Europe: government and economy The political and financial processes in europe

Political boundaries

End of the Napoleonic wars Re-organization of Europe after Napoleonic Wars in 1815 Ambassadors of Europe met @ Congress of Vienna to balance the power of European countries in 1814-1815 Resized countries Balance each other

Rising powers Prussia (early Germany) and Britain became major powers Prussia given land good for industry Became industrial leader in 19th century Britain became economic and naval power with Royal Navy

nationalism New and significant movement after 1815 Rule by kingdoms and aristocrats faded in popularity Replaced by national feelings of shared ancestry and culture

Napoleon’s dying wish Napoleon died disgruntled that his dream of a free, peaceful, and unified Europe had never been achieved. Similar… Principles of government System of measurement Currency Legal code His idea remained – but took roughly 150 years to become a reality with the European Union of today

government

Influenced by culture Much like European culture, European government has no true singular form Countries have come together in the European Union under the motto “United in Diversity.”

Europe today Europe is comprised of 50 countries – including Russia Most popular form of government is a Parliamentary Democracy (representative democracy – like U.S.A.)

European union 28 countries belong to the European Union (E.U) political, legal, and economic union countries must meet requirements to join E.U. as it is today came into effect in 2002 Long and complicated history

European union Population of 513 million Common system of laws voted on by all member-states Has an internal single market shared by all member-states single currency product and price regulation 25% of Global profit Legal rulings can over-ride a member-state’s home laws

European union Uses its own system of citizenship similar to living in a state but being a U.S. citizen Free movement of people, goods, services, and capital

economy

European economy Europe – the continent – is the largest economy on Earth “Worth” about 5 trillion more than North America $5,000,000,000,000.00 more Germany, France, Russia, U.K. and Italy are in world’s top 10

European economy Western Europe is generally wealthier than Eastern Europe Many Eastern European countries are still recovering from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 Poor economies lead to poor living conditions which leads to difficulty in being approved to join the E.U.

European economy All European Union member states use the Euro currency € Countries that join the E.U. have to abandon their domestic currency Even if it is more valuable than the Euro The Euro has been stronger than the American dollar since it came into existence in 2002 On average: €1.00 = $1.14

European economy All European Union member states use the Euro currency € Countries that join the E.U. have to abandon their domestic currency Even if it is more valuable than the Euro The Euro has been stronger than the American dollar since it came into existence in 2002 On average: €1.00 = $1.14

European economy Europe still recovering from 2008 Great Recession (Global) 2010 some countries fell into economic crisis Greece, Ireland, Spain, Portugal Falls on other E.U. member-states to help them recover In 2012 unemployment rate reached an average of 16%