Table of Contents
Theme:
Europe--until recently a backwater--a tiny peninsula where the modern world was invented. [Etymology: Phoenician "Ereb", darkness]
Some general preliminaries:
(1) Europe's incomparable influence over affairs of the world during the last four centuries. Extent of political influence. Influence over economic aspirations. Europe as model of social organization. Languages. Religions. Technology and demography. Contemporary world as European world, despite the collapse of European empires. The "nation-state" as European idea.
(2) Variety within Europe. The 4 Europes.
-- Northern (Atlantic) Europe vs. Southern (Mediterranean) Europe. The reinforcement of political-cultural boundaries with physical difference.
-- The Alps as north-south divider
-- Climatic differences: "Mediterranean" vs. "Marine west-coast" regions. Complementarity between the two regions.
-- Africa begins at the Pyrenees and Africa begins south of Rome are sayings of some age.
The great cultural division between northern and southern Europe: the epochs of European supremacy. (a) Rome, and its enormous importance in European memory. Roads, language, coinage, and religion. Rome as Mediterranean empire.
(b) Atlantic Europe, with its focus near the mouth of the Rhine and Thames. Protestantism and the commercial revolution. "The circle of poverty" with increasing distance from the center. Europe's critical location in the "land hemisphere".
The interdependence between time (history) and space (geography). The idea of a Mediterranean era and an Atlantic era in European history. The gradual migration of power from southeast to northwest. Spain and the United Kingdom as examples of the two periods, and their inordinate influence on the New World. Despite their differences, their extraordinary role as disruptors of traditional patterns all over the world. Germany as the major disruptive force in the twentieth century.
Sub-theme:
"New" nations are often prickly about their status and their legitimacy and work very hard to establish themselves among their peers. There is always a search for symbols to unite the nation. Under the right circumstances, this can involve aggression against neighbors. Germany is an example of this behavior carried to extremes, as is Japan. [Also Italy, Israel, Vietnam . . . Can you think of any others?]
In 1980 and 1990, the U.S. census of population asked a 1:6 sample of the population to indicate their dominant ancestry. For 1990, results for the 10 ten are:
Group Percentage of total population German 23.3 Irish 15.6 English 13.1 Afro-American 9.6 Italian 5.9 American 5.0 Mexican 4.7 French 4.1 Polish 3.8 American Indian 3.5
Jean-Baptiste Duroselle, Europe: A History of Its Peoples. London: Viking, 1990. Translated by Richard Wayne. Written by a Frenchman, this book was subsidized by a European initiative backed by a banker. Published simultaneously in eight European languages, it attempts to convince European readers that shared experiences over the past two millenia bring them together more than their conflicts drive them apart.
"Europe's hard core." The Economist, 21No92, p.77 says "The fast-adjusting economies of Eastern Europe -- Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland -- might be ready to join the hard-currency core of Europe surprisingly soon. Where would this leave France? Talks about potential strain as German-oriented eastern European countries get closer ties with the European Community. French and German interests are opposed.
"East is east and west is west, and what is in the middle?" The Economist, 26De87, pp.51-52. An interesting article on the past, current and prospective reality of a distinctive "middle Europe." Geographical definitions are argumentative: eastern Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland or the above plus Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia. A Polish art historian defines the area as C+M+B (Caspar + Melchior + Balthasar) chalked on house doors to tell you the house has been blessed by a priest for the new year, where ladies get flower bunches with an uneven number of stems and where people use duvets in bed. Roughly that would correspond to the Roman Catholic areas of the old Habsburg Empire.
"France sees integration as answer to view of immigrants as 'taking over'", NYT, 24Mr91, p3. In Birmingham, Frankfurt, Florence or Marseilles this article says, third world communities have become the targets of simmering xenophobia and occasional racist violence. Some ultranationalist groups court popularity by demanding that poor foreigners be forcibly repatriated. So it is not just in Germany that resurgent xenophobia is to be feared!
