Essay Example on Europe is arguably the most historically influential Continent

Europe is arguably the most historically influential continent despite being the second smallest continent on the planet Europe's geographical features including the Great European Plain and extreme accessibility to waterways made it an optimal place for settlement farming trade and development Europe is a peninsula made up of other peninsulas which include the Iberian Balkan Italian Scandinavian and Jutland peninsulas Europe is surrounded by multiple access points by water including the Arctic and Atlantic oceans and the Mediterranean Black and Caspian seas The continent s boundaries extend from Iceland to Portugal in the west to the Ural Mountains in Russia to the East and from the chilly arctic waters up north by Norway Sweden and Finland to the warm southern Mediterranean waters by Spain Italy and Greece Europe's mild climate and natural resources of iron ore and coal helped Europe develop into an industrial powerhouse up until the 20th century Europe's international prowess with economic social and cultural influence eventually led to conflict in this hot zone Europe was the setting for two of the most devastating wars in the history of the world World War I and II These wars were the result of constant conflict over resources territories access to waterways and power and notoriety After these bloody disputes attempts for peace were made but as the story goes what is best for governance is not always what is best for the governed Post World War II Europe saw a high influx of migrants and refugees that was being bolstered by the high rates of employment opportunities 

The east and west showed signs of integration as the Soviet Union and Communist regimes collapsed during this time But it was Nationalism that was still a constant threat and attempted to stop such integration Hyper nationalist movements began to manifest due to the movement of refugees such as the Yugoslavians from Communist oppression and genocides such as the one suffered by Armenians Additionally the push for the Euro as a single currency and a single European government threatened growing anti supranationalist groups who saw this as an attack to their sovereignty and cultural identity A cycle of financial crises beginning with the corrupt Greek economy put into question the effectiveness of a United Europe And again migrants became a scapegoat for the unstable European economy due to the rising rate of unemployment and European recession Opposition to unification peaked as right wing parties gained a political offices thus swaying policies towards more conservative and austere measures that would further cripple the economies of EU nations like Greece and Spain Due to the anti immigration and Islamophobic sentiments that have been resonating with conservative nationalistic European political parties and their followers there has been a call for tougher and expansive immigration and nationalistic policies These sentiments lead to the controversial decision by Britain to leave the European Union in 2016 Europe is at a moment in its history where it can come together for the good of each other and the union or destroy the union at the whim of emboldened nationalistic tendencies