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Unit 2: History of Europe The focus of this unit is the historical developments in Europe up to the twenty-first century.
Suggested Vocabulary
From the 15th century on, explorers discovered new lands for European countries in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Monarchs in Europe began to colonize these new lands. They each wanted to create the largest empire. The desire to create an empire by extending control over more land is known as colonialism. It can also be called imperialism. This grab for more land lasted through the late 19th and early 20th centuries and even added to causes of World War I. Here are a few of the lands claimed by various European countries.
Causes of Colonization
There were three major causes of European exploration and colonization.
European Empires
Colonialism and the Origins of World War I
Tension was already high between countries in Europe when World War I broke out in 1914. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, countries in Europe had tried to expand their influence in lands overseas. This drive to colonize led to new European colonies in Asia and Africa and was fueled by a desire for more power as well as a need for raw materials. Many European countries were quickly becoming industrial and needed these materials for their factories. As each country grabbed more land and expanded their empires, tensions rose between the countries. Each country felt that a bigger empire would mean more power and felt threatened when another country acquired more land.
SS6H7: The student will explain conflict and change in Europe to the 20st century
World War I, once known as the Great War, started in 1914 when Austrian Archduke Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by a Serbian nationalist. The United States avoided the war as long as possible but eventually joined the war in 1917. World War I ran until 1918, when an armistice was declared. In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed and the League of Nations was started, ending World War I.
World War I Powers
Allied Powers: Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, United States
Central Powers: Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, Turkey
Timeline of Events
There were many developments related to World War I leading to the onset of World War II. Below is a list of these developments.
The Treaty of Versailles:
The Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, is considered one of the most punitive treaties in history. It set out to humiliate the Germans at the end of WWI by making them:
Disappointed Victors
Both Japan and Italy had fought alongside the Allies during WWI, but neither was fully satisfied with their rewards from the Treaty of Versailles. Italy had gained more land from the victory, but the treaty did not grant all of its claims. Japan succeeded in gaining control of Germany's former colonies in the Pacific, but Japan's ultimate goal was to gain control of China, and China did not play a role in World War I. The first military activity in World War II would involve Japan attacking China to achieve this goal.
Appeasement Policy
European nations thought it was better to appease German fascists who broke treaty restrictions than to take action. After the terrible World War I, Europe wanted to avoid more fighting. Therefore, no action was taken when Hitler’s forces entered Czechoslovakia.
Depression and Poverty
Europe was unstable between the two World Wars, largely due to economic reasons. Great poverty led people to accept radical change and the promises of fascist dictators like Hitler and Mussolini.
Explain the impact of WWII in terms of the Holocaust, the origins of the Cold War, and the rise of Superpowers. Explain how the collapse of the Soviet Union led to the end of the Cold War and German reunification
The Cold War - Rise of Superpowers
Following WWII, the United States and the Soviet Union began their rise to superpower status. As a result, the struggle for political control throughout the world led to the Cold War. The U.S. and the U.S.S.R. had very different political beliefs. The U.S. was capitalist and the U.S.S.R. was communist. These two forms of government could not peacefully work with one another. Some people place the blame on Soviet leader Joseph Stalin for his need to see capitalism fall and communism rise throughout the world.
Reunification of Germany
After World War II, Germany was split into East and West Germany. East Germany became a communist country. West Germany was a capitalist nation. The Soviet Union built the Berlin Wall along the border between East and West Germany in Berlin. East Germany continued to be heavily controlled by the Soviet Union for many years.
In 1989, the communist country of Hungary opened its border to Austria. Austria was a capitalist country. This allowed people to escape to West Germany without being blocked by the Berlin Wall. Months later, protests began in East Germany. In November 1989, the Berlin Wall was destroyed. This marked the end of the Cold War for many people. It was also the end of a divided Germany. In October 1990, East and West Germany officially reunified.
Suggested Vocabulary
- Colonization
- Exploration
- Industrial Revolution
- Worldwide Depression (The Great Depression)
- Russian Revolution
- Nazism
- The Cold War
- Allied Powers
- Axis Powers
- Alliances
- Nationalism
- Holocaust
- Reunification
- The Marshall Plan
- D-Day
- Treaty of Versailles
- The Superpowers
From the 15th century on, explorers discovered new lands for European countries in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Monarchs in Europe began to colonize these new lands. They each wanted to create the largest empire. The desire to create an empire by extending control over more land is known as colonialism. It can also be called imperialism. This grab for more land lasted through the late 19th and early 20th centuries and even added to causes of World War I. Here are a few of the lands claimed by various European countries.
Causes of Colonization
There were three major causes of European exploration and colonization.
- Religion: Many European nations sent missionaries to spread their religious beliefs to new lands. Also, some settlers left Europe to find religious freedom.
- Natural resources: Natural resources were very important to European empires. European nations explored new routes to gain access to the spice trade in Asia, and they colonized regions to have access to their resources and raw materials.
- Market for goods: Markets for trade goods were also important to Europe. European workers made raw materials into manufactured products. Having colonies allowed the Europeans to sell these manufactured goods to people who needed them.
