Europe in the Contemporary World - Article Example

Europe (European Society) and the Contemporary World Task: Europe (European Society) and the Contemporary World Being among the world’s continents, Europe plays a vital role in determining the state of the contemporary world from different considerations, in the past and currently. The contribution of European societys history to the study of international relations or politics is vast and of immeasurable interest to study. Of appreciated relevance in this study are four remarkable, historic periods in the study of European societies. The period between 600 and 1000 marks the history of European societies in the early ages. Second is the period between 1350 and 1550 that followed, marking the renaissance age. The European societys exploration and conquest that occurred between 1540 and 1650 also contribute, immensely, to this study. The fourth and most recent area explored in the study of European societys contribution to international relations or politics is the iconic age of globalization that Europe experienced since 1980. These four notable historic periods in the study of European societies contribute, in divergent ways, to the international relations or politics in the contemporary world. The spread of Islam was a notable occurrence during the early middle age in Europe (Izzatī & Ezzati 2002, p.153). The Bedouins used camels and horses as their main mode of transport. The creed that the holders of Islam beliefs embraced had contributed to the social unity of the greater Arab tribes on a global scale. The different religious rituals and rules were sources of union. The Christian-Muslim relations and its contribution on international relations were evident in Europe during the early middle age. The civil wars that occurred among the descendants of al-Rahman saw the weakening of the caliphate (Parsons 2010, p.102), for instance. The northern Spain Christian kingdoms, therefore, reigned and expanded to the south because of the weakening of the caliphate. This changed the relations between the Muslims and the Christians in Spain. The emergence of the Frankish rulers occurred at this time in history. This had a considerable bearing on the present political set up of the contemporary world. The Frankish kingdom consisted of what, presently, constitutes France and a potion of Germany to the southwestern part. The Merovingian was notable for providing women opportunities in political leadership. The provision of leadership to women shaped their role in political leadership, in the contemporary world. The early mediaeval culture also cropped up during the early middle age in Europe. This saw emergence of the Carolingian renaissance (Frasseto, M 2003, p.98). During this time, there was the establishment of monastic schools and cathedrals. The involvement of both men and women in evangelism during this period shaped the contemporary world’s religious life, mainly for the Christians. It also boosted their relations on a global scale. The early middle age in Europe is a remembrance for the various invasions and migrations. The Vikings, for instance, migrated from the present day Norway, parts of Denmark and Sweden. They, however, maintained considerable aspects of the Germanic cultures. The Vikings also brought diverse reforms in Eastern Europe. The Slavs also migrated and made a remarkable contribution to the cultures of the places where they settled. The Magyars also migrates, fighting and settled in the present day Hungary. There was, in the early middle age in Europe, political and economic decentralization (Whelan & Laden 2009, p.123). The start of feudalism traces back to this period in history (Slyke 2009, p. 182). Feudalsim formation and emergence had its basis on loyalty rewarded by land. It never had its basis on a concrete way or system of governance. Manorialism also came up during this period. Serfdom occurred, where the serfs were subject to the provisions according to the lord’s court. There was a booming trade of slaves through the Carolingian trade. The Viking raids also dominated the war front, and the number of prisoner slaves went high given the muslin quest for Spain. These landmark events brought considerable changes that dictated the contemporary world’s international politics. Many occurrences during the age of renaissance in Europe have a direct bearing on the international relations or politics in the contemporary world. During this time, Italy had absolute power and resources that saw it accumulate desirable amounts of wealth. Trade was a serious undertaking among the Italians (Willner, Hero & Weiner 2006, p.297). Venice, for instance, was a rich trading center given the boom from overseas trade undertaken through large merchant marines. Trade was an outstanding way through which people from different regions related and interacted. Trade was also a lucrative undertaking in places such as Florence, where merchants loaned money and offered banking services. With the stability of trade, people adopted desirable living, related with diverse cultures and embraced substantial material pleasures. Trade in Europe, therefore, had an influence on international relations. The emergence of political independence notably began in Europe, during this time (Perry, Chase, Jacob, & Laue 2008, p.65) The cities situated to the north of Italy were communes and began to seek political and economic freedom from the nobles. Intellectual reforms also came up during the renaissance period. The rise of humanism came up during this period (Caferro 2010, p. 49). Translation of philosophical writings by scholars started, what would later form the rise of literature. Notable contributors to this noble duty were Francesco Petrarch, a Florentine poet, and others. The Intellectual change that started in Europe during this time affected the international interactions to a plausible extent. Through translations of Latin manuscripts, a number of people learnt philosophical arguments and reasoning. This perfected their social life, on a global scale, through interactions. Another appreciated factor that rose during this time in Europe was education. Humanists started schools where the study of classics could equip students with essential skills. This elevated international relations, on a global scale. The translation of The Courtier into all European languages, for instance, brought influence on the social arena, including the conduct of various groups in the contemporary world. With the emergence of education, political thoughts received a boost. This came up together with civic humanism. Niccolo Machiallelli was among the best civic humanists of the time. The upcoming of civic humanism contributed to the campaign aimed at achieving proper and accountable governance (Clarke & Foweraker 2001, p.756). Such moves constituted a milestone in shaping the international politics. Another development was the coming introduction of Christian humanism. This aimed at deepening the spiritual aspects of life of people and improving their