Letters to the NYT "Albanian population," 6Ap92 by Joseph J. DioGuardi, President of the Albanian American Civic League, "Why 'Republic of Macedonia' incenses Greeks," 12Ap92 by Nicholas Gage, and "For Neighborliness," 8Ap92 talk about problems of the new would be state of Macedonia. They were in response to a piece "'Free' Macedonia faces hostile world," NYT, 1AP92, p.a15 which describes the area thus; "For 1,400 years, the Slavic people who live here in one of the most jealously eyed stretches of territory in the Balkans have had a host of distant conquerors. A strategic crossroads on the land routes that connect the Adriatic to the Black Sea, and Europe to the Middle East, Macedonia was a dominion of the Serbs, of the Ottoman Turks, and of the Nazis in World War II, among others before it became a republic of Communist Yugoslavia in 1944. ...argument traditionally wielded by rival claimants to Macedonian territory. They maintain that its peoples are not properly a distinct nation but belong by language and culture, to one or another, or perhaps all three of the neighboring Slavic states."
Eurostat data: Foreign (non-EC) population, 1989
Number Percent of which
Belgium 332K 3.3 45% North Africans
Denmark 115K 2.3 30% Yugoslava and Turks
France 2460K 4.4 65% North Africans (1985)
Germany 3520K 5.7 65% Yugoslava and Turks
Greece 123K
Holland 464K 3.1 40% Turks, 30% Moroccans
Ireland 17K 0.5 40% Americans
Italy 236K 0.4
Portugal 74K 0.7
Spain 166K 0.4
Britain 1025K 1.8 16% Indians, 13% Americans
"East's historians now facing new burdens," NYT, 24Mr91, p. 1,14. A "kind of mythological view of the pre-Communist period" is replacing old forbidden subjects. A "true" historiography needs to talk about items nationalists are uncomfortable about. They include the Jewish contributions to national life and the fate of Jewish communities, aggression by Poland and Hungary against Czechoslovakia in the 1930s and 1960s and the forced removal of ethnic Germans after WWII.
Lester Thurow, Head to Head: The Coming Economic Battle Among Japan, Europe, and America. New York: William Morrow, 1992. The Dean of the Management School at MIT argues that Europe is most to blame for the rise in protectionism in trade and also feels it is best placed to dominate the world economy in the 21st century. [Why do we focus so much on Japan in these two areas? Is it racism? Or do our elite see the Europeans as more like us, but with even longer holidays and fewer work hours per year?]
"Introducing Walt d'Isigny" The Economist 11Ap92, p.53. Discusses European, especially French fears of American cultural imperialism, focusing on the new Disney theme park in France and its attempts to blunt criticism.
"Next, el sobrepaso?" The Economist nd92. Spain has a very big black economy, where transactions never see the tax man. An estimate says 30 percent of the workers are so employed. Supposedly explains why there is little labor strife despite official unemployment of over 20 percent.
"A bitter split for Albania," NYT 4Ap91, p7. Talks about different voting patterns between cityand countryside and its implication for the country.
"The winds of war, 90's-style," NYT 6No92, p.a28. Talks about "war" with Europe of a new post cold war variety involving trade restrictions.
"Swiss reject tie to wider Europe," NYT 7De92, p.a7. The purest democracy in the world narrowly turned down a government plan to integrate closer with the European Community. The big and dangerous surprise was the split between French speaking Switzerland which was in favor and German speaking Switzerland which was opposed.
"Does America still need NATO," Parade 13De92. Manfred Worner, NATO SecGen notes that without the US, Europe would again become a powder keg. "Twice you fought wars in Europe because you withdrew...It is better to remain -- with reduced forces and with an increased burden for the other 15 NATO members -- so you will not be forced to return a third time."
nt NYT 3De92, p.a12. Austrian Defense Minister, Werner Fasslabend, sounded the alarm in Vienna this month about a "zone of instability like nothing in the past hundred years", that extended from the Baltic to the Black Sea.
"Support independent Macedonia," NYT 15Ja93, p.a26. Advertisement on op-ed page paid for by "The World Macedonian Congress & Friends of Macedonia." Key point: "Stop the immoral policy of Greece, admit Macedonia to the United Nations." Subpoints: 1:Greece is forcing an expanded war in Europe -- only western country and EC member collaborating with Milosevic's Serbia. 2:Greece is not for peace in the Balkans, but is now massing troops on the Macedonian frontier, destabilizing the Macedonian economy by blocking deliveries of food, medicine, etc. Motivation is pure territorial acquisition. 3:Greece is rewriting history; it has no historic claim on Macedonian territory or its name. Only in 1913 in the Balkan wars was Macedonia forcibly partitioned among Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia and for the first time in history Greece took possession of the southern part. 4:Greece is not a democracy, having opposed minority rights of its Macedonians with no freedom of speech, press or religion. Macedonian identity has been totally denied by the Greeks who forbid even the use of the Macedonian language. 5:Greece - and the coming war - is being supported by American dollars; for 45 years American taxpayers have supported Greek governments.
