THE PULSE OF EUROPE : This four-page pullout summarizes a survey of European social and political values, conducted by the Times Mirror Poll : Europe Is Finally Getting On With the 20th Century

After 50 years of world war, cold war and communism, Europeans are in the process of resuming the 20th Century. The end of communism in the East and the imminent economic integration in the West have unleashed forces of nationalism and ethnicity that had been contained for decades by oppressive governments or higher concerns of regional security.

Now, from the Atlantic to the Urals, contradictory forces are pulling Europe in opposite directions, according to a poll by the Times Mirror Center for The People & The Press.

On one side is the new Europe, a continent of cooperation and enlightened tolerance. On the other is the Europe of the past, steeped in age-old territorial and ethnic animosities. In each region and country, these two forces are struggling for domination, leaving a citizenry awash in contradictions and often plagued by pessimism.

The Times Mirror poll, which involved hourlong personal interviews in nine nations and three Soviet republics (Lithuania was not yet independent when the bulk of the poll was conducted last May), captures a Continent gravely reappraising the chaotic sweep of history that has flashed before it.

The poll finds many reasons to be pessimistic about future developments. Eastern Europeans and those who are in what once was the Soviet empire are reconsidering their governance, their economy and large parts of their social structure. These fundamental questions are before publics that are deeply skeptical of political leadership, profoundly depressed by economic conditions and reawakening to nationalist impulses and ethnic grievances. In Western Europe, despite apparent tranquillity, questions about race, the protection of borders, and the re-emergence of a dominant Germany take on new significance as the economic integration of Europe speeds ahead.

The most optimistic poll finding is that, in general, the younger and better-educated citizens have their feet firmly planted in the New Europe. Increasing emphasis on education and the speed and impact of global communication provide reason to believe that the more positive attitudes of these citizens may one day dominate the European landscape.

Among other poll highlights:

* In every country in the East, nearly half or more of the people hold unfavorable opinions of the principal minority groups of their nation: Poles dislike Ukrainians, Czechoslovaks dislike Hungarians, Russians have an unfavorable opinion of Azerbaijanis--and Gypsies are disliked everywhere. The blame for this antagonism is divided between recent economic and political changes and prolonged disputes over borders, religion and other matters of national eminence.

* The greatest danger to the viability of the societal revolutions that have swept the East is the degree to which people in the villages, the less educated and older segments of society are vulnerable to demagoguery. They’re having the hardest time coping, they hold the most regressive political values and express the least support for democracy.

* While the vast majority of Eastern Europeans approve of multi-party pluralism and their new personal freedoms, relatively few yet believe their power to vote gives them any meaningful say in how their governments run things. Eastern Europeans remain far more likely than Westerners to favor measures that would deny freedom of speech to people espousing unpopular political views.

* As Western Europe looks eastward, a flood of refugees has replaced a column of tanks as the greatest concern. The top international worry of Germany, for example, is that it will be enveloped by a flood of refugees, pushed by an economic collapse of the Soviet Union. An overwhelming majority of Britons favor placing greater restrictions on entry into their country.

* Despite such tensions, and even though many in each country doubt that their own economies will be strengthened, there is overwhelming support for European economic cooperation. The Europe of the future will be a region dominated by Germany--according to citizens of every country except Germany itself. Tellingly, western Germans--of all Europeans--express the highest level of satisfaction with their life.

* Europeans continue to express strong support for the welfare state, in sharp contrast to Americans. Both Eastern and Western Europeans feel--to a far greater degree than Americans--that success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside their control.

* The unraveling of the Communist societies has taken its toll on the personal well-being of Eastern Europeans. They feel they have lost ground in achieving their goals and--while expecting improvement in their lives--they feel they were better off five years ago.

* Eastern Europeans emerge from Communist societies with a far different view of marriage and the family than Western Europeans. In the East, the ideal marriage is one where the husband provides for the family and the wife stays home; in the West, Europeans--like Americans--favor a household in which husband and wife both work and share responsibilities for the children and the home.

* Eastern Europeans and Soviet workers say they are ready to work on an incentive system, but Western Europeans are not; they prefer a fixed wage.

* None of the European countries match American feelings that military force is necessary to maintain world order, although Poles score relatively high on both patriotism and militancy, fueled by perceptions that their country is surrounded by unfriendly neighbors.