They are languages that descend from Latin, the language of the Romans. Usually, when this question is asked, the response is that WWII and the Cold War ruined Eastern Europe, or that the agricultural and industrial revolutions began in Britain and not in Eastern Europe. Western Europe (Robinson Project)By Serg!o [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons, 2. He has a Masters in Education, and a Bachelors in Physics. And if you prefer direct measures of living standards, then data on consumption from the OECD also shows that America is considerably more prosperous. East-West differences in unemployment rates cut across demographic lines including age and gender. Western Europe's Weakness Provoked Putin? SUU Macroblog - A Living Textbook: Why Is Eastern Europe Poorer? The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. David has taught Honors Physics, AP Physics, IB Physics and general science courses. Of course not. Disease can't explain, for example, the colonization of India, because people in southeast Asia had the same immunity to disease that the Europeans did. Things are much better if the conflict concerns something that can be split upsuch as money or land. What are the Five Themes of Geography? What kinds of factors are included in this model? The spread of communism during the beginning and middle of the 20th century had a devastating effect of the culture and economy of Central Europe. 47 West Virginia, and not too far above No. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax Eastern Orthodox - The Eastern Orthodox Faith is a branch of Christianity that formed in 1054 AD, when the Byzantine Empire officially broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. In other words, continuing in a successful manner the integration of the Eastern European member states with Western Europe has always been and will always be the single most important thing (factor, challenge, decision, area, you name it) for the EU as a whole. Hungarian is a Finno-Ugric language that is distantly related to Finnish and Estonian. Then all the wars with the Turks and having to pretty much defeat the Nazis on their own. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. The fall of the Berlin Wall 30 years ago this week brought far-reaching social and economic changes to communist East Germany, and people on both sides of the former barrier say the changes that have occurred since 1989 have had a positive influence on living standards in their country, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. I'd given it to him because the use of this technology is related to politics and fiscal systems and taxes, and as he was reading it, he noted that the book did not give the ultimate cause of why Europe in particular was so successful. Almost all the Muslims who live in Eastern Europe belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. Europe's 'food apartheid': are brands in the east lower quality than in 8. As always, excellently explained to be easily understood. While the Soviet Union was once considered to be the most important country in Eastern Europe, many ex-Soviet nations are, in fact, not even in Europe. How is your theory different? When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. That's because the Black Death was at its peak. - Definition & Laws, What Is Medicare? The Romanian language consists of 75% Latin, 20% Dacian and 5% Slavic. Less Diverse: Eastern European countries are less diverse. Both regions have different economic structures and political systems. Before World War II, there were large pockets of German speakers scattered throughout parts of Western Europe. You want areas that produce finished products that are part of external trade systems. Muslims are a minority in most parts of Europe. 3. The economic model then connected that spending to changes in military technology.
Im simply making the modest yet important argument that Europeans would be more prosperous if the fiscal burden of government wasnt so onerous. The Western Roman Empire was poorer. The book also reminds us that in a world where there are hostile powers, we really don't want to get rid of spending on improving military technology. The Mongols ravaged and destroyed the entirety of the Rus' land for centuries while making the Rus' their slaves. Summary: Despite all of the above, Eastern Europe is still not a poor region. Spain has more high-speed rail tracks than any other European country. Western Europe: United Kingdom, Norway, Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Vatican City, Netherlands, Sweden, Malta, Italy, Iceland, Germany, Greece, Finland are some examples for countries that belong to Western Europe. People speak romance languages and those with Germanic roots as well. Paris was this little walled fortress town, and Constantinople was so large it needed its own governor. Tamara Popic and Alexandru D Moise are collaborators on the project "Responding to COVID-19: Government Action, Government Rhetoric, and Public Trust", which is funded by the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence. But a while ago I ran into this interesting post about the Romans in Eastern Europe: The Romans were mostly interested in conquering areas that had a high degree of self sufficiency which could provide a tax base for them to extract from. 10. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. But free markets and small government have produced decades of strong growth, and now these places are among the richest places on the planet. Cultural Syncretism Definition & Examples | What is Religious Syncretism? copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. 525 lessons. I understand why it looks that way but that's because of your perspective. Great work Dr. Sowell. Love Sowell. Electoral politics could explain the reluctance of the two countries to enter another lockdown with politicians seeing it as an unpopular measure that would also delay elections. This tool measures the stringency of efforts to control the virus on a scale of 0-100, with 100 being the most restrictive. The capital of Romania is Bucharest, a city with approximately 1.8 million people. There are many different religions practiced in eastern European countries, including Christianity and Islam. Some argued that this was because of economics: that eastern European countries locked down early because they feared their economies would not be able to handle many people getting sick. And while 7.5% of East Germans ages 55 to 64 were unemployed in 2018, the share was 5.3% among West Germans in the same age range. While each country in Western Europe has its unique landscapes, cultures, and traditions, all share a common history that can be traced back thousands of years ago when