1. Europe in the 20 th Century Prof. Steven Wolinetz

2. Europe in the 20 th Century  What is Europe? – The meanings of Europe

3. Europe in the 20 th Century What is Europe?  Geography –The Continent –Changing internal (and external) boundaries http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/europe/02/euro_borders/html/2.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/europe/02/euro_borders/html/2.stm –Demise of nationalism and erosion of boundaries? –From the center of the world to a part to emulate?  Religious heritage –Christianity (Catholic and Protestant branches and Roman and Eastern Orthodox traditions) –Jewish heritage and growing Muslim population  Common political evolution –from feudalism and absolute monarchy, to liberal democracy

4. Europe in the 20 th Century  The governments (the democratic trajectory)  The expansion of the state  The changing economic (industrial) structure  The changing social structure  From emigration to immigration

5. Fin de siècle Europe  Caps off period of rapid social & economic change in some parts of Europe – Victorian England, France, Germany  Other parts of Europe – Russia, Southern Italy – barely removed from feudalism  Spread of the industrial revolution –improves standards of living –Accentuates class and religious divisions

6. Political dimensions  Monarchs still rule, multinational empires hold sway  Liberalization and democratization incomplete --if they have begun at all  Mobilization along class, religious, and ethno-nationalist dimensions  Intense arguments about who should participate, on what basis, and what the units of government should be

7. Some examples - I  UK –Most working men but no women vote –Parliamentary government but the House of Lords is co-equal with the House of Commons, often blocking reforms –The Irish question festers  France –Parliamentary government but deep-seated division about the role of the Church

8. Some examples - II  Imperial Germany: –An unbalanced federation dominated by its largest state, Prussia –‘Monarchial constitutionalism’ as the dominant mode of governance –Universal but unequal manhood suffrage –Deep-seated class and religious conflicts

9. The multinational empires  Austria-Hungary –a liberal empire, but a patchwork of nationalities and nationalist movements, festering demands  Russia: –An autocratic empire grappling with pressures for liberalization, democratization, fundamental reorganization  The Ottoman Empire – decaying and crumbling

10. Interwar Europe  Map is redrawn  Multinational empires broken up –new ‘successor’ states created  In several instances, new liberal democracies are established  But, a period of democratic decay –Italy –Portugal –Germany –Spain….  The Great Depression and the dirty thirties

11. Postwar Europe:  Many political leaders, political forces, countries, come out of World War II determined to create something different or better –not to repeat either the dirty thirties or the war  Astoundingly, they manage to do so, despite -- or perhaps because of -- the Cold War –United Nations –OECD –European Union… –Postwar welfare state

12. But not without warts  Cold War: –Iron Curtain –Division of Europe into ‘free’ and ‘communist blocs  Diminished international position –Loss of overseas empires –Less central in world politics: –Second fiddle to US?

13. From 1989  Fall of Communism & end of cold war  Broader, if not necessarily deeper European Union  Large swatch of territory in which war, at least in the core, is unthinkable  Decreased and diminished nationalism: war & aggression banished to fringes  Prosperity, sense of well-being –but not everywhere –And not necessarily everyone