History of Europe in Timeline
Europe is a continent in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, bordered by the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea, sharing a landmass with Asia (Eurasia) and Africa (Afro-Eurasia). Its eastern boundary with Asia is generally defined by the Ural Mountains, Ural River, Caspian Sea, Caucasus Mountains, Black Sea, and Bosporus Strait.
1900: European population reaches 400 million
By 1900, Europe's population increased to approximately 400 million people.
1906: Use of Kuma-Manych Depression as Boundary
As early as 1906, the boundary along the Kuma–Manych Depression was commonly used in Russia and the Soviet Union as a border.
1912: Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars occurred in 1912-1913 and marked the end of Ottoman rule in the Balkans.
1913: Peak Share of World Population in Europe
Around the year 1913, the share of the world population living in Europe reached a peak of slightly above 25%.
1913: Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars occurred in 1912-1913 and marked the end of Ottoman rule in the Balkans.
1918: End of World War I
World War I concluded in 1918, leaving over 16 million civilians and military personnel dead and resulting in the mobilization of over 60 million European soldiers.
1922: Mussolini's Fascist Government and Atatürk's Turkish Republic
In 1922, Mussolini established a one-party fascist government in the Kingdom of Italy, and Atatürk's Turkish Republic adopted the Western alphabet and state secularism.
1929: Wall Street Crash
The Wall Street crash of 1929 contributed to the worldwide Great Depression.
1932: Confiscations of grain by Soviet authorities
In 1932, under Stalin's leadership, confiscations of grain by the Soviet authorities contributed to the second Soviet famine which caused millions of deaths.
1933: Hitler Becomes Leader of Germany
In 1933, Adolf Hitler became the leader of Germany and initiated plans to build Greater Germany.
1933: Jewish population in Europe
In 1933, there were about 9.5 million Jewish people in Europe, representing 1.7% of the population.
1933: Confiscations of grain by Soviet authorities
In 1933, under Stalin's leadership, confiscations of grain by the Soviet authorities contributed to the second Soviet famine which caused millions of deaths.
1935: Germany Re-expands
In 1935, Germany began to re-expand and took back the Saarland.
1936: Germany Takes Back the Rhineland
In 1936, Germany re-expanded and took back the Rhineland.
1937: The Great Purge
In 1937, Stalin was responsible for the Great Purge of 1937–38 in which the NKVD executed 681,692 people.
September 1939: German and Soviet Invasions of Poland
In September 1939, Germany invaded Poland on September 1st, prompting France and the United Kingdom to declare war on Germany on September 3rd, starting World War II in Europe. On September 17th, the Soviet Union attacked Poland, leading to Poland's fall.
1939: Germany Splits Czechoslovakia
In early 1939, Germany split the remainder of Czechoslovakia into the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and the Slovak Republic.
May 1940: Germany Attacks France
In May 1940, Germany attacked France through the Low Countries as part of World War II.
June 1940: France Capitulates
In June 1940, France capitulated to Germany during World War II.
December 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor led to the United States entering World War II as allies of the British Empire and other allied forces.
1943: Battle of Stalingrad
In 1943, after the Battle of Stalingrad, the German offensive in the Soviet Union turned into a continuous fallback.
1945: Fall of Berlin
In 1945, Berlin fell, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe.
1947: Founding of the Free Territory of Trieste
In 1947, the Free Territory of Trieste was founded with the UN.
1948: Founding of the Council of Europe
In 1948, European integration advanced institutionally with the founding of the Council of Europe.
1948: Berlin Blockade
The Berlin blockade took place in 1948 and 1949, marking one of the great international crises of the Cold War.
1949: Founding of the Council of Europe
In 1949, the Council of Europe was founded, inspired by a speech by Sir Winston Churchill, with the goal of unifying Europe to achieve common goals.
1949: Berlin Blockade
The Berlin blockade took place in 1948 and 1949, marking one of the great international crises of the Cold War.
1954: Dissolution of the Free Territory of Trieste
In 1954, the Free Territory of Trieste, founded in 1947 with the UN, was dissolved.
1957: Treaty of Rome establishes the European Economic Community
In 1957, the Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community (EEC) among six Western European states, aiming for a unified economic policy and common market.
1958: Soviet Geographical Society Formal Recommendation
In 1958, the Soviet Geographical Society formally recommended that the boundary between Europe and Asia be drawn in textbooks from Baydaratskaya Bay, on the Kara Sea, along the eastern foot of Ural Mountains, then following the Ural River until the Mugodzhar Hills, and then the Emba River; and Kuma–Manych Depression.
1961: Construction of the Berlin Wall
The construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 was one of the great international crises of the Cold War.
1975: Dissolution of the Free Territory of Trieste
In 1975, the Free Territory of Trieste, founded in 1947 with the UN, was dissolved.
1989: Increased trade between East and West after 1989
After 1989, trade between East and West, as well as towards Asia, increased sharply following disruptions caused by the two world wars, new borders, and the Cold War.