Rome was at its height. Map of the spread of Catholicism and the Eastern orthodox faith. Western Europe has the most Nobel Prize, winners. Made it more difficult for lasting civilizations. For example, how did states get the ability to impose heavy taxes? idc abour other guys i have a fat cock and im not afraid to shove it down ur skinny bitch throat This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except for material where copyright is reserved by a party other than FEE. The vast majority of people in Eastern Europe speak a Slavic language. In 1914, really only China, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire had escaped becoming European colonies. One of the reasons for this, was that after WW II, parts of what were once considered to be Central and Western Europe, were taken over by a communist dictatorships aligned with the Soviet Union, and were classified as being part of Eastern Europe. Others suggested this eastern European exceptionalism could be explained by culture, with success in limiting the first wave being down to a mentality of fear and readiness to follow harsh rules stemming from the communist era. We can also compare how restrictive the two regions disease-prevention measures were during the first wave using the Oxford COVID-19 government response tracker (OxCGRT). Some argued that this was because of economics: that eastern European countries locked down early because they feared their economies would . Eastern Europe - Wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Commons, Filed Under: Countries Tagged With: Eastern bloc, Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe characteristics, Eastern Europe definition, Soviet bloc, Western and Eastern Europe compare, Western Europe, Western Europe characteristics, Western Europe definition, Western vs Eastern Europe. Long-run growth matters. Personally, I would much rather see expenditures devoted to infrastructure, or scientific research, or free preschool for everybodythings that would carry big economic benefitsbut in this world, I don't think you can stop doing military research or spending money on the military. Among people ages 15 to 24, for example, the average unemployment rate in the former East Germany was 7.7% in 2018, compared with 4.1% in the former West. This is Part 6 of an 8-Part series on Geography and Culture. Being dominated for centuries has led to lingering inequality and long-lasting effects in many formerly colonized . Eastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, Serbia, Slovakia, Moldova, Lithuania are some countries of Eastern Europe. The reporter from the Wall Street Journal who shared it remarked that Purple areas are rich as US states. Communist: The eastern part of the continent has been ruled by communist governments for decades, while the West has had democratic governments for centuries. Bohemia and Hungary were also quite powerful, and only the Russian states could be considered poor. A thousand years ago, no one would have ever expected that result, for at that point western Europe was hopelessly backward. 6. I don't discount Mr Sowell's argument, I would add a major game changer was between the eastern and the western doctrine of the Trinity. She has a Master's degree in History. If we look at the stringency of control measures, we can also see that not all countries acted in the same way. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7s6piXiFK-TaMDsKM4I7IS7iaNiyONEM, How Geography Shaped Africa | Thomas Sowell, Why Cultures Are So Different? The economy is comparatively lower and less stable than in Western Europe. Germans in both areas say living standards in the former East have not yet caught up with those in the former West. ------------------------------------------------------------ There are some exceptions, however. Answer (1 of 7): The time lapse. You havent even mentioned socialism and central managed economies, the truth is that a lot of these countries were pretty 'rich' before ww2. 1. September 01, 2015. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The main differences are the recognition of the pope as the head of the church, and the fact that priests in the Eastern orthodox faith are allowed to marry. Create a poster, chart, or some other type of graphic organizer that lists and briefly describes the major geographical features of Eastern Europe. Max Weber Fellow in Social and Political Sciences, European University Institute. South Asian Countries | Religion, Culture & Countries List. 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA By introducing very strict prevention measures early on, countries in the region had significantly fewer COVID-related deaths than their western European counterparts. For example, if I am fighting you and you figure out a better way to build an armed ship, I can imitate you. We spoke with him recently about his research interests and what led him to study this particular topic. Most of Europe Is a Lot Poorer than Most of the United States You'll still need to back up the peace with armed forces, but you won't actually fight all that much, and that's a much better outcome. Of course being in the soviet bloc wouldnt help either.Ive seen pictures of Prague and warsaw before the war and they seemed pretty prosperous. Has Eastern Europe always been poorer than Western Europe, and - Quora Most Slavic languages use the Cyrillic alphabet. In addition to historic sites, Western Europe also houses some of the most beautiful cities on earth with London being one such place. Through this article, let us examine the differences further. Make a list of at least fifteen countries that are part of Eastern Europe. However, people in both areas work hard with about 40 hours per week spent working (the same amount). Greece is located in south-east Europe! Serbia was especially rich in mineral wealth and with trade from Adriatic to Aegean during the Middle Ages. Heres another map, concentrating just on Northern Europe. The Polish Lithuanian commonwealth was extremely powerful and wealthy by controling the rivers and by extension farmland and trade between Baltic and Black Seas. Despite these differences, the former East has narrowed the . Central and East Europe were simply geographically unfortunate as wave after wave of immigrants and invaders moved through the region from China and were stopped before they made it into W Europe. By the way, the economy in some eastern European countries (Poland, Romania and Hungary) is relatively close to the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese or Scandinavian countries economy. By introducing very strict prevention measures early on, countries in the region had significantly fewer COVID-related deaths than their western European counterparts..
