Northern Europe

A Human Perspective

I) A History of Seafaring Conquerors
The Nordic countries include, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

  a) Early Conquerors
1. In ancient times, waves of migrating people settled Northern Europe.
2. Each new group made an effort to push the previous residents out of its way.
3. Ancient Britain was invaded by many peoples, one of them being the Celts.
4. Because of the Norsemen invading as well, theEnglish language acquired many words of the French origin.

  b) Dreams of Empire
1. Denmark, Sweden, and Norway each became a kingdom during the 900s.
2. Great Britain built an empire that strongly affected the rest of the world.
3. Over some odd years, England won control of its neighbors, those of which are, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland.
4. Great Britain built a global empire, and by the 1800s, it had colonies in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

II) Moving into the Modern Age
Great Britain played a role in shaping our modern world.

  a) Representative Government
1. Britain's government is a monarchy that also has a parliament.
2. A parliament is a representative lawmaking body whose members are elected or appointment.
3. These ideas later spread to the U.S, Canada, and various British colonies.
 
b) Industrial Revolution
1. Deposits of Iron, Ore and Coal helped Britain to be the first nation to industrialize.
2. The industry used Coal as fuel and Iron to make machinery.
3. Britain imported raw materials from its colonies and sold finished goods to those countries.

  c) Since 1900
1. In the 20th century, the Nordic countries didn't really want to be invoked with other nations affairs.
2. Resulting to that, Great Britain played a major role in both world wars, fighting as one of the victorious Allies.
3. Post World War II, the British Empire underwent major change as almost all of its colonies gained independence.
 
d) The Irish Question
1. Protestant English rulers held their hold on Catholic Ireland by seizing Irish land and giving it to Scottish and English Protestants.


III) Economics: Diversity and Change

  a) Industry and Resources
1. Sweden and the United Kingdom have many types of manufacturing in common.
2. Northern Europe's economy benefits from its many natural recourses.

b) High-Tech
1. The production of computer software and hardware has been a major part of Irelands economy since the 1970s.
2. In the 1990s, the section of Scotland between Glasgow and Edinburgh became known as Silicon Glen, because it had so many high-tech companies, which use silicon computer chips.

c) Union or Independence 
1. Most nations in this region joined the European Union (EU), but Norway has chosen not to do so.
2. Not everyone was a fan of the EU policy.
3. In September 2000, Denmark voted against adopting the euro.

IV) Cultural Similarities and Modern Art

  a) Similar Languages and Religions 
1. Most people of Northern Europe speak a Germanic language.
2. When Germanic tribes migrated to the Scandinavian Peninsula and British Isles, they pushed the previous inhabitants north and west.
3. The Reformation, which began in near Germany in the 1500s, swept through Northern Europe.
4. A handful of Protestant churches took root there.
5. Most of the region still remans Protestant,  leaving Irelands main religion Catholic.

b) Modern Culture and Literature
1. The Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen is sometimes called the father of modern drama.
2. Ingmar Bergman, a Swedish director, influenced movies with his intensely personal films.
3. Both men raised psychological issues in their work that remained important in modern life.
4. Great Britain and Ireland had their strongest artistic influence on world literature, in saying that, many people consider William Shakespeare the greatest playwright of all time.

VI) Life in Northern Europe

a) Social Welfare 
1. For the most part, the governments of Northern Europe take great responsibility for the welfare of their people.
2. For instance, Finland, Norway, and Sweden give families a yearly allowance to help raise their children.
3. The Nordic governments help fund national health insurance programs, as well as Britain.

b) Distinctive Customs 
1. Some social customs of Northern Europe have gained worldwide fame.
2. For example, the British are known for afternoon tea, a small meal of sandwiches, breads, cakes, and tea.
3. The Swedes developed the smorgasbord, which is a large assortment of hot and cold dishes served buffet style.

c) Leisure
1. Even through the cold climates the Nordic countries have, outdoor sports still remain popular there.
2. Some of the winter Olympic sports developed in Norway and other Nordic countries, which include, cross-country skiing and ski jumping.
3. Many British enjoy horseback riding, horse jumping and fox hunting.
4. The British developed two sports that are quite unique, those being, Rugby and Cricket.