1989: Fall of the Berlin Wall
In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, symbolically representing the end of the Cold War and leading to the reunification of Germany. This event opened up previously interrupted cultural and economic relationships and allowed previously isolated cities to become central again in Europe.
1989: Revolutions of 1989, Fall of the Berlin Wall, and Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The Revolutions of 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union marked the end of the Cold War divide in Europe. This allowed European integration to advance significantly.
1990: Reunification of Germany
After East and West Germany were reunited in 1990, the economy of West Germany struggled as it had to support and largely rebuild the infrastructure of East Germany, while the latter experienced sudden mass unemployment and plummeting of industrial production.
1990: European Community expanded to 12 members
Until 1990, the European Community was expanded from 6 founding members to 12.
1991: Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the European Union has been expanding eastward, marking a significant shift in the continent's political landscape.
1991: Post-socialist states implement free market reforms
With the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe in 1991, the post-socialist states underwent shock therapy measures to liberalise their economies and implement free market reforms.
1993: Establishment of the European Union
In 1993, the European Community transitioned into the European Union (EU), which established a parliament, court, and central bank, and introduced the euro as a unified currency.
1999: Eurozone formed
In 1999, 12 of the 15 members of the EU joined the Eurozone, replacing their national currencies by the euro.
2004: Central European countries join the EU
In 2004, Central European countries began joining the European Union, expanding the EU.
2004: Number of distinct peoples of Europe counted
In 2004, Pan and Pfeil counted 87 distinct "peoples of Europe", of which 33 form the majority population in at least one sovereign state, while the remaining 54 constitute ethnic minorities.
2005: EU net gain from immigration
In 2005, the EU had an overall net gain from immigration of 1.8 million people. This accounted for almost 85% of Europe's total population growth.
2008: Eurozone recession
In 2008, the Eurozone went into recession, according to figures released by Eurostat in 2009. This recession affected much of the region.
2008: Europe's wealth surpasses North America
In 2008, the economy of Europe was the largest on Earth and the richest region with over $32.7 trillion in assets under management, surpassing North America's $27.1 trillion.
2009: Eurozone recession
Figures released by Eurostat in 2009 confirmed that the Eurozone had gone into recession in 2008. The recession affected much of the region.
2009: Europe remains the wealthiest region
In 2009, Europe remained the wealthiest region, with its $37.1 trillion in assets under management representing one-third of the world's wealth.
2012: EU-27 unemployment rate
In 2012, the EU-27 unemployment rate was 10.3%. For those aged 15–24 it was 22.4%.
2013: Expansion of the EU to 28 countries
By 2013, the European Union had expanded to include 28 European countries, further solidifying its position as a major economic and political power.
2014: Start of the Russo-Ukrainian War
In 2014, the Russo-Ukrainian War began.
June 2016: Referendum on EU membership
In June 2016, the United Kingdom held a referendum on its membership in the European Union, which led to the decision to withdraw from the EU.
2016: Europe's GDP per capita
According to a 2016 International Monetary Fund assessment, Europe's GDP per capita is US$21,767.
2016: Income inequality in Europe
In 2016, the richest 20% of households in Europe earned over five times more than the poorest 20%.
2018: Richest European country in terms of nominal GDP
In 2018, Monaco was the richest country in Europe in terms of nominal GDP, with US$185,829 per capita.
2019: Poorest European country in terms of nominal GDP
In 2019, Ukraine was the poorest country in Europe in terms of nominal GDP, with US$3,659 per capita.
January 2020: United Kingdom withdraws from the EU
In January 2020, the United Kingdom officially withdrew from the European Union following a June 2016 referendum on EU membership.
2020: Europe hosts the highest number of migrants
In 2020, Europe was home to the highest number of migrants of all global regions, with nearly 87 million people, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
2020: Jewish population in Europe
In 2020, the Jewish population in Europe was about 1.4 million people (about 0.2% of the population).
2021: Citizenship granted in EU member states
In 2021, 827,000 persons were given citizenship of an EU member state, an increase of about 14% compared with 2020. Also, 2.3 million immigrants from non-EU countries entered the EU in 2021.
2021: Europe's Population in 2021
In 2021, Europe had a total population of approximately 745 million people, which is about 10% of the world's population. This made it the third-largest continent in terms of population, after Asia and Africa.
2021: Percentage of people over 65 years old in Western and Southern Europe
In 2021, the percentage of people over 65 years old was 21% in Western Europe and Southern Europe, compared to 19% in all of Europe and 10% in the world.
February 2022: Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine
In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, escalating the Russo-Ukrainian War and resulting in the largest humanitarian and refugee crisis in Europe since World War II and the Yugoslav Wars.
2022: UN prediction of population decline
The United Nations predicts that Europe will decline in population between 2022 and 2050 by −7 per cent, without changing immigration movements.
2023: Europe's population
In 2023, the population of Europe was estimated to be about 742 million according to UN estimates.
2050: Projected population in Europe
According to a population projection of the UN Population Division, Europe's population may fall to between 680 and 720 million people by 2050, which would be 7% of the world population at that time.
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