European Empires
- West Africa—Portugal: Portugal began exploring West Africa before the Americas were discovered. The Portuguese were searching for a sea route to the Indian Ocean so they could have greater control over the East Indian spice trade. In the 15th century, Prince Henry the Navigator paid for many journeys to the west coast of Africa, and Portuguese explorers reached the Indian Ocean in 1488. After Spain and Portugal established colonies in the Western Hemisphere, they needed people to work the land. Both countries' colonies relied on slave labor from West Africa. Portuguese explorers claimed much of the West African coast. Portugal dominated the African slave trade for most of the 16th century.
- The Americas—Spain: Christopher Columbus claimed the West Indies, or the Americas, for Spain in 1492. Soon after, Spain began establishing colonies in the Caribbean Sea, South America, and North America. Spain wanted the natural resources found in these new lands. Other countries such as Portugal, France, and England also started colonies in the Western hemisphere.
- Brazil—Portugal: In 1494, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas. In this treaty, the two countries agreed to divide control of unexplored lands according to an imaginary line running down the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This was known as a demarcation line. Spain had the right to claim land west of the line. Portugal had the right to claim land east of the line. Brazil was east of the line. In, 1500, Pedro Álvares Cabral claimed Brazil for Portugal. Spain claimed the land in South America west of the line.
- The Philippines—Spain: In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan claimed the Philippines for Spain. This gave Spain more land. It also gave Spain a source for spices in Asia. The Philippines were a Spanish colony until after the Spanish-American War in 1898. After the war, Spain gave the Philippines to the United States.
- New France—France: In 1534, Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence River for the French. In 1608, Samuel de Champlain established the settlement of Québec on the same river. The colony of New France grew to include the area around the Great Lakes. It also included much of what is now the Midwestern part of the United States.
- Jamestown, Virginia—England: In 1606, King James I of England granted a charter to the London Company to settle the area now known as Virginia and North Carolina. The colony of Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement in North America in 1607.
- India—England: In the 1600s, the English East India Company was formed to trade with the East Indies. Competing with the other European empires, the East India Company allowed England to colonize India and to control trade resources in Asia.
- Australia—England: England explored and claimed Australia in 1770. In 1788, it began establishing colonies on the continent. Australia remained under control of the United Kingdom (England) until it gained independence in the 20th century.
Colonialism and the Origins of World War I
Tension was already high between countries in Europe when World War I broke out in 1914. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, countries in Europe had tried to expand their influence in lands overseas. This drive to colonize led to new European colonies in Asia and Africa and was fueled by a desire for more power as well as a need for raw materials. Many European countries were quickly becoming industrial and needed these materials for their factories. As each country grabbed more land and expanded their empires, tensions rose between the countries. Each country felt that a bigger empire would mean more power and felt threatened when another country acquired more land.
SS6H7: The student will explain conflict and change in Europe to the 20st century
World War I, once known as the Great War, started in 1914 when Austrian Archduke Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by a Serbian nationalist. The United States avoided the war as long as possible but eventually joined the war in 1917. World War I ran until 1918, when an armistice was declared. In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed and the League of Nations was started, ending World War I.
World War I Powers
Allied Powers: Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, United States
Central Powers: Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, Turkey
Timeline of Events
- 1914: Archduke Francis Ferdinand is assassinated
- Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist in 1914. His death led to Austria declaring war on Serbia. Shortly after, Kaiser Wilhelm II, the ruler of Germany, declared war on Russia, France, and Belgium. These actions started World War I.
- 1915: U-boat submarine warfare begins. The U-boat was new technology for warfare. Germany followed a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, which disrupted trade and travel for Americans, particularly because the U.S. had a close trade relationship with Britain. In 1915, Germans began to use their U-boats in sea battles, as well as to create a blockade of Great Britain.
- 1915: German U-boat sinks the Lusitania. In May 1915, a German U-boat sunk a British passenger ship called the Lusitania. Over 1,000 civilians were killed, and many of these were American citizens. United States public opinion quickly turned against Germany.
- 1916: Woodrow Wilson is re-elected President. President Wilson ran again in 1916 on the Democratic ticket. His slogan was "He kept us out of war," which helped him win the election. Wilson beat out Republican Charles Evans Hughes by a slight margin. Wilson tried to mediate between the Allies and Central Powers as soon as he was reelected, but he had no success.
- 1917: Zimmerman telegram is sent to the German ambassador to the U.S. In February 1917, British intelligence intercepted a telegram addressed to the German minister in Mexico from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmerman instructing him to make an offer to the Mexican government. In this message, Zimmerman expressed his hope to "set new enemies on America's neck" by offering to help Mexico recover territories lost to the U.S. in exchange for Mexico's alliance in the event of war between Germany and the United States. The British passed this message to U.S. officials who took this threat very seriously.
- 1917: United States joins Allied Powers in World War I. In 1917, Woodrow Wilson urged Congress to declare war against Germany. Wilson strongly believed that the U.S. needed to join the war to "Make the world safe for democracy." Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to serve in Congress, voted against the declaration of war on Germany. Despite Rankin and a few other Congressmen, the vote passed and the U.S. declared war on Germany in April 1917.
