what is a "drunken forest" and what does it have to do with the topography of eastern europe?

Transitions of Eastern Europe later the Cold War

Subsequently Globe War II concluded in 1945, Europe was divided into Western Europe and Eastern Europe by the Iron MantleThe concrete barrier in the class of walls, barbed wire, or land mines that divided Eastern Europe and Western Europe during the Cold War. . Eastern Europe fell under the influence of the Soviet Union, and the region was separated from the West. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, all the Soviet Republics bordering Eastern Europe declared independence from Russian federation and united with the balance of Europe. The transition Eastern Europe has experienced in the final few decades has not been easy; however, most of the countries are at present looking to Western Europe for merchandise and economic development. Cooperation continues betwixt Eastern and Western Europe, and the European Union (Eu) has emerged equally the primary economic and political entity of Europe.

The plummet of Communism and the Soviet Union led to upheaval and transition in the region of Eastern Europe in the 1990s. Each country in the region was under Communist rule. The countries adjoining Russia were in one case part of the Soviet Union, and those countries not role of the Soviet Spousal relationship were heavily influenced by its dominant position in the region. When the Soviet Spousal relationship collapsed in 1991, the bordering countries declared independence and began the process of integration into the European customs. Moldavia inverse its name to Moldova. The countries of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia each bankrupt into multiple countries and, considering of the various ethnic populations, organized around the concept of nation-states. (Run into Section 2.ii.6 "Nation-States and Devolution" for a give-and-take of nation-states.) Czechoslovakia peacefully agreed to separate into two states: the Czech Republic and the Republic of Slovakia. Yugoslavia was non so fortunate.

Most Eastern European political borders resemble ethnic boundaries. Each of the regions in one case resembled nation-states. In principle, Romania is fix apart for Romanians, Hungary for Hungarians, so on. Few are true nation-states because of ethnic minorities located inside their borders, just the countries held on to their common heritage throughout the Communist era. In nearly Eastern European countries, cultural forces have brought people together to publicly support the move to unite and hold onto a heritage that is as old as Europe itself.

Governments that had been controlled by Communist dictators or authoritarian leaderships before 1991 were opened upward to democratic processes with public elections. With the fall of Communism came economic reforms that shifted countries from central planning to open up markets. Under central planning, the governments dictated which products were produced and how many of each were to be produced. The open markets invited individual capitalism and western corporate businesses.

Figure 2.xxx Reforms in Eastern Europe in the 1990s

The power of the country was transferred from the Communist elite to the individual citizen. People could vote for their public officials and could cull businesses and piece of work individually. With the European union looming over the realm, the now-independent countries of Eastern Europe shifted their economic direction away from Moscow and the collapsing Communist state and toward the cadre industrial countries of Western Europe and the EU.

The phase for the transition from communism to capitalism was further prepare by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who began to liberalize the Soviet Union past assuasive multiparty elections and encouraging economic reform and societal openness (concepts known throughout the world by the Russian words perestroika and glasnost, respectively). At the same time, the earth watched as the Chinese authorities violently cracked downward on student protests in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, which strengthened the revolutionary sentiments and intentions of many people in the Eastern bloc, the former Communist countries of Eastern Europe.

Countries of Eastern Europe

Republic of hungary

During the Communist period, Hungary enjoyed a college standard of living than its neighbors. It was probable the marked contrast in daily life between the Communist period and the post-Communist period that influenced the outcome of the 1994 elections, which gave the Hungarian Socialist Party, led by former Communists, an absolute majority in parliament. Many were concerned that Republic of hungary was signaling a wish to return to the by, but instead, all iii principal political parties joined together to work toward the common goals of continued liberalization of the economy, closer ties with the West, and full EU membership.

Economical reforms have not been easy for Hungary and have resulted in a lower standard of living for most people. The removal of regime subsidies, a pillar of Communist rule, led to recession. To avoid massive aggrandizement and attract investment, government financial policies had to be conservative to the point of thrift. Republic of hungary's large-calibration manufacturing and stable government have aided it through the latest global economical downturn.