"Revival of a Greek tragedy: Same play, different actors: Does the world need another war," NYT 17Ja93, p.34 is a full page ad in the Metro section of the times. It is a response apparently to the ad above, paid for by "Americans for justice and peace in Macedonia." Starting with a series of negative New York Times reports and U.S. Government statements from 1946 when Yugoslavia's Tito set up the southern part of his country as Macedonia, it justifies Greece's reluctance to see that region recognized as a new nation under that name. To give you a flavor, "...the Skopjan republic clamors for recognition as "Macedonia." Its rhetoric and actions aggravate festering wounds! Echoes of the past ignite faded memories; gruesome visions of a not too distant, all too painful tragedy. ... Same play, different actors! They are after sovereign Greek soil again -- Macedonia! Not just the name. The name is but a ploy to validate the fraud; international recognition of a stolen heritage to endorse longstanding designs on land -- Greek land for 3,000 years, since before Alexander the Great, populated by Greeks."
"Europe's technology policy: How not to catch up," Economist 9Ja93, pp 19-21. Warning for Mr. Clinton. Robert Marjolin, French economist, "The intensification of research in Europe is necessary for psychological, political, and in a certain sense, moral reasons, to prevent the Europeans from losing confidence in themselves." Yet Europe still lacks self confidence and with good reason. The gap since 1980 between Europe, Japan and the US has widened except in a handful of areas such as computer aided manufacturing. Not a shortage of brains. US has 950,000 researchers, Japan 435,000, Europe 580,000. The Europeans produce three times as many scientific publications as Japan. Between 1940 and 1990, Americans won 143 Nobels, Europeans 86, and Japan 5. Basic science is relatively strong. R&D investment differs but not by much: US 2.9 percent, Japan 2.8 percent, Europe 2.0 percent - concealing big differences among countries. Americans and Japanese seem to be better at using the fruits of research. In Europe, science is still seen as culture. Pan-European projects are not very successful: Concorde, even Airbus. Eureka, backed by industry, has as its major benefit making companies think European. Maybe in a world dominated by multinations, regional technological research may be increasingly out of date.
"France jails woman for daughters' circumcision," NYT 11Ja93, p.a8. A Gambian woman was sentenced to 5 years, suspended, for paying a midwife $70 for clitorectomies and infibulation for her two daughters, 1 and 2 years old. The practice is still widespread in Africa and known in France among muslim migrants from Africa. Last year a midwife from Mali was sentenced to 8 years after 3 babies she had worked on bled to death.
The Economist 26Se92, p.56 reported that the new Estonian 5 kroon note shows the town of Ivangorod, currently in Russia. On page 50 it reported on exit polls of French voters who narrowly approved the Maastricht treaty designed to further European integration. Yes voters reasons included: peace in Europe; a desire to continue to build the European Community, and a feeling that a united Europe would compete better against Japan and the United States. No voters cited: fear for loss of French sovereignty; distrust and disgust with the Brussels eurocracy; fear of German domination and a dislike of President Francois Mitterand who had strongly supported the treaty.States.
Some Europe wide tidbits
"Europe warned on ethnic conflicts," Stephen Kinzer NYT 18My93 a6 Jose-Maria Mendiluce, departing as chief of the UN refugee program in former Yugoslavia said his 19 months there had taught him "people can be transformed into hating and killing machines without too much difficulty." The European attitude is that Balkan people are different. But he said that is a dangerous mistake. It could happen in Britain, France, Germany or Spain.
"Tariff cuts advance in new talks," Clyde H. Farnsworth NYT 15My, p.35 talks of new life being breathed into GATT talks by outside tariff cuts. The opening was made by the Japanese.
"The left at a loss," Economist 8My93, p.59 talks of the calling into question the European welfare state as its trading rivals, especially in Asia, do not have the cost of expensive health and welfare programs. It says parties that have dropped old orthodoxies about these programs have fared better politically. Points to Spain's socialists versus Britain's. But "Although socialism looks shattered now, the voters will not remain loyal to conservatism for ever."
