The Balkans
• Where are the Balkans in Eastern Europe?
1. Physical Geography
Eastern Europe’s landscape is defined by its transition from the Great European Plain to
rugged mountain ranges.
•
Plain
Northern European _______:
A vast, level expanse that makes for excellent
farmland but has historically made the region vulnerable to invasions.
•
Mountain Ranges:
Carpathian
Mountains
o ___________:
A large arc through Central and Eastern Europe.
o
•
Balkans: Rugged mountains in the south that gave the "Balkanization"
process its name.
Waterways:
River
o Danube
_______
River: The "highway" of Central and Eastern Europe, vital for trade
and transportation.
o
Volga River: The longest river in Europe (located in Russia), essential for
irrigation and power.
2. History and Geopolitics
The region’s identity was largely shaped by its experience during and after World War ____.
I started when the prince of the AustriaHowever, this place was where World War ____
assassina
ted
Hungary Empire was _________ (killed).
•
The Soviet Shadow: After WWII, most Eastern European nations became satellite
nations of the Soviet Union. They were technically independent but under heavy
Soviet control. That means many of the Eastern Europe countries had a command
________
communism
economy under _______.
•
The IronCurtain
______: A metaphorical term (coined by Winston Churchill) describing the
division between Western democracy and Eastern Communism.
•
Cold War: A period of political tension between the US-led West and the
The _____
Soviet-led East (1945–1991).
•
1989–1991: The period when Communist governments collapsed, theBerlin
_____Wall
____
Soviet Union
fell, and the _____ _____ eventually ended, leading to the birth of many newly
independent countries. Many of these countries went from a command economy to
market economy.
a ________
•
•
Yugoslaviaalso started to break up in a bloody ethnic and religious war
Former _________
that took place from 1991 to 2001. Finally, after the war, the country of
Serbia Bosnia & Herzegovina,
Yugoslavia broke up intoSlovenia
_______, Croatia
________, ________,
Bosnia
Macedonia, _________.
However,Kosovo
______ is still not recognized by some European
countries like Serbia.
M
catholic
o
3. Economics and Government
Transitioning from one system to another has been the primary challenge of the last 30
years.
Feature
Communist Era
(Command)
Modern Era (Market)
Ownership
Government-owned
farms/factories
Private ownership and entrepreneurship
Pricing
Fixed by the state
Determined by supply and demand
Standard of
Living
Often low; shortages of
consumer goods
Growing, though uneven across the region
Many nations (Poland, Hungary, etc.) joined
EU Integration Isolated from the West
Union)
the EU(European
_____________