In 1900 what was the largest empire in eastern europe

The Qing Dynasty was an imperial dynasty that ruled China from about the mid th century to the early 20 th century. It was the last imperial dynasty in Chinese history before the country became a republic. The origins of the Qing Dynasty, however, were not Chinese, but Manchurian , which is why it is sometimes called the Manchu Dynasty. Manchuria is now the northeast region of China. In the 17 th century, the Manchus conquered China and set up the Qing Dynasty after overthrowing the previous Ming Dynasty.

At its height in the late 18 th century, Qing territory comprised The Spanish Empire was a vast colonial empire covering large parts of North and South America , the Caribbean , and smaller territories elsewhere. It began shortly after the states of Castile and Aragon in the Iberian Peninsula unified and completed what was called the Reconquista of the peninsula, or retaking of the peninsula from the Muslims in the late 15 th century. At its height in the early 19 th century, Spanish territory in North and South America, the Caribbean, Africa , and Asia covered a total of Former Spanish colonies include Mexico , the countries of Central America , and most of the present-day nation-states in South America.

Like the UK, France once held many colonial possessions in all parts of the world. By the end of the war, the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires collapsed and broke into a dozen separate nations. Border s between existing nations, such as Poland and Russia, were entirely redrawn. World War II left about 43 million Europeans dead, including about 6 million who died in the Holocaust. The Holocaust was the mass murder of Jews under the Nazi regime.

World War II also left more than 40 million refugee s, contributed to the independence of European colonies throughout the world, and devastate d the urban infrastructure of many European cities. The relationship between the United States, with a free-market economy , and the Soviet Union, with a communist economy , was known as the Cold War.

The Iron Curtain was an ideological boundary that divided Europe into two blocs—Western countries influenced by the United States, and Eastern countries influenced by the Soviet Union. International economic and military organizations developed on either side of the Iron Curtain.

The United States and the Soviet Union built up huge nuclear arsenal s, with many missiles aimed at targets throughout Europe. The Iron Curtain took on the physical shape of border defenses, walls, and limited diplomacy. The nation of Germany was divided in two. In fact, the most famous symbol of the Iron Curtain was the Berlin Wall , which divided the East German city of Berlin into western and eastern-controlled parts.

The economic and political demise of the Soviet Union led to the end of the Iron Curtain in the late s. During this time, a number of anti-communist revolution s swept central and eastern Europe. These revolutions eventually lead to the end of the Cold War, symbolized by the falling of the Berlin Wall in Contemporary Issues Europe is now broadly defined in the context of the European Union EU , an economic and political body officially created by the Maastricht Treaty in The EU works to create a unified structure for social, environmental, military, and economic policies of its member states.

Today, the European Union is composed of 27 member states, with new members mainly coming from central and eastern Europe. The financial and diplomatic success of the EU has led to its rapid growth across the continent. The euro is one of the strongest currencies in the world. The euro is the second-most popular currency behind the American dollar and is used daily by more than million people. The EU accepts few candidates: member states must maintain a stable, democratic form of government, a free-market economy, and commitment to the rule of law.

The rapid growth of the European Union, however, has caused a number of administrative and political tensions. Strict EU regulations place a heavy burden on developing countries to compete with their more developed neighbors. The global financial crisis , which began around , has caused these tensions to elevate dramatically. The financial crisis is defined by debt and high unemployment. These countries included Greece, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal.

This rescue package has caused tensions to rise between economically competitive countries and the indebted countries that they are helping to rescue. Indebted countries must now deal with strict budget s and declining incomes while more financially stable countries are forcing taxpayer s to help fund the financial rescue.

The status of immigrants is also a source of tension and debate in Europe. Historically, Europe has been a center of immigration. The European Union has established the Schengen Area—a zone where Europeans can travel from country to country without having to show their passports. Some critics argue these attitudes are xenophobic. Xenophobia is an intense dislike or fear of people from other places or cultures.

Two events demonstrate this debate. In , the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons featuring Islam ic subjects. The political cartoons sought to engage in the debate surrounding Muslim extremism. Many Muslim organizations, however, saw the cartoons as bigoted , racist, and insulting. Protests developed across the Muslim world, and demonstrators set fire to Danish embassies in Lebanon, Iran, and Syria.

The debate surrounding the cartoons also intensified strained relations between the Islamic world and the West. In , the French government dismantled illegal immigrant camps throughout France. These camps were mostly populated by Roma, also called Gypsies. Roma are a people and culture native to central and eastern Europe.

In the face of an economic crisis, EU citizens of poorer member countries, such as the Roma of Bulgaria and Romania, often migrate to more developed EU countries in search of work. Developed countries, however, are also facing economic challenges. These nations do not feel an obligation to accept illegal immigrants, seeing them as both a threat and a burden.

Supporters of the crackdown want to stop illegal immigration. Skip to main content. Single Accounts Corporate Solutions Universities. Follow Statista. Description This chart shows the estimated peak land area of the largest empires in history. Download Chart. You will find more infographics at Statista. Opinions plan compulsory education about colonialism and slavery the Netherlands People's opinion on their country hypothetically still having an empire in Level of pride relating to former empires in select countries in Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London.

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