"A forbidden fruit in Europe; Latin bananas face hurdles," James Brooke, NYT 5Ap93, p.1 writing from Colombia reports on cutbacks in banana shipments to Europe. There's a 20% tariff on the first million tons(?) and 180% on anything above that. There is a fear this move is another sign of growing protectionism in the EC. Latin America is seen as an American backyard. The European colonial powers have tried in this and other ways to help their former colonies in Africa, the Pacific and parts of the Americas.
UNITED KINGDOM
"Slip me a beak," Economist 24Ap93,p60 discusses a bartering operation that uses a quasi-currency called the beak in Kingston-upon-Thames. Half the members of the club of 75 are "anarchists, hippies, and green idealists" but "normal" people like a postman, a car mechanic and a carpet shop owner are also members.
"Black pride," Economist 24Ap93 p.59 has a header that reads "Twenty-five years after Enoch Powell's notorious 'rivers of blood' speech, race relations in Britain have never been better. Disbelievers, read on." Bitterness over race, it says, although deepseated is mild compared with America's, Germany's or France'
s.
"Our man in Tirana," Economist 13Fe93, p.57 talks about Britain's shrinking diplomatic representation overseas. In Tirana, Albania, offered a pick of grand old villas, the Brits have one diplomat answering to the embassy in Rome and housed in the basement of the French embassy. To reach him, you go through the French switchboard. The British ambassador in Moscow covers 11 countries, including Russia. Britain has fewer overseas missions (214, down fro 243 in 1968) than Italy (260). About 30 posts have been scrubbed in the Caribbean and the Americas and there's diplomatic representation in only 39 of 52 African countries.
FRANCE
"New law in France allows random identity checks," Alan Riding NYT 12Je93, p.2 is an example of tighter laws regarding immigrants. It's one of three pieces of legislation. One is a new law making it more difficult for French born children of foreigners to become citizens. Now it's automatic; it's to be a choice at 18. A coming bill will restrict rights of entry as immigrants or political refugees. It will make it easier to deport such people.
"Provencal herald language revival," Marlise Simons NYT 3My93 A8 The French government has told schools and teachers in regions with indigenous languages to start preparing for bilingual education, fulfilling a promise made 10 years ago. The Western European language bureau, created in 1982 by the EC has many funding requests for a budget of $4.2 million. Only 3 million of 15 million in Provencal speak that language (Occitan per linguists). France has 8 languages and a dozen dialects but has been among the leaders in trying to push linguistic uniformity.
"Chauvin was a Frenchman," Economist 20Mr93, p.53. Jacques Chirac "The GATT farm deal is null and voic, we shall not accept it. If this means a crisis in Europe then crisis there will be." Giscard d'Estaing promised not only to scrap the GATT deal but renegotiate the reforms of the CAP. "Worries about France have been growing for a while, Klaus Kinkel, Germany's foreign minister, has described France's threat to used its claimed veto over the GATT farm deal as 'unacceptable', adding 'Wei've reached a point where our conceptio no longer coincides with that of France." Otto Lamsdorff, President of the Free Democrats, said "The German economy is more important than the quality of our relations with France." The conservative's comments were made before the election and they've been quite accomodating since. Further, the UDF and RPR "have made it clear that they, like the socialists, regard Franco-German relations to be of 'primordial' importance to France."
"Fishermen take arms against a sea of troubles," Alan Riding NYT 1Ap93 p.4 talks of attacks by local fishermen (in Boulogne) on warehouses storing imported fish.
"On fast track to (gasp!) provinces," Roger Cohen NYT 13Fe93 p.4 talks of the move of Ecole Nationale d'Administration to Strasbourg to be completed by the end of the year. It is a potent symbol of the (socialist) government's commitment to decentralization. (It will be interesting to see whether the new conservative government carries out the move.)
"France: Change at last," The Economist, 5Mr94 talks about the turnabout in French foreign policy to a more atlanticist stance. This required a silent but radical reassessment after German reunification tilted the European balance of power away from France.
