Eastern Europe: An Introduction (1964)

[Music] this film is about that part of the European continent which we call Eastern Europe Eastern Europe as we Define it includes seven countries Poland Czechoslovakia Hungary Yugoslavia Romania Albania and Bulgaria this scene in Poland is typical of many cities in Eastern Europe in these cities we'll find influences of Western culture as in this building of classical Design This broad Parkway in Yugoslavia reminds us of cities in western Europe however in other parts of Yugoslavia Romania and Bulgaria we see influences from the East narrow cobbled streets churches of the Eastern or Greek Orthodox Faith Muslim mosques with their domes and minettes and open markets with people in eastern costume this blending of cultures from both East and West may be explained in part by the location of Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is located between countries of the East and the West on the East Eastern Europe is bordered by the Soviet Union and turkey on the west it is bordered by Germany Austria and Italy on the north is the cold Baltic Sea the warm Adriatic Sea is on the Southwest and the Black Sea is on the Southeast on the coasts of these seas are several major ports the port of Rea on the Adriatic handles much of the shipping for Yugoslavia the port of Ginia in Poland is one of the largest in Eastern Europe Ginia on the Baltic sea is near the mouth of the Vistula one of the major rivers of Eastern Europe other major rivers are the odor and the Danube the danu flows Eastward into the Black Sea whose waters are important for transportation and fishing the this river flows across the broad open Plains of Poland at many points along the plains of Eastern Europe we find castles built to resist the onslaught of invading armies for centuries neighboring Nations have marched across the Polish plain from both East and West Invaders have also entered from the East and from the West along the Plains of the danu river the ancient Romans were among the earliest Invaders Roman Legions Crossing from Italy came down the danu river and into Romania the ruins of an ancient Bridge show one place where Roman armies crossed the Danube these peasants near the danu are Romanians people who according to Legend are descended from Roman Invaders throughout Eastern Europe's long history other groups Germans Slavs magar and Turks have entered at various times as a result of these invasions people of many different nationalities live here poles cchs slovaks magar slovin croats serbs Romanians bulgar Turks and albanians in rural areas we may still see Romanian peasants in traditional dress or Hungarian villagers leaving a church in the large cities we see a mixing of diverse cultural backgrounds the people speak various languages and even use different alphabets along with the variety of cultural backgrounds we can also find a wide range of living standards there are many backward areas having few modern conveniences and a low standard of living generally the most backward areas of Eastern Europe are in the mountains in these areas which extend through parts of Yugoslavia Bulgaria and Romania roads are poor and the o driven cart is still a common means of transportation agricultural development is hindered by poor rocky soil and crude almost primitive methods of farming crops such as onions potatoes rye and oats will grow here but the quantities produced are adequate for only a bare level of subsistence living conditions such as these are common in many of the mountainous areas the mountains of Eastern Europe extend along two main ranges one stretches from Czechoslovakia down through Romania into Bulgaria the other range stretches through Yugoslavia much of the remaining areas are Level Plains the Northern Plains and the danu plains in these level Plains economic development is more advanced the plains are Eastern Europe's areas of greatest wealth from these level Fields with their rich soil various crops are harvested here on the Polish plain seral crops such as wheat and rye are grown in great quantities on the danu plains Cor is an important crop this Farm in Yugoslavia is not mechanized more modern methods are used on this Farm in Czechoslovakia tractors and other types of farm machinery are becoming increasingly common especially on large Farms which are government controlled the increasing use of modern machinery in certain parts of Eastern Europe Europe is being made possible by growing industrial Centers located in most of the countries of Eastern Europe many new factories are being built this Factory in Yugoslavia produces farm machinery the heavy Industries also include the manufacturer of automobiles and trucks these television sets being produced in Warsaw are an example of a Light Industry textiles are another important manufactured product textile machinery and other equipment depend on steel the modern steel mills of novaa in Poland are among Eastern Europe's largest these growing Industries require natural resources such as coal oil oil metallic ores and other mineral deposits that have been found in Eastern Europe This is an open- cut sulfur mine in Poland sulfur and other minerals are raw materials for industry the coal mines of Poland are a major source of fuel for industry petroleum found in Romania Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia is a source of many chemical products petroleum also provides diesel oil and gasoline important sources of power for industry another source of power for industry is hydroelectric power this dam is on a river in Romania rivers and canals also provide important means of transportation barges and boats transport raw materials and finished products to the various towns and cities of Eastern Europe the major cities are located on rivers and include most of the capitals of Eastern Europe Warsaw the capital city of Poland is located on the Vistula River Prague the capital of Czechoslovakia is located on the vava river the capital of Romania Bucharest is on a tributary of the danu river Budapest the capital of Hungary is located on the danu river also on the danub is Belgrade the capital of Yugoslavia although these cities are very old they are centers of the changes that are modernizing the lives of Eastern Europeans new stores Office Buildings and factories are being constructed providing new jobs for many people with the growth of urban centers have come problems such as housing shortages government housing projects have provided many new homes yet there are still many fine old buildings such as these built in Prague centuries ago this is a government building in Belgrade since World War II all the countries of Eastern Europe have one by one acquired Communist governments that control industry trade and agriculture posters are put out by the government to encourage workers to increase their output the Communist governments of Eastern Europe are strongly influenced by the communist government of the Soviet Union Eastern Europe's largest neighbor this present-day influence has profoundly affected the lives of the people of Eastern Europe traditional ways of living are being replaced by more modern ways particularly in the cities changes are also seen in the increased mechanization of farming especially on the larger Farms yet on many farms much of the work is still done by hand primitive agriculture cultural methods are common in many areas and the average peasant enjoys few of the benefits of modern industry bare subsistence living such as this is a reminder that the governments of Eastern Europe still face economic problems after centuries of turbulent history the countries of Eastern Europe are struggling through a period of transition as each one attempts to work out the problems of its government and its people [Applause] [Music]