1. Eastern Europe

2. What countries are part of Eastern Europe?

3. Countries of Eastern Europe
Poland
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Hungary
Romania
Slovenia
Croatia
Bosnia
Yugoslavia
Bulgaria
Albania
Macedonia

4. Cultural Crossroads
Because this region is an important crossroads between Asia and Europe, many world powers have controlled it.
Over the years, this area has been controlled by Rome, the Ottoman Empire and Austria.

5. Slavs
The ethnic term for many of the people of Eastern Europe is the Slavs. They are called this because of the hundreds of years they were enslaved by various empires. They eventually just became known as Slavs, which means Slaves.
When you hear the term Slavs, or Slavic countries, you know the history of these people is one of slavery.

6. Balkanization
Responding to centuries of foreign rule, most ethnic groups in Eastern Europe fiercely guarded their identities.
Many wanted their own nation-states, even though they had never had self-rule.
Balkanization – process of a region breaking up into small, mutually hostile units.

8. Soviet Union
During World War II, Germany invaded the Communist Soviet Union, killing millions.
After the war, the Soviet Union decided to protect itself by setting up a political barrier and set up Communist governments in Eastern Europe.
Eastern Europe became a region of satellite nations – nations dominated by another country.
For decades, the Soviet Union crushed political reform and free trade in Eastern Europe.

9. Recent Changes
The Soviet Union controlled Eastern Europe for 40 years. When Mikhail Gorbachev became the new leader of the Soviet Union, he made many reforms.
One reform was to give Eastern Europe more freedom.
In 1989, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania ended Communist control of their governments. In 1990, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia followed suit.

10. Civil War
Instability followed. The old governments taught people to only be loyal to the Communist government. Afterwards, people returned to their ethnic loyalties.
This was especially true in Yugoslavia, a nation consisting of six republics. These republics trying to break into independent nations caused civil war.
Czechoslovakia peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

11. Developing the Economy
Under communism, the government owned all factories. This system was inefficient because industries had little motive to please customers or cut costs. Often there were shortages of goods.
Eastern European nations only traded with each other and therefore didn’t keep up with the developing technology.

12. Market Economy
After 1989, most of Eastern Europe moved towards a market economy, in which industries make the goods consumers want to buy.
Factories became privately owned but were hampered by old equipment and shortage of educated workers.
The changes caused problems – inflation, closing of factories and unemployment.
Since then several countries, such as Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, have developed healthy economies.
In general, it will take years for Eastern Europe to overcome the damage caused by decades of Communist control.

13. Sites of Eastern Europe

14. Poland –Marienburg castle Notice how different castles look in different parts of Europe?

15. Castles of Europe

16. Warsaw, Poland Today

17. Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
On April 19, 1943, the Warsaw ghetto uprising began after German troops and police entered the ghetto to deport its surviving inhabitants. Seven hundred and fifty fighters fought the heavily armed and well-trained Germans. The ghetto fighters were able to hold out for nearly a month, but on May 16, 1943, the revolt ended. The Germans had slowly crushed the resistance. Of the more than 56,000 Jews captured, about 7,000 were shot, and the remainder were deported to concentration camps.

20. Prague, Czech Republic This is supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities of Europe- not destroyed by WWII

21. Bosnia - USA helped when they were having ethnic fighting.

22. Bosnia- Mostly Muslim

23. Bulgaria

24. Romania-Transylvania is here

25. Budapest, Hungary House of Parliament

26. Albania - “Hermits of E. Europe” A very poor country Mother Theresa was a famous Albanian

27. Page 316- Main Idea questions (1-10)
Write the question. Answers do not have to be in complete sentences.