"Bar English? French bicker on barricades," NYT 15Mr94, p.1 Marlise Simons talks about proposed law facing vote in the National Assembly which would bar foreign words from virtually all business and government communications,r adio and tv, public announcements and advertising messages whenever a "suitable local equivalent" exists in French. Three groups: one sees English as hip and modern, another identifies with the glory of French culture, and the third says the other two exaggerated but that the world's cultural diversity is threatened by advertising speak and standardized products. Proposed replacements for some "franglais":
Airbag=coussin gonflable de protection; fast food=restauration rapide; jumbo jet=gros-porteur; marketing=mercatique; parking=parc de stationnement; popcorn=mais souffle;databank=banque de donnees; cookie=sable americain ...
GERMANY
"Kohl, due in U.S., loses some luster," Craig R. Whitney NYT 25Mr93 Political indecision, ailing economy, says too broke to help Russia any more than it has, struggle with Free and Social Democrats over allowability of sending German troops outside NATO area reducing clout. (British quietly gleeful; Bush had treated Germany as main US ally in Europe but UK only one to fully cooperate.)
NYT 28Fe93, F5 discusses plans of Allianz insurance company to expand in Asia; first german insurer licensed to sell in Japan, a hard act. "The world is evolving into three major economic blocs; Europe, the North American Free Trade Association and Southeast and East Asia."
"Germans plan to make it easier for some to obtain citizenship," Stephen Kinzer, NYT 25Ja93, a8 Tough to become a German citizen if you don't have a cultural link. If your great grandparents left for Russia, you are eligible. (As with Law of Return in Israel.) But even children born in Germany of parents born in Germany aren't citizens automatically if there's no German ancestry. The citizenry law was written in 1913 when there were few immigrants. Germany still doesn't consider itself an "immigrant" country. Current law allows foreigners of 15 years resident (8 if under 23) to apply for citizenship, but it's tough to get. About 10,000 nonGermans naturalized in each of the last few years. Under new proposals, foreigners who've lived in Germany 8 years or gone to school there could be granted citizenship without big expenses or exhaustive background checks. The prospective law would require them to give up their old citizenship. People like the Turks are reluctant to do that because their old government would then not let them inherit land or property in their old homeland.
SPAIN
James Cleugh, Spain in the Modern World, 1953 "Spanish 'liberalism' always has, and always will, represent only a strangely mixed minority of cosmopolitan intellectuals and illiterate opportunists. Spain is not, and never will be a 'democratic' country. In the century preceding its civil war (1936) Spain had three major civil wars, 26 revolutions and 109 changes of government.
ITALY
"Italian party feeds on others' shame," Alan Cowell, NYT 5Ap93, A5 is a discussion of Umberto Bossi's Northern League (formerly Lombard League). Predicted not to get a majority even in the north (it got over 40% in the recent elections) because "it is the league's rough-and=ready expression of northern xenophobia--even racist attitudes towards southerners and immigrants.." The league wants a federal, free market Italy with strict immigration laws, taxpaying citizens and tight fiscal control over money sent south.
NETHERLANDS
"Earth-friendly Dutch homes use sod and science," NYT 7Mr94,p.3 Marlise Simons talks of "environmentally correct" housing in the Netherlands. Ecolonia village/settlement with 110 houses near Alphen aan de Rijn.
RUSSIA
"Climb in Russia's Death Rate sets off Population Implosion," NYT, 6Mr94, p.1. Michael Specter. ..all but stopped having children and death rate rising faster than any other country. Will take a generation to reverse, even according to optimists. Life expectancy of adult men 60 years. Number of children born per woman gone from 2.17 five years ago to 1.4. Deaths exceeded births last year by 800,000.
Bosnia-H
"In a town cleansed of muslims, serb church will crown the deed," NYT 7Mr94,p.1 Roger Cohen. Zvornik has been "cleansed" of its 40,000 prewar muslims. Mayor says Turks destroyed Serbian church there in 1463 when they arrived. Now rebuilding it and claiming this as Serbian land forever and ever. An Ottoman tower that stood on this cliff has been blown up.
Please email comments or suggestions to Jeff Pollock or Dr. A.V. Williams
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All material on these pages are copyright property of Dr. A. V. Williams and Professor P.F.Lewis, Department of Geography, The Pennsylvania State University |
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Please email comments or suggestions to Jeff Pollock or Dr. A.V. Williams
|
All material on these pages are copyright property of Dr. A. V. Williams and Professor P.F.Lewis, Department of Geography, The Pennsylvania State University |
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