An important characteristic of postal service-Communist Hungary is its desire to become an agile member of the global community by joining international organizations. In 1990, Hungary was the first Eastern bloc nation to bring together the Council of Europe. In 2004, Hungary joined the European union. In improver, Hungary joined the other international organizations, including the Arrangement for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (Imf), and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Some other endeavour that would not have been possible under the Communist rule was the development of tourism every bit an important economic sector. Budapest's reputation as a urban center of not bad elegance has helped information technology become one of the major tourist attractions in Eastern Europe. Major movie studios have too traveled to the city to film.

Figure 2.31 Parliament Building in Budapest, Hungary, Adjacent to the Danube River

The Czech Commonwealth and the Slovak Republic (Slovakia)

Each land in Eastern Europe has a unlike story to tell regarding its path from communism to independence. Countries such as the Czech republic and Hungary were more than prepared and better equipped to meet the challenges and were early on qualifiers for entry into the Eu. Historically, the region occupied by the modern Czechia was known as Bohemia and Moravia. The Czech Commonwealth and Slovakia were, until recently, part of the aforementioned country: Czechoslovakia, which was created in 1918 from part of the Austro-hungarian empire after World State of war Two concluded. On January ane, 1993, they became two new contained nations. Slovakia is known officially equally the Slovak Republic.

Czechs and Slovaks alike descended from Slavic peoples. The national language of the Czech Republic is Czech, while the official language of Slovakia is Slovakian. Both languages are in the Slavic linguistic family. About 94 percent of the population of the Czech Commonwealth place themselves every bit ethnically Czech. The others are Slovene, Smooth, German, Hungarian, and Roma (Gypsy). Most 86 pct of the inhabitants of Slovakia self-identify as ethnically Slovakian. Hungarians make up the largest minority population, and about ii percent of the population identify themselves as Roma.

Under Communist rule, the standard of living was very high in Czechoslovakia. When marketplace reforms began in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the standard of living declined to some extent. In general, the Czech Republic has more than rapidly and effectively transferred state control of industry to private ownership than has Slovakia. Also, Slovakia was hit harder by the motility away from defense industries, which had employed many people during the Communist period. Unemployment has consistently been college in Slovakia. Slovakia is not as industrialized as the Czech republic but has made strides since independence to provide economical opportunities for its people. Both countries expanded their economical opportunities when they were admitted into the EU in 2004.

The Baltic Republics

The pocket-size Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania transitioned away from their old Soviet connections. After independence, they were quick to wait toward Western Europe for trade and evolution. Most Eastern European countries followed this blueprint. Republic of latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania received their independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Russian federation withdrew its troops from the region in 1994. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the EU welcomed them as members in 2004. They take transitioned to market economies with democratic governments. The people of Latvia, Estonia, and Republic of lithuania rapidly expanded their economic conditions after independence but have been difficult striking past the downturn in the global market in 2008.

Poland

Poland has a long-standing history of working to oppose the Communist domination of its country. The SolidarityMotility in Poland, led by Lech Wałęsa, to organize workers during the Common cold State of war. motion in Poland started out equally an independent trade wedlock in the 1980s but became a lightning rod for political modify in Poland. The Communist Party dominated politics and suppressed any movement to organize labor or the people against the regime. The strength of Solidarity became evident past the 1990 election, when Solidarity candidate Lech Wałęsa won the Poland'south presidential election. Solidarity's victory signified the collapse of the power of the Soviet Spousal relationship and Communism in Eastern Europe. The country has emerged with democratic government and a thriving capitalist economic system.

