Eastern Europe

Countries that make Eastern Europe SerbiaKosovoLatvia MontenegroCzech RepublicLithuania BosniaPolandBulgaria HerzegovinaHungary CroatiaSlovakia SloveniaUkraine MacedoniaEstonia

Ethnic Groups East SlavsWest SlavsSouth Slavs UkrainiansPolesSerbs RussiansCzechsCroats BelarusiansSlovaksSlovenes Macedonians

languages  Slavic Languages: Polish and Czech  Baltic Languages: Latvian and Lithuanian.

Geography impacts  Fertile soil and ample water sources in Ukraine and Poland. Continental climate has led to some what mild climate. Helping these areas to support large populations of people.

Major events that have influenced the development of these different ethnic groups.

Slavic Migration and Expansion  Slavs migrated from Asia settling in Ukraine and Poland.  400 AD and 500 AD Germanic groups and Slavs begin moving westward and southward.  Slavic Czechs settle Bohemia by 500 AD.  Slavs settle Moravia by late 700 AD.  Great Moravian empire formed uniting much of central Europe.

Balkan Peninsula  Slavs establish various states: Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia.  Ruled by Ottoman Empire ruled this area for 500 years, starting in 1400.

East Slavs  Settled in Forests and plains of norther-central Ukraine and Southern Belarus, due to Asian invasions from the east.

Romania  Lands between Carpathian Mountains and Danube River conquered by Romans.  Customs and language led to the creation Romania.  Frequent invasions prevented Romania from being unified until 1100 AD.

Major events that brought about change in Eastern Europe.

Balkan Slavs overthrowing Ottoman Empire.

Balkan Slavs  Uniting the states of the Balkans proved to be challenging.  Balkanization- the division of a region into smaller countries that are often hostile with each other.  Balkan Wars.

World War 2  Eastern Europe was the site of many battles during World War 2.  Under ground group of Yugoslavians fought against Germans.  After war Yugoslavia emerged as a communist country.

Cold War  Because of political and ideological differences of Western European Powers and Russia, the world fell into the Cold War.  Eastern European countries fell under Soviet Control.  Most countries formed the WARSAW pact.

Ethnic Cleansing  In 1990’s Yugoslavia divided over ethnic lines.  Some republics declared independence, and ethnic hatreds parked violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.  What followed was a policy known as “ethnic cleansing”, the killing of rival ethnic groups in the areas.  International peacekeeping efforts, however, have enabled many refugees to return to their homes in these areas.

Religions  Roman Catholic  Eastern orthodoxy  Islam