Chapter 8: Cultures of Europe and Russia

Section 1: The Cultures of Western Europe

Cultural Centers• Cultural Attractions: include museums, concert halls,

festivals, restaurants, nightclubs, and stores• Western Europe has a mix of old and new cultures

– Paris, France• Attracts scholars, writers, and artists

– London, England• Grand historic buildings and its lovely parks

– Madrid, Spain• A friendly place with lots of outside cafes

– Berlin, Germany• Known for its public transportation

– The buses are clean, as well as the cities and streets – Outdoor recreation is very popular

Paris

Champs-Elysées Arc de Triomphe

Eiffel Tower

LouvreVersailles

Notre Dame

ENS Paris

Spain Santiago BernabeuPlaza Mayor

Flamenco Dancers Royal Palace

World’s Most Valuable

Sports Team $3.3 Billion

England

Germany

Autobahn33% Has Permanent Speed Limit

Berlin Wall, 1986

Growing Cities, Growing Wealth

• Western European cities are prosperous based on industry (like steel, cars, machines, and shipping)

• Industry and the growth of cities– Revolutions made in farming at the same time as

revolutions in industry• Less need for farmers, growing need for industrial

workers (like in factories)• Urbanization: growth of cities

– It sped up after World War II

Growing Cities, Growing Wealth

• A home for immigrants– In the 1800’s and early 1900’s, Western Europeans left

in search of a better life in the Americas – After WWII, people stopped leaving, and other people

came (from Eastern Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa)• W. Europe needed workers

– Immigrants: people who move from one country to another

• Bring their languages, religious beliefs, values, and customs• Make changes in their ways of life

– Multicultural: influenced by many cultures

Growing Cities, Growing Wealth

• Open Borders– Open Borders: Borders that open for travel in

between– Open borders exist because most European

countries are small and close together. It is easy to exchange ideas, goods, and raw materials.

– After World War II, European countries began to work together around 1950 to help rebuild Europe. They ended up forming an early version of the European Union.

European Union• European Union (EU) : an organization of European

countries which works together to expand trade in Europe– Ended tariffs, or fees for trade between countries,

between member nations that a government charges for goods entering a country

– Hopes to create a “united states of Europe, where people, money, goods, and services move freely among member countries

– Starting in 2002, most of the member countries use the EURO as currency (money)

– The EU was formally established in 1993, and as of 2013, has 28 member countries.

Ancient Cultures• Western Europe is home to the two of the

world’s oldest cultures–Ancient Greece

• scientific method• beginning of democracy• empire: a collection of lands ruled by a single

government• Some of the earliest literature writers

– Homer (Blind Poet) The Iliad and the Odyssey– Sophocles and Euripides (Playwrights)

– Ancient Rome• legal rights of all citizens, not just powerful and

wealthy• mythology similar to the Greeks

Types of Government- Communism: an economic system in which land and business are

controlled by the government; is ruled by a single leader or by a political groups with complete control over the people

- Monarchy: government is run with the absolute authority of a monarch (king/queen)

- constitutional monarchy: government in which a king or queen acts as Head of State. The ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected Parliament, not the Monarch

- republic: the government is constrained by the limitations placed on it through a constitution or charter

- Democracy: government run by the citizens themselves- feudalism: a system in which land was owned by lords, but held by vassals

in return for their loyalty