Eastern Europe Pages

Vocabulary Entrepreneur – People who organize and run their own businesses. Secede – Break away. Ethnic Cleansing – Groups that try to gain complete control of an area by forcing out other ethnic groups.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Eastern Europe is a region of both mountains and plains. North European Plain Great Hungarian Plain Carpathian Mts. Balkan Peninsula Black Sea Balkan Sea Danube River

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Most farms and cities of this region are on the North European Plain. The landforms of the Northern Region were created by glaciers during the ice age. The glaciers scraped the ground and picked up rocks and soil. The could dig 2 miles deep into the earth. When the glaciers melted they deposited the rocks and soil making hills and ridges. Also the deep pits that the glaciers had dug became lakes. The Southern Region of Eastern Europe is full of deep valleys and steep mountains.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas The climate varies primarily between the northern and southern parts of the region. Latitude is the most important factor in determining climate.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas The northern part of Eastern Europe has the Continental Cool Summer climate. This means they have cold winters and mild summers. The further north you travel though the harsher the winters will be.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas The southern part of Eastern Europe has Mediterranean climates and Subtropical climates. This means that they have hot, dry summers and wet, rainy winters. Also, during dry months in the southern climates the snow from the mountains will melt and flow down the mountains.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Hills and Mountains affect the precipitation in Eastern Europe. Warm air can hold more moisture. So when the air moves higher over the mountains it cools and releases the moisture in the form of precipitation. This is where we get the term rain shadow from.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Agriculture of Eastern Europe: – North European Plain has a shorter growing season than the southern area of this region. – Mechanized Farming is easy on the flat plains. – Wheat and Rye are the common crops. They grow well in the cool region and can be harvested with machines. – In the southern region it is mountainous so machines can not be used. Crops like citrus fruits, olives, and grapes grow well in this warm climate.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Natural Resources are also affected by physical geography. Industry develops near the natural resources. Iron Ore and Coal are found in Eastern Europe; however, oil and gas are not abundant.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas A need for fuel has created some serious issues for this region. – Some countries are dependent upon other countries for fuels. – Other regions have suffered serious environmental problems related to this problem.

Acid Rain in Eastern Europe Section 1: Chapter Atlas Some countries have turned to their coal as a source of fuel. Burning the coal has polluted the air and caused acid rain. The acid rain has destroyed forest in Eastern Europe. The EU has made it a requirement for membership that countries put in equipment that makes the coal power plants less harmful to the environment.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Other areas have tried nuclear energy. In 1986 an explosion at a Ukraine nuclear power plant was disastrous. The plant was known as Chernobyl. Winds spread radioactive materials from the explosion. Many people became sick and died. Farmland was contaminated and became unusable. Towns were abandoned. “A dead city. Homes, schoolrooms playgrounds, and other places are crumbling as wild nature reclaims the land. Pripyat once had some 50,000 residents. Now they are gone, perhaps forever. Only the artifacts of their lives remain behind, rotting to dust. “ Jeffrey Young, Voice of America June 10, 2009

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Christianity is the popular religion of this region. – The Christian Religion in this region is primarily the Orthodox and Catholic Religions. Islam and Judaism are also found here.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Due to the strict rule of the communist government that was in power in this region for so long, many people do not belong to any religion at all. Religion was discouraged under the Communist rule. Now that communist governments have fallen there is more religious freedom and more people are again joining religions. There is also more freedom in general now that communist rule is no longer in Eastern Europe.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today This region was once under communist control. Since the end of communism in this region we have seen each country splinter off and change in different ways.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Poland and the Baltic Nations: – Poland – Lithuania – Latvia – Estonia – Democratic and have the most successful economies of Eastern Europe.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Poland: – First nation in Eastern Europe to become democratic after the fall of the Soviet Union (Russia) and communism. – Challenged to create a market economy. – Under the Communist rule everything in the economy was run by the government. After the fall of communism entrepreneurs were encouraged to open their own businesses. – After a slow start, Poland’s economy started to grow.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today – Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were all republics of the Soviet Union. After the fall of the Soviet Union they became democracies and moved to a market economy.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today All of these countries are members of the European Union. Being members of the EU has allowed these countries to find new trading partners and improve their economies.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Culture of Poland and the Baltic Nations: – Poles are working hard to preserve their culture. They have many art and history museums in their cities and they have many festivals to celebrate their culture. – The Baltic Nations have revived their culture. Under Soviet rule the culture of these nations had been banned.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Central Europe: – Czech Republic – Slovakia – Hungary – Slovenia

