AP European HistoryReiney

Name______Date______Period______

Europe: From World War II to Today’s European Union

Viking River Cruises

24:00 minutes

Directions: Answer the questions below as you watch the video. The questions go in order.

1. The European Union is a unique ______and economic partnership between ______different countries. It has around ______million citizens and the combined economy represents about ______percent (%) of the world’s total.

2. The EU we know today works as a ______market with free movement of ______, ______and services from one country to another. There’s a standardized system of ______and most of the EU countries now share a common currency: the ______.

3. Explain the Schengen agreement.

4. The European Parliament is in ______, Belgium….Here, you’ll also find other important EU institutions such as the ______Commission and the European ______. But there’s also a Parliament building in ______and to find the European Central Bank you will need to go to ______, Germany.

5. Many believed that some form of ______integration would prevent the extreme forms of ______that had caused the war and the resulting devastation.

6. The first steps toward achieving European integration happened at the ______Conference in 1945. The participants decided that Germany should be divided into ______zones…Berlin was completely surrounded by ______territory.

7. The U.S. was at the time the only major ______not damaged by war. Under the ______plan, it set out to remove European ______barriers, modernize its ______and make Europe prosperous again.

8. According to the narrators, what were the Americans’ motives behind the Marshall Plan?

9. How did the Soviets (Stalin) react to the Marshall Plan?

10. How did the Soviets eventually control the governments of Eastern Europe?

11. How did Stalin respond to the formation of N.A.T.O.?

12. Explain the purpose and significance of the Benelux Economic Union in 1944.

13. Summarize the Schuman declaration (1950).

14. What was the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC - 1951)?

15. Treaty of Rome (1957) – How did it expand European integration?

16. 1973 – What countries join the EEC?

17. What countries join in the early 1980’s?

18. What was the significance of November 9, 1989?

19. 1992 – Maastricht Treaty – Netherlands – How did this treaty help unify and integrate Europe?

20. What were the benefits of having a single currency, the euro?

21. 1999 - ______countries adopted the single currency, the euro. Euro notes and coins came into circulation ______years later.

22. The European Union also has a unique political system. Explain the duties of each one below:

- Parliament:

- European Council:

- European Commission:

- European Court of Justice

- European Central Bank (Frankfurt):

23. Schengen agreement – some ______million people live within the ______zone.

24. Explain the European Union flag.

25. How many languages are spoken by EU citizens?

26. How does the EU’s population rank worldwide?

27. The EU collectively is the world’s largest ______of goods.

Part II - Go to the European Union website – – and find the following information about the EU symbols:

a) European anthem:

b) Europe Day:

c) EU motto:

Part III- Go to “countries” under the About the EU tab to answer the following:

- What country is the most recent member? When did it join?

- What 5 countries are “candidate countries”?

- Who are “potential candidates”?

Part IV – Look at EU policies: Enlargement at the bottom of the page.

What are the three (3) membership criteria a country must meet to join the EU?

1.

2.

3.