Europe emerged as the site of a distinct civilization after the fall of the RomanEmpire? (c. 400-500 AD), separated from the rest of the Meditteranean by the Byzantine and Islamic cultures. Huge amounts of technology and learning were lost, and people returned to local agragarian communities.
The first substantial new development was the appearance of the HolyRomanEmpire? around 800 AD. The subsequent period saw the growth of FeudalIsm?, the development of the CatholicChurch? as a major power, and the first signs of new learning began to appear. By the end of the MiddleAges, powerful NationStates? had appeared and began conquering wide portions of the world.
Philosophy, science and technology developed rapidly throughout. The church broke up and semi-secular governments started developing. In the FrenchRevolution?, people made a significant attempt to create a new government based on freedom and equality, instead launching the NapoleonicEra?. Napoleon also destroyed the HolyRomanEmpire?, leaving Germany and Italy to develop into nation-states by 1900.
The twentieth century saw the massively overdone world wars, which ended the pre-eminent position of Europe. Thereafter it was a zone of contention between the world-powers of AmericA and the SovietUnion, which have only just finished.
See also: HistoryGermany
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