THE EUROPEAN POPULATION SPREAD IN THE WORLD

History of European migrations

From the Antiquity to 1850, the European population went from 40 million people up to 400 million people. This increase went along with a huge spread of the ECUMENE (Oecoumène) that’s to say the inhabited Earth. The European population has played a huge part in this spread.

How did the European population spread in the world?

1-First, let’s study the extension of the ecumene from the Antiquity to the 19th century

2-Then, let’s finish by focusing on European migrations in the 19th century

I/ The extension of the ecumene from the Antiquity to the 19th century

A/ A stagnation until the 18th century

3 reasons-the world was technically behind to feed a large

population-there were not many large cities-Excess death rate

B/ In the 18th century, the start of the demographic transition in Europe

Definition: evolution of a population in two steps, from a high birth rate, high death rate and low natural increase to a low birth rate a low death rate a low natural increase.

Death rate

Dates

Birth rate

Per thousands

Natural rate

Percent

Population growth

KEY WORDS

BIRTH RATE: Number of live births for 1000 inhabitants

DEATH RATEDEATH RATE:: Number of deaths for 1000 inhabitants

NATURAL INCREASENATURAL INCREASE:: Birth rate –Death rate/ 10: in percentin percent

LIFE EXPECTANCY: number of years someone can expect to live at birth: it changes every year

FERTILITY INDEXFERTILITY INDEX:: Number of kids per woman aged between 15-45. It must be above 2.1 to renew generation

INFANT MORTALITY: in percent or per thousand , deaths of kids under one year old.

Let’s build a table to comment on each step/ phase/stage

Step A Step B Step C Step D

Birth rate in per thousand

Death rate in per thousand

Natural growth in percent

Reasons

Step A Step B Step C Step D

Birth rate in per thousand

40-50 40-50 20-15 15-10

Death rate in per thousand

Natural growth in percent

Reasons

Step A Step B Step C Step D

Birth rate in per thousand

40-50 40-50 20-15 15-10

Death rate in per thousand

40-35 20-15 15-10 10-8

Natural growth in percent

Reasons

Step A Step B Step C Step D

Birth rate in per thousand

40-50 40-50 20-15 15-10

Death rate in per thousand

40-35 20-15 15-10 10-8

Natural growth in percent

Under 1 3-4 Around 1 Under 1

Reasons

Step A Step B Step C Step D

Birth rate in per thousand

40-50 40-50 20-15 15-10

Death rate in per thousand

40-35 20-15 15-10 10-8

Natural growth in percent

Under 1 3-4 Around 1 Under 1

Reasons -Inefficient medicines-Lack of hygiene-Lack of food-Kids are a labour force-No contraception

Step A Step B Step C Step D

Birth rate in per thousand

40-50 40-50 20-15 15-10

Death rate in per thousand

40-35 20-15 15-10 10-8

Natural growth in percent

Under 1 3-4 Around 1 Under 1

Reasons -Inefficient medicines-Lack of hygiene-Lack of food-Kids are a labour force-No contraception

-Better medicines-More food: agricultural revolution-kids are still a labour force-People’s mentality did not change yet

Step A Step B Step C Step D

Birth rate in per thousand

40-50 40-50 20-15 15-10

Death rate in per thousand

40-35 20-15 15-10 10-8

Natural growth in percent

Under 1 3-4 Around 1 Under 1

Reasons -Inefficient medicines-Lack of hygiene-Lack of food-Kids are a labour force-No contraception

-Better medicines-More food: agricultural revolution-kids are still a labour force-People’s mentality did not change yet

-Medical progress continues-People’s living standard improve: the industrial revolution-People’s mentality changed-Contraception ( beginning)

-Good health care system-Better living standards: the consumer society-Contraception-Women at work-Longer studies

 II/ Consequence: migrations of the growing European population

A/ Different types of migrations: 

 Definition : a move, flow of population from an outgoing area to an incoming area

There are different forms of migrations:

-In a local scale: drift from the land linked with industrialisation

-International migrations: refugees

- The chief reason: A search for better living conditions

POPULATION CENTERS WERE:Europe, The USA, Brazil, south Africa, Australia

European migrations in the 19th century

B/ Governments played a huge part in those migrations

-a need for new settlements

-a need for labour force especially when slavery was abolished

-a means to get rid of criminals

French poster about the French in Algeria in 1830

Conclusion

The European population spread in two steps: first it stagnated until the 18th century then it grew very fast with the start of the demographic transition. This growth caused migratory flows all over the world and made the European population one of the most dynamic populations at the time.

However, this dynamism did not last in the 20th century because of the wars and decolonisation.