Since the fall of Communism, Poland left behind its quondam state-directed economy and transitioned to a marketplace economy, in which businesses are privately owned and run. When the Communists controlled Poland, at that place was a strong emphasis on heavy manufacture, and that focus remains alive today. Poland produces cars, buses, helicopters, trains, and heavy military equipment, including tanks and ships. Before the Communists industrialized the Polish economy, it was largely agrarian. Though Poland continues to exist i of Europe'southward leading agricultural producers, with a wide variety of crops and dairy and meat product, it is unable to run across the food demands of its big population. Poland's economy is yet considered to be under development. Reforms, including privatization, must continue before Poland tin adopt the euro, the common European union currency.

Effigy 2.32 Royal Castle Square in Warsaw, Poland

Unemployment has at times presented very significant problems for the Polish economy and society. Unemployment skyrocketed to virtually 20 percent in the early 1990s. The situation improved, just unemployment was however at about fourteen per centum in 2006. By 2010 the situation improved further, and the unemployment rate was around 7 percent. When Poland joined the EU, many people left Poland in search of work. Some of those workers who left have recently returned, equally the employment rate and wages are both increasing substantially.

Moldova

A variety of cultural and social forces provided different levels of civility in the transitions of Eastern Europe. The poor, agrarian economic system of the minor, landlocked country of Moldova provides few opportunities or advantages to grow its economy and provide a stronger future for its people. As a result, young people earning an education or technical skills immigrate to other countries for opportunities or employment.

Republic of belarus

In 1991, independence came to the onetime Soviet Republic of Republic of belarus, only Belarus took a different path from most of the other Eastern bloc countries in that Belarus did not distance itself from its Russian connection. Belarus has consequently experienced disciplinarian governments well into the twenty-showtime century. In this case, Russia and Belarus created a stronger relationship by signing agreements to increase economic integration. Difficulties accept hindered implementation of many of these policies. For one thing, the government of Belarus has been slow to movement toward democratic reforms. In fact, the president has taken on greater authoritarian powers. Some of the personal freedoms that have been granted in other European countries—freedom of the press, free speech, and the right to peacefully get together—are still restricted in Belarus. Equally of 2010, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova accept not been admitted into the European union. Belarus has indicated that it might bring together with the Russian Republic and has non even applied for entry into the EU.

Ukraine

With the largest physical area in Europe, Ukraine is slightly larger than French republic. Its population in 2010 was approximately forty-half-dozen one thousand thousand, and 77 percent of the population is ethnically Ukrainian and 17 percent is Russian. Most of the population live in the industrial regions of the southeast or eastern parts of the state. Though the official language is Ukrainian, many Ukrainians still speak Russian. As is the case with neighboring states, the Eastern Orthodox Church dominates the religious and cultural reflections of the arts, literature, and compages. Christian themes are often reflected in the paintings, books and performances.

The demographic trend in Ukraine follows a design of industrialization with smaller family sizes only continues to have a higher death rate than well-nigh European countries. The country is now losing about 150,000 people per year. The low nascence rates are similar to those of Russian federation and southern Europe. Poor health and babyhood poverty in Ukraine are ii of the primary bug confirmed by the United Nations (UN). In 2010, Ukraine had a negative population growth rate of −0.62 per centum. Fertility rates have been in decline throughout Europe over the past few decades. The average fertility rate in Ukraine is i.ane, one of the world'due south everyman; in Europe equally a whole, the average is near ane.iii. The causes for some of these trends can be attributed to alcoholism, poor diets, smoking, and the lack of medical intendance. The average life expectancy for an adult male in Ukraine is about sixty-two years. In comparison, the average life expectancy for men in France is almost seventy-eight years.

Of the former Soviet Union republics, excluding Russia, Ukraine was far and away the almost important economic component, producing about four times the output of the adjacent-ranking Soviet republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than ane-4th of the overall Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy manufacture supplied steel pipes and raw materials to Russian federation'south oil and mining industry. Ukraine's political relationship with Russia has been complicated since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, just Russia still supplies enormous amounts of natural gas and oil to fuel the economy, and Russia's markets are yet highly integrated with those of Ukraine.

