe?

Lifestyles (page 306) Cultural and economic differences within Europe have produced a variety of lifestyles. In recent years, technological advances have lessened the differences. Today, as in the past, the family is the center of life in most European cultures. Although family members are more mobile than ever before, they still attempt to keep close family ties.

The main sport in Europe is soccer. Other popular sports include rugby and tennis. In the Alpine regions, downhill skiing is popular, while cross-country skiing is popular in the Scandinavian countries.

Europeans celebrate some of the same holidays that people in other regions do. However, they celebrate them with their own unique traditions. Many holidays are linked to religious celebrations. Some European holidays, however, celebrate patriotic events.