Review Questions:

1) What did you learn about EU countries in this section? The cultural divisions they go through. As well as a lot of changes.
2) How do language and religion reflect the cultural division in Western Europe? The Reformation was a religious movement during The Renaissance, Christians broke away from the Catholic Church and started Protestant churches. Hostility between the Catholics and Protestants led to fights and tore up Europe.
3) Which Western European leaders tried to unify Europe through conquest? Adolf Hitler, Napoleon, and Charlemagne.
4) In what way does Western Europe have a diverse economy? Western Europe has a diverse economy because of vehicles, textiles, fashion... ect. 
5) What was the Reformation? A religious movement created new differences.
6) What was the Holocaust? A program of mass murder of two-thirds of European Jews, led by Nazis, run by Hitler.
7) What was the Berlin Wall? Is what divided Berlin into two. 
8) What are some characteristics of Modern Life in Western Europe? Europeans receive more paid vacation than Americans. Europeans live in smaller houses than Americans, so they go to public places more often to socialize. 

Three things I found interesting was, 1. The take on the Renaissance and how the Reformation and the Christians breaking the Catholic Church. 2. The differences with Europe and America in modern life. 3. How Germany and Austria are famous for music. 

My question is: If the Reformation didn't happen, where would the Catholic church and Christians stand?

Outline for Chapter 13 Section 2

Western Europe

I) A History of Cultural Divisions

France and Germany are the dominant countries in Western Europe. They are also the two largest countries, and their access to recourses, ports, and trade routes helped them to build productive economies.

A) Rome to Charlemagne

  1) Roman Empire conquered the Celtic tribes in France by 50 B.C.
  2) French is one of the Roman languages evolved from latin.
  3) In the late 700s Charlemagne, a German King, conquered most of the region.
  4) His empire fell apart after his death.

B) The Reformation

  1) The Reformation was a religious movement during The Renaissance
  2) In 1517,  Martin Luther published 95 statements that criticized church practices that he personally believed was wrong.
  3) Christians broke away from the Catholic Church and started Protestant churches.
  4) Hostility between the Catholics and Protestants led to fights and tore up Europe.
  5) France is mostly Catholic. The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany contain both Protestant and Catholic.

II) The Rise of Nation-States

Between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance, it is called The Middle Ages.

A) Nationalism

  1) Feudalism was a political system in which powerful lords owned mist of the land.
  2) Nationalism is the belief that people should be loyal to their nation, the people with whom they share land, culture, and history.
  3) France was one of the first nation-states, and by the late 1600s, held absolute power.
  4) Western Europe experienced industrial growth, and had caused the European nations to set up colonies in other lands in order to gain raw material and markets.
 
B) Modern Conflicts

  1) A competition for colonies among European nations, helped cause World War I.
  2) German resentment caused World War II.
  3) During World War II, Germany was led by Hitler and the Nazi party.
  4) The Nazis carried out the Holocaust, a program in which two-thirds of the European population, were murdered.
  5) In 1989, anti-Communist reforms swept Europe, because of the protests. East Germany opened the Berlin Wall.
 
III. Economics: Diversity and Luxury

Since the Middle Ages, Western Europe has been rich in agriculture.

A) Agriculture to High-Tech

  1) Dairy farming and livestock provide most of the agricultural income in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
  2) The Netherlands, Germany and France continues to be the top manufacturing nations.
  3) Germany also provides electronics and scientific instruments.
  4) France has one of the worlds fastest passenger trains, (the TGV) and a space program.
  5) Switzerland specializes in the service industry of banking.

B) Tourism and Luxury

  1) Due to the scenery, mild climate, and historical sites, Western Europe is popular with tourists.
  2) German cars and Swiss watches are considered status symbols because Western Europe exports luxury items to the world.
  3) France is famous for its high-fashion clothing and gourmet foods.
 
IV. Great Music and Art

 A) Music

  1) Germany and Austria are famous for music.
  2) The famous artist Johann Sebastian Bach happened to be from Germany as well.

B) Painting

  1) Art is a very respected and an important career in Europe. The Europeans take a lot of pride in what they do.

A) City Life 
  
   1) Western Europe has good transportation, and offers many cultural attractions.      
   2) Many Europeans live in small homes as do Americans.
   3) One thing that is different between Americans and Europeans is that Europeans get more                    vacation days.


 B) Recent Conflicts
  
   1) In recent decades, immigration has been a source of conflict here. in the 1980s, increasing numbers of "guest workers" from Yugoslavia and Turkey came to West Germany for jobs.
   2) Political leader Joerg Haider made controversial remarks that defended former Nazis and that immigrants found offending.