Though Ukraine has transitioned from a Soviet commonwealth to a fully independent land, divisive centrifugal forces have made Ukraine's path to free elections and democratically elected leaders difficult. The land has held political elections, simply they take been challenged or tainted with corruption and accusations of fraud. Today, the country has a democratically elected government and is working toward improving its economic system and creating stability for its people.

Romania

A number of countries of Eastern Europe have fully transitioned from Communist dictatorships to modernistic, integrated economies. Romania is one of those countries. Romania encompasses an area equivalent to the United states land of Minnesota. Its population of 21.5 million people includes two million who alive in Bucharest, the upper-case letter and largest metropolis of the state. The Carpathian Mountains circle Romania, with the Transylvanian Alps to the southward. The Danube River runs beyond the region and creates a natural border with Bulgaria and Serbia earlier flowing into the Black Sea. The Romanian forests are some of the largest in Europe, with well-nigh half (xiii percent of the country) set aside from logging and placed in watershed conservation programs. The integrity of the ecosystems in the Romanian forests provide diverse habitats for plants and animals. Romania claims to have the most European brown bears and about 40 percent of all European wolves living within its borders.

Tourism is growing in Romania. Almost 5 percent of Romania is placed in protected areas, including 13 national parks and 3 biosphere reserves, all of which are bonny to tourists. Tourist attractions likewise include medieval castles as well as historic Transylvanian cities. Rural tourism focuses on folklore and traditions including such sites as Bran Castle, referred to locally equally the castle of Dracula, a mythical person patterned afterward the stories and legends of Vlad Iii the Impaler.

Figure ii.33 Bran Castle Almost Brasov in Transylvania

Romania's Communist dictator, Nicolae Ceauşescu, ruled from 1965 to 1989. The end of his domination came when the government was overthrown by a revolution. Ceauşescu and his wife were arrested and shot to expiry. Even later on his decease, the Communist Political party maintained strong ties to the government until the mid-1990s.

The transition to integrate Romania'southward economy with that of the greater European economy was delayed because of Romania's obsolete industrial infrastructure, established during the Communist era. Since joining the EU in 2007, Romania has developed a stronger export market place with Western European countries. Investments and consumer conviction have fueled the growth of the domestic economy. Romania has worked through a number of difficult issues in its attempts to provide a stable authorities and a growing marketplace economy.

Republic of albania

The southern Adriatic is domicile to the small country of Albania. The rugged mountainous state of Albania has a Muslim majority. Poverty, unemployment, and a lack of opportunities to gain wealth have plagued the land. Albania has even received Communist back up from China. As a result of the state of war in Kosovo, Albania suffered a major setback in its progress toward an improved standard of living and integration with the rest of Europe. When stability is established, Albania tin can progress toward becoming more than integrated with the European economy and raise its standard of living for its people. A parliamentary republic has been installed since the Communist era, and foreign investments have aided in developing updated transportation and power grids.

Bulgaria

Located in the crossroads of the continents, Republic of bulgaria has a major trans-European corridor running through its territory that connects all the way to Asia. The land is habitation to diverse landscapes, which include the sunny Black Sea coast and the higher elevations of the Balkan Mountains, which reach an elevation of ix,596 anxiety. The Danube River flows across the border with Republic of bulgaria on its manner to the Black Sea. Well-nigh one-third of the state consists of plains, which provide for all-encompassing agricultural activeness. Ore and minerals can also exist found in Republic of albania, which has immune the country to gain wealth.

Upon declaring independence from Russia, Bulgaria held multiparty elections. Its economy is emerging, only the transition to a backer system has not been without the difficulties of unemployment, inflation, and corruption. Bulgaria became a fellow member of NATO in 2004 and was accustomed for European union membership in 2007. The transition to a free marketplace economy is all the same in progress, with mining, industry, and agriculture as the master economic activities. Tourism is an emerging segment of the economy that has been gaining international attending in contempo years. The land has a milder climate than the northern states of Eastern Europe and has been marketing itself as a major tourist destination. Principal points of interest include historical monasteries, littoral resorts on the Black Sea, and the capital metropolis of Sofia.

