UNIT 5 FRQ (actually)

The Positive and Negative Effects of NATO and the European Union.

• Positives of NATO: Protection agency- if anybody attacks one state, all the other states get behind them

• Negatives of NATO: Scares Russians that so many people are against them, Russians start building up their military to be threatening and potentially do something stupid. The more countries near Russia that join NATO, the more tension there is

• Positives of EU: Trading with each other prevents fighting (especially after WW2), open borders which makes things more united, same currency (euro) which makes things more united, good for trading and tourism, jobs/land in other countries, other countries in the EU can help if a country is economically struggling

• Negatives of EU: People can take weapons, drugs, terrorists and criminals can escape, etc

Examples of Devolution in Czechoslovakia and Catalonia 

• Czechoslovakia

  • What happened: The Slovaks believe that the Czechs are the bigger/stronger ethnicity and that they are considered “under” them (which they don’t like).

  • Devolutionary factors: Ethnic seperatism, social problems

  • Aftermath/Impact: While the split was very peaceful and the two countries remained friends afterwards, the public did not want Czechoslovakia to split and many believe that the government did it without their permission for the government’s own benefit.

• Catalonia

  • What happened: Catalonians have a distinct language and culture that they feel is separate from Spain and want to be independent (ethnic seperatism), and they pay a lot of taxes that go to other regions of Spain instead of benefiting them (economic problems). Catalonia is a very rich area and Spain does not want them to go.

  • Devolutionary factors: Ethnic seperatism, economic problems

  • Aftermath/Impact: Catalonia would have to apply for a European Union membership if it became a state, which would take years. Catalonia depends on Europe and it would be hard to have that separation.

Yugoslavia Balkanization

• What happened: Growth of nationalism in absence of strong, unifying government

• Devolutionary Factors: Ethnonationalism, Ethnic separatism, Economic & social problems

• Impact:Yugoslavia violently balkanized along ethnonational lines; all sides engaged in ethnic cleansing (and, in some cases, genocide); destruction of cities during war; NATO intervened to end conflict; Yugoslavia broke up into several new states

• SIDE A:Serbians

• SIDE B:Croatians (& Albanians, Macedonians, etc.)