Then you have more capital to invest, which allows for growth of the countrys industry. 2 2. Yellow areas poorer than Mexico. In other words, the few dark areas (a handful in Germany and one each in a few other nations) are the only parts of Europe that are economically equal or better thanthe United States. Tamara Popic and Alexandru D Moise do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointments. Up until the beginning of November, the spike in the death rate was largely driven by the Czech Republic. Our World in Data COVID-19 Dataset. The largest country by area in eastern Europe is Russia with 677 thousand square miles. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Before 1800, Europe had already taken over at least 35 percent of the world, but Britain was just beginning to industrialize. Spain and Portugal are often included in definitions of Western Europe despite not bordering any other country that belongs to the group. In approximately one paragraph (at least three to five sentences), explain why Russia is sometimes considered part of Eastern Europe but sometimes not. Its easternmost border is the Ural mountains. Being dominated for centuries has led to lingering inequality and long-lasting effects in many formerly colonized countries, including poverty and slow economic growth. The majority of western Europeans live within 50 kilometers (30 miles) from their place of birth. What were the politics and the political context of the economy that resulted in this ability to tax? This is interesting because it shows that the wealth divide between Eastern and Western Europe existed long before the modern era. Cheap travel Eastern Europe can be significantly less expensive than Western Europe. Judaism - Eastern European Jews once numbered in the millions; however, they were nearly wiped out during the Holocaust. In eastern European cultures, there is an emphasis on family and community life. Daniel J. Mitchell is a Washington-based economistwho specializes in fiscal policy, particularly tax reform, international tax competition, and the economic burden of government spending. However, over the past 20 years, most of the nations of Eastern Europe have joined the . Therefore, do not misunderstand the information. The highest point in Eastern Europe is Mount Elbrus, which stands at 5642 meters high. Greece is in Eastern Europe. I feel like its a lifeline. Example: Some people do not consider Russia to be part of Europe.
This is why Eastern Europe, in general, is poorer than countries in Western, Central, and Northern Europe. Why was Western Europe more developed than Eastern Europe? A long line of horse-lords swept west from the steppe into eastern europe, and would generally displace the tribes living there - all the way up to the Mongols. TOP 10 why is eastern europe poor BEST and NEWEST When you go back that far, you need to use to use a proxy for human capital. It shows that in between the two waves, the east relaxed its measures further than the west, and was then less eager in reimposing them. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender. The spending on war gave leaders a chance to try out new weapons, new armed ships, and new tactics, and to learn from mistakes on the battlefield. I have been a writer and editor for more than two decades. Along with the inventions of the industrial revolution, countries have been able to gain a high economic development rate. One explanation might be that these countries are victims of their own success. Why are Eastern European men so much better than western men? Why are post-communist states still much poorer than Western Europe Eastern Europe was praised for being exceptional during the first wave of the pandemic. Eastern Europe is 'poorer' than Western Europe, during the war they were helpless and were taken over by Germany or the Soviets, with the fall of both empires countries taken by Hitler. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. Has Eastern Europe always been poorer than Western Europe, and - Reddit This shows that eastern European countries took the opportunity to act quickly. This is a problem in an age of common migration because the educated and talented are migrating from Eastern to Western Europe. People in the former East Germany are also less optimistic than their counterparts in the former West on a variety of measures, including whether children today will grow up to be better off financially than their parents. Both had one factor significantly holding them back: foreign invaders. There are many stereotypes about Eastern Europeans, however, these stereotypes do not always apply to all Eastern European people due to differing cultures within the region itself. All rights reserved. It is followed by a brief description of the four major religions in the region. There's a brain drain. It is related to Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Learn what is considered Eastern European, view a list of Eastern European countries and discover Eastern Europe religions. But exploring Soviet-era Eastern Europe is not even half the story. Total compensation, gross wages and salaries, and disposable (or after-tax) income have long been lower in the former East Germany than in the former West, according to the governments report. Be sure to note on your list which countries these cities are found in. If you think about it, you realize that advancements in gunpowder technologywhich are important for conquestarise where political leaders fight using that technology, where they spend huge sums on it, and where they're able to share the resulting advances in that technology. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'questionscity_com-box-4','ezslot_1',110,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-questionscity_com-box-4-0'); Eastern Europe has a rich history with many cultures and languages. Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Slovenians, Hungarians, Croats, and a few others in Eastern Europe are traditionally Catholic. See less Comments Whats the difference between Eastern and Western Europe? Around three-quarters of people in the former East Germany (74%) and around two-thirds of those in the former West (66%) say the East still has not achieved the same living standards as the West, according to the Centers recent survey, which was conducted among representative samples of adults in both areas as part of a larger study of Europe. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Cases and deaths have not been spread evenly across the region. So more spending would not only mean greater odds of victory over an enemy, but more rapid change in military technology. I love that I get smarter everytime I listen to or read anything from Thomas Sowell. Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? Even before the Holocaust, Jews faced terrible discrimination from the Christian-majority populations in which they lived. Answer (1 of 3): The main reason is the Atlantic conveyor. As an eastern european I want to say that while what Sowell explained might be true, the reasons he gave are minor in comparison to the economic damage that Russia and Communism caused in eastern Europe. 4. Another explanation, described in Jared Diamond's famous book [Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies], is disease. Put another way, people in the former East Germany earned 86% the after-tax income of their West German counterparts in 2017.