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Slovakia and Czech Republic: – In 1989 when communism gave way to democracy the country of Czechoslovakia was formed. – By 1993 the Czech ethnic group could not agree with the Slovak ethnic group on how to run the country. Two new countries were then formed – Slovakia and Czech Republic. This was a peaceful separation.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Czech Republic transitioned easily to a market economy and democracy. Slovakia was slower to progress. Under Soviet control this country had not had a very diverse economy. Slovakia’s government looked to change that by reducing taxes for foreign countries that would come in and put factories in their country.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Both Czech Republic and Slovakia have joined the EU. This has allowed them to increase their trade, especially with Western Europe.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Hungary has become democratic and they have a market economy. Debt has been a problem for this country though. Hungary had to borrow money to modernize their economy. This has slowed down economic growth. Hungarians have started to celebrate religious holidays again now that the communist rule is not stopping them. Hungarians also have a language that is different from other European languages. They also have a distinctive cuisine that often uses paprika.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Slovenia – Originally a part of the country of Yugoslavia, Slovenia started to believe that they would be better off if they were separate from the rest of the country. – In 1990, 90% of the Slovenia people voted for independence from Yugoslavia. After a 10 day war Slovenia became independent. They also became democratic and a free market economy. – Slovenia was the first Balkan country to join the EU. They also joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to improve their economy.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today The Balkan Nations: – This region has undergone major changes since – Yugoslavia was formed after WWI. It was made up of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia. – After WWII the country was held together by its leader. – Eventually the different ethnic groups started to secede from the country.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today The new countries that formed contained different ethnic groups that wanted to gain control of the countries. Ethnic cleansing has occurred in this region. Serbians had even taken to committing ethnic cleansing against Muslims. They forced them from their homes and killed them. Ethnic Cleansing is a violation of international law.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today The United Nations, United States, other European countries, and NATO have worked to bring about peace. Even with these efforts ethnic conflict has continued in the region. All of this instability has caused the economies of these regions to suffer. Many countries are trying to make improvements so that they can join the EU. Overall the government of this region has been slow to shift from government control to private businesses. The people that have stayed in this area have a lower standard of living compared to other European countries.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today There are other countries in the Balkan region besides Yugoslavia. Those countries are: – Romania – Bulgaria – Albania

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today These three countries were under the Soviet Union’s control. After it collapsed the countries moved to a market economy. Political corruption has been a problem for all three countries. Romania and Bulgaria have been able to improve their countries and become members of the EU. Albania has not been able to join yet but they hope to in the future.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Ukraine Belarus Moldova These countries gained independence from the Soviet Union in Each has changed in a different way since then.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Ukraine – Democratic Country – Freedom of press has increased – Corruption within politics is still a problem – The economy has not grown rapidly due to corruption and complex business laws. Foreign companies don’t want to get involved. Russia is still the Ukraine's biggest trading partner.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Under Soviet control the Ukraine had collective farms. These farms shared equipment and land. The Ukraine government split up these farms. Now there are many small farms that don’t have the means to be profitable. The country has good soil and much potential that it could build upon to improve its country.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Belarus – Country has been run by a President and they have a constitution. – The reality is though that the government restricts many freedoms such as freedom of press and religion. – This country must import many raw materials and energy resources. Their biggest trading partner is Russia. The economy has suffered and about ½ of the people live in poverty.

Section 2: Eastern Europe Today Moldova – Small country with ties to Romania and Russia – Within the country they struggle with regions trying to secede, illegal trade, smuggling, and many citizens leaving to find jobs and send back remittances. – This is one of the poorest countries in Europe. They face political turmoil, corruption, and economic issues.