Western Europe
Josh Moak
Political:
- After World War II, the European Union was formed to help govern and prevent further war.
- Most countries in the European Union have a parliamentary system, where the president is little more than a figure head, and a presidential system where the president is the head of the state.
- Also, the countries are divided into a monarchy or a republic.
The blue represents a republic while the red represents a monarchy.
Economic:
- The United States Marshall plan was an attempt to help Europe recover from the second world war.
- The Euro has inflated in value in modern times
- The standard of living is higher than most places in the world, but Western Europe is much more developed than the communist states.
- Of the top ten wealthiest countries in the world, the European Union accounts for five of those countries.
Religious:
- Through out history, Christianity has been the main religion of Europe.
- After the fall of communism, over 90% of almost every European country practiced a from of Christianity whether it was Catholicism, Protestantism, Orthodox, etc.
- More recently, though, reports show that only around 70% of European people recognize any religion.
The percentage of Christians in post WWII Europe.
Social
- Feminism plays a major role in modern Western Europe.
- The persecution of minorities, particularly Jews, has been highly prominent in Europe at this time, but not as much in Western Europe as in Eastern Europe, but recently attempts have been made to end persecution and racism.
Innovations
- During the Cold war, Europe has developed a large amount of weapons technology, but mostly nuclear.
- They also made many advances in computers, televisions, and other technologies.
Arts
- Many distinct art forms developed during this time period such as cubism, and the production of movies.
- Many prominent artists and actors have come from Europe.
The BBC is a very famous example of European art development.
Near Geography
- Western Europe consists of the countries associated with the Western European Union during the cold war.
Sources:
http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/crossroads/political-spaces/robert-von-friedeburg-state-forms-and-state-systems-in-modern-europe
http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2014/05/european-economy-guide?zid=307&ah=5e80419d1bc9821ebe173f4f0f060a07
http://www2.kokugakuin.ac.jp/ijcc/wp/global/12voye.html
http://www.eupedia.com/europe/list_of_inventions_by_country.shtml
http://schoolctr.hebisd.edu/education/page/download.php?fileinfo=d2VzdGVybmV1cm9wZS5wZGY6Ojovd3d3NS9zY2hvb2xzL3R4L2hlYmlzZC9pbWFnZXMvZG9jbWdyLzU4MzNmaWxlNTA3NjYucGRm§iondetailid=41143
http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/crossroads/political-spaces/robert-von-friedeburg-state-forms-and-state-systems-in-modern-europe
http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2014/05/european-economy-guide?zid=307&ah=5e80419d1bc9821ebe173f4f0f060a07
http://www2.kokugakuin.ac.jp/ijcc/wp/global/12voye.html
http://www.eupedia.com/europe/list_of_inventions_by_country.shtml
http://schoolctr.hebisd.edu/education/page/download.php?fileinfo=d2VzdGVybmV1cm9wZS5wZGY6Ojovd3d3NS9zY2hvb2xzL3R4L2hlYmlzZC9pbWFnZXMvZG9jbWdyLzU4MzNmaWxlNTA3NjYucGRm§iondetailid=41143