History and Culture of Europe
 The
political and
cultural differences
in Europe today
were affected by
events dating back
to the ancient
Roman Empire.
Roman Empire (pg. 290)
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Started around 753 BC by Romulus
Conquered surrounding regions until it reached it’s
greatest expanse around 117 AD
The northern
and eastern
European
borders were
set at the Rhine
and Danube
Rivers (why?)
(p. 290)
Roman Empire
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Around 330 AD, Emperor Constantine moved the
Roman government to the city of Byzantium on the
Bosporus Strait (later named Constantinople).
Because of it’s location, this city controlled most
trade between Asia, Africa and Europe. This
brought wealth to the east, and reduced influence of
Rome.
Division of the Roman Empire
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The empire became too big to control from Rome,
so, in 395 AD, Emperor Diocletian divided the
empire into
a Greek
speaking
east and
Latin
speaking
west.
Division of the Christian church
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This division would later lead to the split in
Christianity with the Catholic (west) and Orthodox
(east) Churches.
Catholic churches followed the leadership
of the Pope in Rome and used Latin as
the “official” language.
Orthodox churches established local
leadership and used local language
Fall of the Roman Empire
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Because of political division, the western half of the
Roman Empire became weak, and was invaded by
“Germanic tribes” from just outside the Empire.
This led to
Rome being
conquered
by Vandal
tribes in
476 AD.
(“vandalize”)
European Languages (pg. 290)

This explains the division between the three major
language families of Europe:
“Germanic” – German, Dutch,
English in northern Europe
 “Romance”: Italian, French,
Privet
Hello
Guten
Portuguese, and Spanish in
Tag Witaj
Bonjour
western Europe
 “Slavic” – Polish, Czech,
Ciào
Hola
Ukranian, Slovak in eastern
Europe

Middle Ages – a “Dark” time
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For the next 1000 years, society in western Europe
broke down into small, hostile, separate kingdoms.
Learning, science, and technology stopped.
The one unifying
force remaining was
the Catholic church,
led by increasingly
politically strong
Popes.
Muslim Expansion into Iberia
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In 711 AD, Muslim from north Africa (called
“Moors”) crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and
conquered most of the Iberian Peninsula
Expansion was stopped at the Pyrenees mountains
(physical boundary) by Frankish (French) troops.
The “occupation”
lasted until they were
defeated by the army
of Isabella and
Ferdinand (Spain)
in 1492.
The Crusades
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From 1096 to 1291, Catholic Popes in Rome order a
series of “Crusades” in an effort to retake the “Holy
Land” (Jerusalem) from the Muslims, and to unite
the warring kingdoms of Europe against a common
enemy (Islam).
It didn’t work
(10+ tries).
It did lead
to increased
trade between
Italy and Asia.
Eastern Roman Empire
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The Byzantine Empire, centered in Constantinople,
focused on trade throughout the Balkan Peninsula.
Traveling traders, and mountainous terrain resulted
in many ethnic groups developing close together.
Ottoman Empire
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The eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) lost
influence with the rise of Islam in Turkey and in
1299, the Ottoman Empire was established.
It spread through
eastern Europe
and lasted until
after World War I
(more later…)
Trade leads to Plague (pg. 294)
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From 1347 to 1352, increased trade from Asia led
to the spread of “Black Plague”
Fleas on “pack rats” in land-based cargo carried
this disease to trade hubs, then it spread to humans.
Spread to/from trade ports
“Ring around the rosy (cheeks)
Pocket full of posies (smell)
Ashes, ashes, (dead burned)
We all fall down” (1/3 of
Eur. pop. died – 25 million)
Whos Hungry!!!
Trade leads to “Rebirth”
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Starting around 1350, the Renaissance began in
Italian city-states like Venice, Genoa and Milan.
Rich families would pay (“patronize”) talented artists
to create works of art to show off their wealth.