Special Section: A Story of "Yes" and "No" in Bulgaria

Here is an example of cultural differences between the U.s. and Bulgaria. This story is from Elizabeth Kelly, a US Peace Corps volunteer working in Bulgaria (2003–5).

"I'll have java," I tell the waitress at a cafe during my first week in Bulgaria. She shakes her head from side to side. "OK, tea," I say, thinking that possibly there's something wrong with the coffee motorcar. Over again, she shakes her head. "Um. cola?" In one case more, she shakes her head. By now, she'southward looking at me like I'm crazy, and I'm totally confused. Then I recall: A milkshake of the head by a Bulgarian means "aye," and a nod—what the rest of the earth does for "yep"—means "no."

Early on, when I communicated with Bulgarians, it seemed like my caput was moving in ways my brain hadn't told it to. Sometimes I wanted to grab my ears and use them equally controls. Learning a linguistic communication with a completely different alphabet was challenging plenty without trying to figure out whether to nod or milk shake.

When I began educational activity, all this head bobbing made communication in the classroom interesting. Although I had made sure my students knew about this cultural difference on the first day of schoolhouse, we all frequently forgot what we were doing. My students would answer a question correctly or say something actually great, and I'd nod. A second later on, they were trying to alter their reply, since they thought the nod meant they had been wrong. But the confusion went both ways. Sometimes I'd ask a student a yes-or-no question and he or she would answer with a nod or a shake, without saying anything. Not remembering the difference, we'd accept to go through the motions several times before I understood. Often I found myself maxim, "Da or ne—just tell me i or the other!"

I also had to deal with confused colleagues who couldn't figure out why I kept nodding my head while they talked, as if I were arguing with them. In truth, I was but trying to show that I understood and was following along with the story. And then there was the even greater problem of how to act with Bulgarians who spoke English and were aware of the nodding–shaking problem. Was I supposed to nod or shake for "yes" when I was speaking English language with them? And what was I supposed to do when we were speaking Bulgarian? What if nosotros were in a state of affairs where both languages were being spoken? To make matters even more complicated, subsequently going a couple of weeks without any contact with other Americans, we'd finally get together and I'd find myself shaking when I should have been nodding. My head was spinning!

Tuning in to how the people around me communicate has brought me closer to the people and the culture of Republic of bulgaria. And whenever we skid up and forget to control our heads, the laughter that follows brings us together. Luckily, a smile is a smiling the world over.

Source: Peace Corps Coverdell World Wise Schools program. Used by permission.

Old Yugoslavia

A Valuable Lesson in Political and Cultural Geography

The proper name Yugoslavia, practical to the region along the Adriatic in 1929, ways Land of the South Slavs. From 1918 to 1929, the region had been called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. Non-Slavic populations surround Yugoslavia. The region's core is mountainous. The Dinaric Alps, with the highest peak at just below nine thousand feet in elevation, run through the center of the Balkan Peninsula. The rugged mountains separate and isolate groups of Slavic people who, over time, have formed dissever identities and consider themselves dissimilar from those on the other sides of the mountain ridges. Singled-out subethnic divisions developed into the Slovenes, Macedonians, Bosnians, Montenegrins, Croats, and Serbs, with various additional groups. These differences led to conflict, partitioning, and state of war when the breakdown of former Yugoslavia began.

