Political Ideologies in Europe: 1900-Present

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Political Ideologies in Europe: 1900-Present The world is an extremely varied place, filled with odd and different views on all sorts of subjects. One of these subjects is the matter of political ideologies and how a country should be lead. One of the prime locations to view this phenomena is in Europe, because of the large number of nations and their closeness to one another. States in Europe have risen and fallen in large numbers since 1900, and their ideologies have come and gone with them. Communism, Capitalism, Fascism, and several other structures of economy and politics have shaped the face of Europe, and it is clearly visible today. For example, different light bulbs were used in the Communist and Capitalist sides of Berlin, creating a visually clear divide along the Berlin Wall. In Ukraine, today a capitalist republic, statues of Vladimir Lenin betray the country’s Soviet past. Old street names in Italy allude to the country’s fascist age with the Axis powers. European political and economic ideologies have changed very much over the past hundred years, but as of recent they are all becoming more and more alike. In 1900, when the story begins, there were 22 sizeable powers in Europe. These were Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Croatia-Slavonia, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britian-Ireland, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway-Sweden, The Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, and Switzerland. Of these, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Croatia-Slavonia, Denmark, Great Britain-Ireland, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway-Sweden, Portugal, Romaina, and Serbia were constitutional monarchies. Russia, Germany and the Ottoman Empire were absolute monarchies, though Russia became constitutional in 1906. Fra... ... middle of paper ... ...area, it is nigh impossible to completely avoid conflict. However, as the years have passed on, Europe has become far less varied in its ideologies, and now consists of constitutional republics. Though once extremely divided, Europe has grown closer as one as time has gone by. References: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. Ball, Terence. "Communism (ideology)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. "Fascism." : The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. "Capitalism." : The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. "Communism." : The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. "Life in Fascist Italy." Life in Fascist Italy. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.

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