Central Western Europe Chapter 16

Northern France Paris Basin- Part of the Northern European Plain City of Lille ◦North of Paris ◦Great location near European Union Countries ◦Provided tons of jobs Paris-the political, cultural, and economic capitol of France ◦France’s Chief Center of Commerce ◦Raw materials are turned into finished products

Southwest Warm Air Dry Soil Town of Bordeaux in southwest France has a reputation of producing the best wine. The worse the soil the better the wine Southern France Massif Central Mts- 1/6 of French Land Area Poor Soil Alps Great Scenery Great Scenery Challenging Skiing Challenging Skiing Barrier to Italy until 1965 when the built a highway tunnel through to the other side Barrier to Italy until 1965 when the built a highway tunnel through to the other side Massif Central Mountains Rhone River Alps

Mediterranean Border Known as the Riviera People enjoy busy cities and Beautiful scenery Cannes- Famous for Film Festival Marseille- Busiest seaport in France ◦Export: wine, electronic goods, & chemicals ◦Import: Petroleum

East Rhine River- Europe’s Busiest waterway Forms part of Frances border w/ Germany Alsace and Loraine-areas along the Rhine river rich in resources Loraine- has France’s Largest deposits of Iron Ore Strasbourg- major port on the Rhine River

Understanding the Past France was 1 st known as Gaul when the Romans conquered in the 1 st century B.C. Gaul was influenced greatly and spoke Latin and was part of the Christian faith. After Gaul, they were conquered by the Franks & part of the Holy Roman Empire. Under the Holy Roman Empire Christianity spread. Later Monarch gained large amounts of power and expanded the French borders to where they are today. Monarch Power came to a halt w/ the French Revolution. Since France has been governed in different forms ◦Republic ◦Constitutional Monarchy

Language and Culture The French language was the main language only in Paris. French Kings made French the Official language in the 1500’s Many Dialects- variations of a language that are unique to a region or a community, are spoken throughout France. French take pride in intellectual and artistic achievements. Many famous philosophers and painters know as impressionists come from France. Impressionism- art sought to capture fleeting visual “impressions” of color, light, and shadows. Famous for clothing design Louvre-Museum and gallery of art Paris- the Cultural Center of the World.

France Today After WWII, the French government began work on modernizing and encouraging more balanced growth among France's regions. B/c of the, the nation has grown and prospered. Gov. nationalized the economy, brought under state control, some business are vital to national interest. 1990’s struggled w/ recession- an extended decline in business activity. ◦Unemployment was high ◦Muslims were the focus of racial tension ◦Student and worker protests

Germany’s Struggle In 1961, the 103 mile wall was built by Communist East Germany to keep citizens from escaping to West Germany.

Divided German States Germany was once part of the Holy Roman Empire and then was broke up into small independent states. The Reformation divided the German States even further. In the 1700’s the state of Prussia unified a lot of the separate small nations, making a confederation-loose political union. Later Prussia moved to establish a German Empire.

United Germany’s Defeats In 1882 Austria-Hungary, Prussia and other countries joined in an effort to defeat the Allied Powers of the US, UK, France, and Russia in WWI. They lost and the treaty was heavy. ◦Pay Reparations- money for war damages The German economy crumbled and inflation- sharp rising prices ruined Germany’s currency Worldwide Depression 1930’s- Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party ◦Made Promise to return Germany to past Glory and avenge the war punishment ◦Blamed Jew for all of Germany’s Problems Invaded Poland and WWII began Concentration Camps killed millions of Jews 1945 Germany surrendered.

One People Two Countries After the war tensions grew b/w communist Russia and democratic US 1949 West Germany became a democratic nation and East Germany became communist The capitol was also split and located w/in East Germany The Berlin Wall was built to separate the two nations The remained divided for 40 yrs, then in 1989 protesters swept across Europe and East Communist Germany was overthrown. The wall was torn down piece by piece and hauled off. In October 3, 1990 Germany was officially unified.

Physical Characteristics High Mts in the South Hills, low peaks, and plateaus in the middle Flat lands in the north Mild Climate Northern Germany ◦North European Plain ◦Sandy ◦Farmed ◦Manufacturing and Trade ◦Hamburg, Germany- largest port  Rebuilt after WWII ◦Rostock- built in the Baltic Sea  Hand Dug ◦Berlin Rich Prosperous Capitol

Natural Resources and Industry Most Industrial Center of the World Rhine and Elbe River Ruhr Valley ◦Leader in Steel and Iron ◦Textile and Chemical industries ◦More than 8 million people live in the valley East Central Germany ◦Steel, Machinery, automobile, & textile industry ◦Factory power comes from lignite-soft brown coal ◦Frankfurt-Germany’s Banking center ◦Some live on farmland

Scenic Southern Germany Great for Skiers Munich ◦Germany’s Cultural Center ◦Largest city in Southern Germany ◦After WWII, building and paintings were restored and exhibited.

Germany Today Leading Industrial Center in the World only 3 rd behind Japan and the US Leading member of the European Union Challenges: ◦Unemployment ◦Violence against foreign workers ◦Pollution ◦Billions of $ are spent upgrading lands under passed Communist control

Netherlands Building of dikes- embankment of rock and earth to hold back the water, are used to make land to live on and farm Finally the Dutch became more sophisticated and encircled the land w/ dikes and pumped the water out. This new land is called a polder. Almost 1/3 of the country is below sea level. High Population Density Can’t waste farmland Gov. spending money on protecting its farmland Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht form one huge Mega polis called Randstad- Ring City The gov. is trying to keep people out of rural areas If fact the gov. is now flooding areas in hopes to preserve the environment. Rotterdam and Amsterdam are important ports on the North Sea Rotterdam is a port city on the Rhine River making it a link to b/w Europe and the rest of the world.

Belgium Division b/w ◦The French, Walloons ◦The Dutch, Flemish In 1830 when Belgium became independent the official language was French. Government jobs and universities used French making it hard on the Flemish to get and maintain a job in Belgium. To Resolve the conflict the gov. made the official language Flemish in 1898 They also decentralized its government- transferred power to smaller regions further eliminating the problem

Luxemburg 990 Square miles (smaller than Rhode Island) 3 languages are spoken: French, German, & German Dialect, Luxembourgish Highest standard of Living in Europe Diversified Economy ◦High Tech Industry ◦Steel Production Member of EU and trades most goods with EU members

Switzerland 3 official languages: French, German, Italian Each group gives Switzerland its own name. Formed in 1291 Switzerland has only fought 1 foreign war in its past 1798 Switzerland was finally recognized as a neutral country Understanding The Past

Culture and Citizenship 26 cantons- states differ in language, religion, customs, and ways they make a living Have control over their affairs Today, if they are to pass a law they have to have the majority of Swiss citizens to agree Direct role in government High standard of living Few natural resources Dairy Farming ◦Cheese ◦Chocolate*** Prosperous Market Economy Watches w/ accuracy Tools, Microscopes World Leaders in new Medicines Banking Safe b/c of neutrality Tourism Ski in the Alps Specializing in Global Trade

Austria In the past Austria was leader of the Austria- Hungary Empire that ruled much of Italy and Eastern Europe Fought w/ Germany in WWI Defeated and Collapsed Separated into separate countries Mts. Cover much of the country Population is centered in the Eastern Lowlands Created specialized industries ◦Machine tools, chemicals, textiles ◦Cattle Breeding and Dairy farming ◦Mineral Resources  Iron ore ◦ Strip mining-strip the surface of the earth to lay bare mineral deposits ◦Aluminum, copper, lead ◦Vienna-Capitol City  One of the worlds largest cities ◦Tourism is also popular