Earth War I started in the metropolis of Sarajevo, Bosnia, when a Serb advocate assassinated Archduke Ferdinand of the Republic of austria-Hungarian Empire. In the next conflict, Earth War II, there was also divisiveness inside Yugoslavia: Republic of croatia sided with Nazi Germany, but Serbia was an marry with the Communist Soviet Union. The region of Bosnia, with a Muslim majority, faced religious opposition from its mainly Christian neighbors. A grouping headed past Marshal Tito (a.k.a. Josip Broz) led Yugoslavia subsequently World War II concluded in 1945. Tito created a Communist state that attempted to retain its own make of neutrality between the Warsaw Pact nations led by the Soviet Matrimony and the NATO nations of the West.

Tito was a centripetal force for the region of Yugoslavia. For over twoscore years, he held the many ethnic Slavic groups together under what he chosen Brotherhood and Unity, which was actually the threat of animal war machine strength. It appears to take been effective. The 1984 Wintertime Olympics were held in Sarajevo as witness to the progress and unity of Tito'due south Yugoslavia. At the aforementioned time, Yugoslavia started manufacturing a model of automobiles called the Yugo. While the Yugo was not in the same league as loftier-terminate European luxury cars, the ability to brand and purchase automobiles was a testimony to the rising industrial level of the Yugoslav economic system. This progressive trend, unfortunately, was not to last.

Effigy two.34 The Balkan Peninsula and Erstwhile Yugoslavia

Macedonia is officially called the Former Yugoslav Republic of macedonia (FYROM) because of a name conflict with Greece. Albania is an independent country and was never a part of Yugoslavia.

Tabular array two.3 Status of States in Former Yugoslavia

Country	Year of Independence	Organized religion	Population	Size (Sq. Mi.)	Earth War 2 Ally
Slovenia	1991	Catholic, 57%; Muslim, 2.iv%;Orthodox, 2.3%	2 million	vii,827 (most the size of Vermont)	—
Republic of croatia	1991	Cosmic, 88%; Orthodox, iv.4%; Muslim, 1.3%	4.five million	21,831 (nearly the size of Due west Virginia)	Nazi Frg
Bosnia	1991	Muslim, 40%; Orthodox, 31%; Catholic, 15%	four million	19,741 (most the size of West Virginia)	—
Serbia	2006	Orthodox, 85%; Muslim, iv%; Other, 10%	10 1000000	29,915 (about the size of South Carolina)	Soviet Union
Kosovo*	2008	Muslim, xc%; Orthodox, 9%	1.8 1000000	iv,203 (about the size of Connecticut)	—
Macedonia	1991	Orthodox, 67%; Muslim, thirty%	2.i million	9,781 (virtually the size of Vermont)	—
Montenegro	2006	Orthodox, 74%; Muslim, 18%; Catholic, 3.5%	678,177	5,423 (virtually the size of Connecticut)	—
*Note: As of 2008, Kosovo was non accepted past the Un. Its status is pending.

The Breakdown of Former Yugoslavia

Tito died in 1980. The unity that had helped concur the country together began to intermission down in the early 1990s with the Soviet Wedlock's plummet. With the dual loss of the Soviet Union and Tito's strong policies as centripetal forces, the power struggle for authorization amidst the various ethnic groups began.

In 1991, Slobodan Miloševik began pushing for the nationalistic goal of uniting all the ethnic Serbs that lived in the various parts of Yugoslavia into a Greater Serbia. The efforts were not approved or supported past the Un, which rejected Yugoslavia for membership in 1992. At that time, Kosovo and Montenegro were part of the Serb state. Miloševik showtime sent the Yugoslav military to Kosovo to take control from the majority Albanian population and secure the region for Greater Serbia. Fearing war, Slovenia, Croatia, and Republic of macedonia declared independence in 1991. Yugoslavia was breaking up.

