Contemporary Europe

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Contemporary Europe
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Similarities to the USA

• Most are democratic political systems
• Multi-party systems
• Elections
• Representative democracy
• Most are capitalist economic systems
• The Euro the main currency
• Racism and Ethnic Tensions
• The former Yugoslavia
• Parts of France and Germany
• Religious Tensions
• Ireland/Northern Ireland
• Turkey
• The former Yugoslavia

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Dissimilarities to the USA

• Some have monarchies
• Belgium, Sweden, and Spain
• Parliamentary systems of government
• Single currency officially dominates a continent
• More potent density
• Very strong notions about the role of government
  and social welfare

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Major Focal Points Lately

• Iraq
• Major source of contention between the Europeans
  and the Americans
• Germany and France actively opposed military
  action
• Euro vs. The US Dollar
• Turkey and entrance into the EU
• Greek-Cyprus Issue
• France political scandal
• Germany human services policy reform
• Russian Fed Chechnya, jailing of businessmen
  opposed to Putin
• EU Court Battle with Microsoft
• Ireland/Northern Ireland IRA moving into
  organized crime?

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European Politics In General

• EU Parliament
• National Parliaments/Assemblies
• Multi-Party Democracies
• Parliamentary Systems of Government
• Majority Party rules
• Votes of no confidence
• Question Times

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Parliamentary Systems Differ

• Differences in structure depending on which
  country we are talking about
• Some countries have strong, elected Heads of
  State (France)
• Most Heads of State are primarily ceremonial
• Some employ proportional representation

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Western Europe

• Typically more western
• Democratic political systems
• Rule of law
• Stable political systems
• Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy,
  Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland,
  Austria, Switzerland, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro,
  Greece, Cyprus
• Capitalist systems either strongly industrial or
  post-industrial

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Eastern Europe

• Countries that used to be under the Warsaw Pact
• Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania,
  Hungary, The Baltics, Ukraine, Russian Fed,
  Bulgaria
• Ex-communist countries
• Weighed down by sclerotic industrial economies
• Transition to true capitalism (notably, Russian
  Federation)

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Population Trends

• Aggregate Population
• 2000 727 million
• 2005 724 million
• Urbanization
• 2000 529 million (72.7)
• 2005 531 million (73.3)
• Source UN Population Division. World
  Urbanization Prospects The 2002 Revision
  Population Database (http//esa.un.org/unpp/)

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Population Growth Rate

• 2000-2005 -0.09

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Emerging Issues

• Conservatism versus the old welfare state
• Control of the commanding heights
• The Thatcherian revolution
• Immigration given the borderless EU
• College tuition, believe it or not
• Great Britain, France, and Germany