- 1917: Congress passes Selective Service Act. After the U.S. joined the war, Congress passed the Selective Service Act. All men from 21 to 30 years old had to register, but there were some exemptions from service. Those exemptions included men who had dependent families or physical disabilities. Members of pacifist religious organizations were granted objector status.
- 1917: Russian and Bolshevik Revolutions begin the Russian Revolution started in 1917 with the overthrow of the Russian monarchy, also known as a czarist government. The revolutionaries were educated Russians who were politically radical and were tired of the shortages faced because nearly all resources were sent to soldiers fighting on the front. Marxism sprang out of this revolution, along with anarchism. One of the revolutionist parties, the Bolsheviks, had started a revolution in 1903. In March 1917, Czar Nicholas II abdicated (stepped down from) his throne. The Bolsheviks gained control of the Russian government in November 1917 and create a dictatorship under Vladimir Lenin.
- 1918: Armistice is declared. In November 1918, an armistice was signed between Germany and the Allies. An armistice is a temporary suspension of fighting, also known as a truce. This was the first step toward the end of World War I.
- 1918: President Wilson presents Fourteen Points to Congress President Wilson created a plan for peace called his Fourteen Points. Wilson believed that, by using his plan, both the Allied and Central powers could have "peace without victory." Among other things, he called for an end to colonialism and the establishment of a League of Nations. The actual peace agreement, the Treaty of Versailles, accepted some of his ideas, including the League of Nations.
- 1919: Treaty of Versailles is signed. Delegates from the Allied countries met in Paris, France to draft a peace treaty. In the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was disarmed and forced to accept Allied military occupation of parts of Germany. Parts of Germany's prewar territory were taken away, and it was required to give up its colonial empire. Germany also had to accept responsibility for the outbreak of the war and was required to pay the cost of repairing wartime damage, known as reparations. The Allied powers, except the United States, wanted to use the Treaty of Versailles to punish Germany for the war. The treaty also set up the League of Nations. The United States rejected the Treaty of Versailles and set up its own treaty with Germany in 1921.
- 1919: League of Nations is formed . The League of Nations was set up according to the Treaty of Versailles. Its purpose was to act as the peacekeeper of Europe. However, the League of Nations did not have any real power or military strength, and it was very ineffectual due to the absence of the United States. Henry Cabot Lodge, a U.S. Senator, opposed the U.S. entering into the League of Nations. Lodge and other Congressmen believed that the League of Nations interfered with American interests, and so he convinced Congress to reject American participation in the League of Nations.
There were many developments related to World War I leading to the onset of World War II. Below is a list of these developments.
The Treaty of Versailles:
The Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, is considered one of the most punitive treaties in history. It set out to humiliate the Germans at the end of WWI by making them:
- take full responsibility for the war
- pay reparations
- give up land in Europe and all of their overseas territories
Disappointed Victors
Both Japan and Italy had fought alongside the Allies during WWI, but neither was fully satisfied with their rewards from the Treaty of Versailles. Italy had gained more land from the victory, but the treaty did not grant all of its claims. Japan succeeded in gaining control of Germany's former colonies in the Pacific, but Japan's ultimate goal was to gain control of China, and China did not play a role in World War I. The first military activity in World War II would involve Japan attacking China to achieve this goal.
Appeasement Policy
European nations thought it was better to appease German fascists who broke treaty restrictions than to take action. After the terrible World War I, Europe wanted to avoid more fighting. Therefore, no action was taken when Hitler’s forces entered Czechoslovakia.
Depression and Poverty
Europe was unstable between the two World Wars, largely due to economic reasons. Great poverty led people to accept radical change and the promises of fascist dictators like Hitler and Mussolini.
Explain the impact of WWII in terms of the Holocaust, the origins of the Cold War, and the rise of Superpowers. Explain how the collapse of the Soviet Union led to the end of the Cold War and German reunification
The Cold War - Rise of Superpowers
Following WWII, the United States and the Soviet Union began their rise to superpower status. As a result, the struggle for political control throughout the world led to the Cold War. The U.S. and the U.S.S.R. had very different political beliefs. The U.S. was capitalist and the U.S.S.R. was communist. These two forms of government could not peacefully work with one another. Some people place the blame on Soviet leader Joseph Stalin for his need to see capitalism fall and communism rise throughout the world.
Reunification of Germany
After World War II, Germany was split into East and West Germany. East Germany became a communist country. West Germany was a capitalist nation. The Soviet Union built the Berlin Wall along the border between East and West Germany in Berlin. East Germany continued to be heavily controlled by the Soviet Union for many years.
In 1989, the communist country of Hungary opened its border to Austria. Austria was a capitalist country. This allowed people to escape to West Germany without being blocked by the Berlin Wall. Months later, protests began in East Germany. In November 1989, the Berlin Wall was destroyed. This marked the end of the Cold War for many people. It was also the end of a divided Germany. In October 1990, East and West Germany officially reunified.