Miloševik and so moved into Croatia to secure Serb areas for his Greater Serbia. After a cursory merely bitter war between Serbia and Croatia, the United nations stepped in to halt the conflict. The first signs of indigenous cleansingThe forced removal of i people by another through armed force. were reported during this conflict. Serb military units would roll into a town or village and merits it as a Serb-only location. The Croats and any other people living there were forced to exit. Reports of assaults on women and the systematic killing of men of fighting historic period were documented. Sadly, ethnic cleansing began to be reported on all sides of the war. The bitter hatred betwixt Croats and Serbs, which had been handed down from the Globe War II era, surfaced for a new generation. After the UN stopped Miloševik in Croatia, he turned to the Serb areas of Bosnia to aggrandize his Greater Serbia. Bosnia immediately alleged independence and was canonical by the UN in 1992.

The biting battle for Bosnia extended from 1992 to 1995, and Europe wondered if the Bosnian war would develop into World War 3. The region of Bosnia included people of Serb, Croat, and Bosnian indigenous backgrounds. Bosnia bankrupt up forth indigenous lines. The Serb grouping supported Greater Serbia; the Bosnian grouping wanted independence. In March 1994, the Croat group signed an understanding joining with the Bosnian group against the Serbs. In 1995, with strong pressure from Europe and the United States, the warring groups signed a peace agreement known as the Dayton AccordAn agreement reached by leaders of former Yugoslavia to end the war in Bosnia. , named later a meeting in Dayton, Ohio. The Dayton Accord accepted Bosnia'southward borders and supported the cosmos of a unity authorities that was democratic and included the multiethnic groups. The country of Bosnia was divided into three parts: Serb, Croat, and Bosnian.

Figure ii.35 Street Checkpoint in Kosovo in 2004

Source: Photo courtesy of US Armed services.

Military forces continue to monitor and secure the regions of Bosnia. Portions of Bosnia under Serb control have declared themselves the Republic of Srpska and take attempted to create their ain nation-state. The remaining territory of Bosnia (51 percent) consists of a joint Bosnian/Croat federation. Both regions have sublevel governments inside the formal country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Herzegovina is a small region extending from the city of Mostar to the southern border with Montenegro. In June of 2006, the region of Montenegro alleged itself independent of Serbia. Montenegro uses the euro as its currency and has applied for WTO membership. Montenegro has privatized its main industries and is soliciting a tourism industry.

The State of war for Kosovo

Yugoslavia, under the leadership of President Miloševik, sought to ensure that Kosovo would never exit the umbrella of Greater Serbia. The i.viii million Albanian Muslims who lived in Kosovo constituted 90 percent of the population by 1989. They did not desire to alive under Serb control. Serbia claimed that Kosovo was the heart of the Serb Orthodox Church and the cradle of the medieval Serbian Empire. The celebrated battles confronting the Islamic Turkish Ottoman Empire in Kosovo have been memorialized in Serb tradition and history.

The main opposition to the Serb power structure in Kosovo in the early 1990s was the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Many in the KLA wanted an independent Kosovo and an alliance with Republic of albania. In 1998, Miloševik sent troops into areas controlled past the KLA. The civil war in Kosovo between Serbs and Albanian Muslims was devastating the region and creating thousands of refugees. The tension, hatred, and massacres by both forces farther complicated the peace procedure. In March of 1999, NATO implemented a unified mission, called Performance Centrolineal Force, to force Miloševik to discontinue the ethnic cleansing entrada and end the violence in Kosovo.

In June of 1999, Miloševik yielded to a peace agreement that brought Kosovo under the auspices of the UN and NATO forces, removed the Serb military, and allowed for the safe render of over eight hundred chiliad refugees from Albania, Montenegro, and Macedonia. Miloševik lost his bid for the presidency in the elections of 2000, was arrested for crimes against humanity in 2001, and was transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague, the netherlands. The charges brought against him included ethnic cleansing and torture. He died in 2006 while in custody before the trial concluded.

Effigy 2.36

The wars in old Yugoslavia were fueled past strong cultural forces.

NATO forces continue to exist stationed in Kosovo to keep the peace and work toward restoring society. After much negotiation between the Un and regional entities, the Kosovo Assembly declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. Serb officials overwhelmingly opposed Kosovo'south independence, as they had in 1991. Kosovo'southward condition is now pending in the UN.