relationship. This later spread outside the European society, advanced and enlightened international relations. The emergence of art among the European society during the renaissance is an indisputable factor. Architecture, paintings, as well as sculpture, were among the arts that developed. Besides the appreciation of cultures through art, it promoted trade. Through such avenues, art promoted interaction among people from diverse cultures and, therefore, promoted international relations in Europe and the contemporary world. The period between 1540 and 1650 saw a number of explorations and conquest by the European society. Such explorations were, later, to impact, immeasurably, on the international relations or politics (Falk 2002, p.193). The European society traded with other areas including the Middle East, Africa and China. The strategic location of the Indian Ocean eased the trade between European society and other parts of the world. That anchored international relations between the European society and others who were traders. The beginning of European expansion began by mid fifteenth century after the effects of the historic Black Death. One notable factor that accompanied the expansion of the European society was the various explorations and technological advancements. Ship building technology as the invention of the caravel was of notable advancements. Such advancements aided navigation across the world, a factor responsible for the improved international relations in the contemporary world through improved trade and interactions of diverse cultural groups. Detailed cartographic knowledge improved vastly in Europe during the period that Europe experienced explorations and conquest. The Portuguese imperialism emerged at this time in history. The conquest had considerable impacts that determine international relations or politics in the contemporary world. Colonial administration was among the effects of the conquest. The Portuguese, for instance, had colonies in Brazil. The corregidores, which formed the judicial and military power, had their introduction at the same time in history. This contributed majorly to the introduction of the judicial system that is necessary as a correctional system, in the contemporary world. The European settlement also had considerable impacts on the lives of the indigenous people. By 1492, America had a sizeable number of indigenous inhabitants. They had divergent cultures and languages. However, after the conquest of parts such as Mexica, the Spanish took away vast lands, for grazing and sugar plantation. Native Americans worked as slaves in the sugar plantations. Sugar was for export to the European market for trade. Such occurrences, because of the conquest of America and the European society, have impacts on the contemporary world. The trade from the export of sugar led to the interaction of a number of people from diverse cultures. The Spanish established systems as the encomienda, a form of slavery. The birth of the global economy is traceable from the European explorations and conquest. The trade promoted the world economy, which was later to determine the political positions and influence of different countries on a global scale. The European societies explorations vastly influenced the relations of different people from diverse cultures from the trade promotion to the other avenues that influenced the relationship of race. It determined the international relations or politics from different facets of consideration. The period from 1980 was an age of globalization, in which, the contribution of the European society to the international relations or politics was, considerably, vital. The 1992 decision by Russian reformers to embrace breakneck liberalization was a tremendous occurrence that affected the economy of the world, at large. Liberalization would later bring a milestone change on international relations and politics given the appreciated reforms that it brought. Economic reconstruction in Europe, the eastern part mainly involved, instigated the change in western electoral politics. Poland was appreciated for its creation of new businesses as part of the economic reforms. This influenced other states, in Europe and internationally, to create avenues as a response to the economic reforms. The acceptance of Poland, Hungary, as well as the Czech Republic as members of NATO, in 1997, challenged others like as Romania (Moore 2007, p. 172). Romania and Bulgaria later struggled and joined the union in 2004. The formation of the European Union also brought a considerable influence on the international relations or politics. Among the the roles of the European Union is the quest to promote peace, in Europe and Internationally (Tocci 2007 p.8). The promotion of peace was among the strategies to ensure amiable conflict resolution among the international community. The European society also received considerable political change, in Europe and internationally. The 2004 EU constitution allowed veto powers to member states. This also brought considerable change to the European and international politics and influence on the contemporary world. The rejection of the constitution led the Treaty of Lisbon. The Treaty of Lisbon, passed in 2009, was a massive boost to the international politics or relations given its promotion of peaceful coexistence. The European society also contributed to the transformation that occurred during the digital age (Selwyn 2005, p.19). The development of the personal computer, for instance, revolutionized the face of international trade that promoted and improved the relations among the international community. The coordination of the EU and the UN affects international relations and politics from different facets. The role of the European society in the creation of a multicultural continent meets a lot of appreciation (Immerfall & Therborn, 2009, p.184). Ethnic diversity in the contemporary Europe is among such priceless roles towards a multicultural continent. The immigration into Europe changed the global ethnic make-up (Haenni 2008, p.4). This forms one of the roles of the European society in changing the international relations. The diversity in ethnic makeup, in Europe, also promotes integration of diverse cultures, literature and arts. The role of Europe in the promotion of human rights remains plausible, to date. The Europeans society has played a significant role in extending social rights. The EU member states remain in the front for channeling for a multicultural, peaceful and united continent, hence, their role in promoting international relations, in the contemporary world. References Caferro, W 2010, Contesting the Renaissance, John Wiley & Sons, New York. Clarke, P & Foweraker, J 2001, Encyclopedia of Democratic Thought, Routledge, New York. Falk, R 2002, Reframing the International: Law, Culture, Politics, Routledge, New York. Frasseto, M 2003, Encyclopedia of Barbarian Europe: Society in Transformation, ABC-CLIO, California. 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