Famous artists include daVinci
and Michaelangelo
Started a period of study
in science and nature,
and a time of invention
European Religion
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Inventions like the printing press (1455, Gutenberg)
allowed for widespread learning and knowledge
This led to questioning of the Catholic Church’s
authority
1517 – Martin Luther
protests Catholic church
Protestant
practices (95 Theses)
This starts the
Catholic
Orthodox
Protestant Reformation
in Germany
Muslim
Age of Exploration
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New navigation technology (new sail design,
compass from China, astrolabe) and expensive
goods from Asia encourage ocean exploration
1490’s  1500’s - Spain and Portugal in C/S Amer.
1600’s  1700’s - England and France in N. Amer.
Not all countries were involved:
 Germany – Atlantic access blocked by England
 Italy – focused on Mediterranean trade
Age of Empires
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(W=P)
Desires to have more (resources, space, control)
than other countries led to taking control of land to
benefit the “mother land”
Spain – Central and South America, Philippines
England – North America, Caribbean, Australia,
India, Hong Kong, Africa (“sun never set” pg. 304)
France – North America, Vietnam, Africa
Not all countries had “productive” colonies, some
were just empty land (see pg. 404 and 419)
Wealth = Phys. Res. ( “I have more than you!!)
Age of Revolution (Industrial) (W=Pt)
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Industrial Revolution begins in 1780’s England
 Coal + iron = steel
 Steel + oil = machinery
Countries now realized that more
technology can also build wealth
Wealth = Physical resources technology
Increased manufacturing and weapons
leads to nations taking more colonies
(Conference of Berlin 1885)
Age of Revolution (Political)
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Kings abused their absolute power
This led to many independence movements in
European colonies
1776 - United States breaks from England
 1789 – France beheads Louis XVI, Napoleon gets power
 1820’s – Central and South American colonies break away
from Spain and Portugal
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Nationalism and Conflict
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During the 1800’s and 1900’s, fear of other cultures
created fear of other nations
Strong sense of national pride led to intense rivalries
Countries form alliances with others of similar
culture, economies,
governments, or
common enemies
“The enemy of my
enemy is my friend”
World War I (1914-1918)
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Due to alliances throughout Europe, one localized
event resulted in widespread declarations of war.
Austria blamed Serbia for the death of their prince...
Central Powers – Austria,
Ottoman Emp., Germany
Allies – Serbia, Russia,
France, England, Italy
Ger. invaded Fr. through
neutral (and flat) Belgium
Allies win
After the “War to end all wars”
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As punishment for losing the war, all Central
powers lost land (resources)….
Poland created as a “buffer zone” between
Germany and Russia
Germany lost Alsace
region (coal and iron)
Ottoman Empire and
Austria-Hungary broken
into separate, ethnically
“pure” countries,
except Yugoslavia (p. 322)
World War II (1939-1945)
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Germans and Italians, unhappy with post-war govt.,
choose radical new leaders, Hitler and Mussolini
Hitler invaded Poland in 1939 to “reclaim lost land”
Allies did nothing at first
Germany invaded France
through Belgium, AGAIN
Allies – England, France,
United States
Axis Powers – Germany,
Italy, Austria, Hungary
Russia “neutral” until…
End of /After World War II (p. 312)
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Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, the U.S.S.R. joined
Allies and forced Germany back
After the war, U.S.S.R. kept control of occupied land
Allies divide Germany into E/W Germany
“Berlin Wall” split capital
This began 50 years of
Communist control
over Eastern Europe
Led to heavy pollution
and poor development
European Union (pg. 326)
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France and Germany were tired of fighting over
resources, so they decided to SHARE resources
ECSC established (1951) to control coal/iron use
EC (1967) joined by countries for access to trade
EU (1993) started as a
Europe “free trade zone”
In 2000, EU most
countries start
using a common
currency (Euro)
Ethnic conflict in the Balkans (p. 322)
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After the fall of Communism, Yugoslavia fractured
into 6 mostly ethnically pure countries
Areas of multiple cultures experienced “ethnic
cleansing” where one group kills only one other
group to “cleanse”
the area of “outsiders”
Worst cases were in
Bosnia /Herzegovina
and Kosovo
Region still
experiencing tension