Conclusion of Former Yugoslavia

Kosovo and the independent republics of one-time Yugoslavia provide an splendid report in the dynamics of ethnicity, culture, and political geography. The lessons learned from this region could exist applied to many other areas of the world suffering similar conflicts, such as Chechnya, Iraq, Transitional islamic state of afghanistan, Rwanda, Congo/Zaire, or East timor. Former Yugoslavia represents an example of how divisive centrifugal and devolutionary forces can atomic number 82 to nationalism and eventually to state of war. The drive toward a nation-state has fueled nationalism and conflict in the Balkans. The ceremonious wars within quondam Yugoslavia have toll thousands of lives and destroyed an infrastructure that had taken decades to build. Geographers have chosen Eastern Europe a shatterbeltRegion with political fracturing and splintering such equally Eastern Europe. considering of the conflicts and divisions that have occurred there.

In spite of the problems with the transition in Eastern Europe, the region has still seen enormous economic gains. Even Slovenia, once office of former Yugoslavia, has rebounded with strong economical growth. Many of the progressive Eastern European countries have been accustomed into the Eu. The map of the EU includes many of the developing Eastern bloc countries. Eastern Europe has experienced many transitions throughout its history. The transition from communism to capitalism is only ane part of the geography and history of Eastern Europe.

Key Takeaways

• Subsequently Globe State of war II ended in 1945, Europe was divided into Western Europe and Eastern Europe by the Fe Curtain. Western Europe promoted backer democracies, and Eastern Europe came under the Communist influence of the Soviet Matrimony. Afterward the plummet of the Soviet Union in 1991, Eastern Europe began to transition toward Western European ideals.
• Eastern Europe has been shifting toward democratic governments, open market economies, private ownership, and the EU rather than the old Soviet Union.
• Countries with stable governments and industrial potential have been accepted into the EU and have expanding economies. Other countries that have not reached that level of economic evolution or political reforms have not been admitted into the European union.
• The transition of sometime Soviet republics to capitalist systems has not been without difficulties, including unemployment, aggrandizement, abuse and crime, and poverty. Political infighting has been evident in the transitioning countries that do not yet have a stable democratic government or economy.
• The breakdown of former Yugoslavia was an example of how potent devolutionary forces can promote nationalism resulting in open war. The once stable country of Yugoslavia split into 7 dissever countries patterned after the nation-land concept. Bosnia remains the most various state, with a bulk Muslim population.

Discussion and Study Questions

1. What were four of the chief reforms that occurred in Eastern Europe with the collapse of the Soviet Union?
2. Which Eastern European countries were once members of the Soviet Matrimony?
3. What factor has most heavily influenced well-nigh of the political boundaries of Eastern Europe?
4. How would the change from cardinal planning to open markets influence the utilise of natural resource?
5. Which countries of Eastern Europe are members of the Eu?
6. How did the larger Slavic population of onetime Yugoslavia v hundred years ago go the existing subgroups of the Slovenes, Croats, Bosnians, Montenegrins, and Serbs?
7. Why was Slobodan Miloševik and then determined to proceed the region of Kosovo under Serb control?
8. What was the purpose of ethnic cleansing in one-time Yugoslavia?
9. What function did religion play in the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo?
10. Why would the United States be so concerned almost the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo—and so much so that the The states spent billions to help end the war and then billions more to keep the peace and rebuild the region?

Geography Exercise

Identify the post-obit cardinal places on a map:

• Adriatic Body of water
• Republic of albania
• Baltic Ocean
• Republic of belarus
• Black Sea
• Bosnia
• Croatia
• Czech Commonwealth
• Estonia
• Hungary
• Kosovo
• Latvia
• Republic of lithuania
• Macedonia
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• Poland
• Romania
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Ukraine

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Source: https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_world-regional-geography-people-places-and-globalization/s05-05-eastern-europe.html

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