Western Europe
I.) A History of Cultural Division
France and Germany are dominant countries in western Europe, french culture is strong in France and Monaco, German culture in Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein. Switzerland, Netherlands, benelux countries of Belgium, and Luxembourg have their own cultures with influences from both France and Germany
A.) Rome to Charlemagne
1.) Roman Empire conquered the Celtic tribes in now France by 50BC
2.) French is one of the romance languages evolved from Latin
3.) In the 700s Charlemagne, a germanic king, conquered most of the region
4.) the empire fell apart after his death
B.) The Reformation
1.) the reformation is a religion movement (1517) where people started to question the authority of the church
2.) many christians started separating form the church
3.) hostility between catholic and protestant fight religious wars that tore Europe apart
4.) France is mostly catholic, Netherlands Switzerland, and Germany contain both protestants and catholics. In Germany, protestants mainly in the north, catholics mainly in the south
II.) The Rise of Nation-States
In the middle ages, europeans gradually developed the nation-state, an independent nation of people with a common culture
A.) Nationalism
1.) after Rome fell feudalism, a political system in which powerful lords owned most of the land, gradually developed in Europe
2.) Over time, strong kings gained power over feudal lords and nationalism evolved,
nationalism is the belief the people should be loyal to their nation
3.) nationalism led to modern nation-states
4.) France was one of the first nation-states, 1st king held absolute power, in 1789 the people rebelled during the French revolution. Later Napolean seized power and tried to conquer Europe
5.) from 1600s - 1945 wars frequently broke out among nation-states of Europe particularly France and Austria, and France and Germany States
6.) Germany united in 1872
7.) industrialism in the 1800s caused European nations to set up colonies in other lands in order to gain raw materials
B.) Modern Conflicts
1.) competition for colonies among European nations caused WWI
2.) the harsh terms imposed on Germany after the war and the resentment felt due to those terms led to WWII
3.) During WWII Germany was led by Hilter and the Nazi Party
4.) the Nazis carried out the holocaust: a mass murder of 2/3 of the Jews population in Europe and several other minorities
5.) after the war Germany was split into two, west Germany was noncommunist and east Germany was controlled by the soviet union
6.) In 1989 the Berlin Wall fell and Germany reunited under a democratic government
7.) To end the rivalry between them, Germany and France became leaders in establishing the European Union
III.) Economics: Diversity and Luxury
Region's economy remains strong due to agriculture, manufacturing, high-tech and service industries.
A.) Agriculture to High-Tech
1.) dairy farming and livestock provide most agricultural income in Belgium, France, Netherlands, and Switzerland
2.) France is the largest producer of agricultural products in Western Europe
3.) France, Germany, and the Netherlands are three of Europe's top manufacturing nations
4.) Germany and the Netherlands are important producers of electrics
5.) Germany also produces scientific equipment
6.) France has one of the fastest passage trains in the world, as well a space program and nuclear energy (80% of its energy is produced by nuclear power plants)]
7.) Switzerland specializes in banking industry
B.) Tourism and Luxury
1.) due to scenery, climate, and historic cities, tourism in Western Europe is popular and an important part of French, Swiss, and Austrian economy
2.) Western Europe also exports luxury goods: German cars, Swiss watches, high fashion clothes from France, and flower bulbs from the Netherlands
IV.) Great Music and Art
A.) Music
1.) German and Austria are famous for music
2.) some German musicians/composers include Back and Beethoven
3.) Austrian composers include Mozart
B.) Painting
1.) France and the Netherlands have had many important painters
2.) Jan Van Eyck perfected the use of oil painting
3.) Jan Vermeer and Rembrandt were dutch who painted with great realism
4.) French painters include impressionist Claude Monet and postimpressionists Paul Cezanne and Paul Gauguin
V.) Modern Life
A.) City Life
1.) good public transportation systems, lower crime rates then the USA
2.) as a rule, Europeans live in smaller than Americans, so they socialize a lot in public places
3.) Europeans get more paid vacation time (about 30 days a year in Germany) than Americans
B.) Recent Conflicts
1.) immigration has been a source of conflict
2.) in the 1980s "guest workers" form Yugoslavia and Turkey came to west Germany looking for jobs
3.) then the economy declined, many angry citizens were discriminate and violent to the immigrants
4.) Austria has also faced tension
5.) political leader Joerg Haider made controversial remarks that defended former Nazis and that immigrants found insulting
6.) many feared the rebirth of racism, so in 2000 Haider had to reign as party head, though he remained a force in the Austrian public life
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