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. When its easier to travel and grow food, its easier to sell the food at a greater. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Where Eastern Europe begins, however, is a matter of opinion. These are the countries that are in Eastern Europe: Russia (Partly in Asia). Most European countries (including Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Belgium) if they joined the US, would rank among the poorest one-third of US states on a per-capita GDP basis, and the UK, France, Japan and New Zealand would all rank among Americas very poorest states, below No. Definitions of Western and Eastern Europe: Characteristics of Western and Eastern Europe: Difference Between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Difference Between Commonwealth and Protectorate. The rest of Europe at that time was really no wealthier than China, the Middle East, or South Asia. He has a Masters in Education, and a Bachelors in Physics. I think the main reason is that Europe is . Western Europe is a region in Europethat is associated with the western portion of the Eurasian landmass,as well as some countries on islands off its coast. the Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Turkey (western-most part). I received my bachelor's degree in history from George Washington University and later earned a master's degree in the same subject from Uppsala University in Sweden. As always, excellently explained to be easily understood. That percentage has changed little in recent years, but is far higher than in 1991, when per-capita disposable income in the former East was only 61% of that in the former West. There is also easier access to mineral resources the further west you go in Europe, so more western regions would develop stronger economies when the Industrial Revolution upped the demand for those resources, while the minerals of the east weren't tapped until later. Generally speaking, Slavic languages that use the Cyrillic alphabet are found in countries that practice the Eastern Orthodox faith. In 2018, the average unemployment rate was 6.9% in the six states of the former East Germany, compared with 4.8% in the 10 states of the former West Germany. Eastern Europe: People speak languages with Slavic roots. The GDP of Romania in year 2017 is $467 billion and PPP is approximately $25000. What made you turn to the idea of gunpowder technology as an explanation? 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. This set Russia back quite a bit in a number of ways. Although Europe represents only about 8 percent of the planet's landmass, from 1492 to 1914, Europeans conquered or colonized more than 80 percent of the entire world. However, people in both areas work hard with about 40 hours per week spent working (the same amount). There are some exceptions, however. She has a Master's degree in History. It can be further subdivided into four sub-regions: Northern Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Southern Europe. There is a very important ocean . One lesson the book teaches is that actions involving war, foreign policy, and military spending can have big, long-lasting consequences: this is a lesson that policy makers should never forget. Despite these differences, the former East has narrowed the . For Western Europe, it was the Scandinavian Vikings who preyed upon river cities and traffic. Luckily, this blog post will help you to understand some of the differences between these two parts of Europe. 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. 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. Here is an Eastern Europe religion map that depicts the split of Christianity after the Great Schism of 1054. 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. Look again at the second graph above. Between these two regions, a myriad of differences can be viewed regarding the geographical location, culture, economy, etc. If we look at the stringency of control measures, we can also see that not all countries acted in the same way. Most of the major periods in European history (Middle Ages, Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment), also affected Eastern Europe. Although they may be connected by us all being human beings, there is a lot that separates us as well. Most Eastern European Jews spoke Yiddish, a language closely-related to German. 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. Dude, the question literally asks if eastern Europe was always poorer than western europe. The standard of living of the population until the mid 19th century was about the same. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. And I mean apocalyptic. Make sure to familiarize yourself with our rules and guidelines before participating. One thing is clear: eastern Europe exited the first wave at the end of June in much better shape than western Europe. 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. Neighbouring Slovakia, on the other hand, imposed stricter measures despite having far fewer cases and deaths. 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. The Polish Lithuanian commonwealth was extremely powerful and wealthy by controling the rivers and by extension farmland and trade between Baltic and Black Seas. Eastern Europe - Wikipedia We live much more better than Latin America, the Middle East, Africa or India for 2.Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? The difference is so stark that Eastern Europe is sometime not even counted as "Western Civilization." Communism explains some of it more recently, but it doesn't explain why it was also true in the medieval and ancient times. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. All countries in the region have seen significant increases in cases and deaths. Along with the inventions of the industrial revolution, countries have been able to gain a high economic development rate. Most of these people migrated to Germany after the war. As a quick caveat, its worth noting that theres not a one-to-one link between gross domestic product and actual living standards. Americans are not stupid, and when they complain about Europe, they are complaining about Western Europeans who are richer than Eastern neighbors yet less attentive to their own needs. 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. Make a list of at least fifteen countries that are part of Eastern Europe. Eastern Europe is a term that typically refers to the countries in Eastern and Central Europe, which includes Russia. Mountain ranges - Urals, Apls, Musala (Tallest Mountain range in the region, located in Bulgaria), Carpathians, Balkan Mountains, Rivers - Volga, Danube (longest), Dnieper, Oder, Don. Europe's 'food apartheid': are brands in the east lower quality than in Western Europe: Western Europe refers to the western part of Europe. Were Gaining Vitality on Key Measures, 60% of Americans Would Be Uncomfortable With Provider Relying on AI in Their Own Health Care, Gender pay gap in U.S. hasnt changed much in two decades. 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. Most of Europe Is a Lot Poorer than Most of the United States From the Eiffel Tower in Paris to The Great Wall Of China, these landmarks are instantly recognizable and attract millions of visitors each year. You dont become wealthy by attacking and taking over subsistence farmers. spidey1z. You can refer to the lesson, but try to recall as many from memory as you can. All rights reserved. However, if we look back at the death rates of the two regions in the graph above, its clear that eastern European countries introduced restrictions when experiencing far fewer cases and deaths. Despite substantial improvements in recent decades, the former East Germany continues to trail the former West Germany on important economic measures ranging from unemployment to productivity, according to an annual German government report on the status of German unity. (The most recent version of the report, from September, is available here in German. 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. The Romanian language consists of 75% Latin, 20% Dacian and 5% Slavic. Manage Settings 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. Sorry anon point already proven . Greeks, Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Bulgarians, Serbs, and a few others are traditionally Orthodox Christians. | Thomas Sowell. The economy is comparatively lower and less stable than in Western Europe. Daily new COVID-19 deaths per million inhabitants, second wave, eastern Europe. But free markets and small government have produced decades of strong growth, and now these places are among the richest places on the planet. It was politically weak, it was poor, and the major long-distance commerce was a slave trade led by Vikings. 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. This is why Eastern Europe, in general, is poorer than countries in Western, Central, and Northern Europe. 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. All rights reserved. There are over 500 different languages spoken in the region of eastern Europe. Due to its Communist history, language barrier, poor infrastructure, poverty and just overall bad reputation, Eastern Europe has managed to deter the hoards of annoying tourists that are plaguing Western Europe. Islam - Islam came to Eastern Europe via the Ottoman Empire. That comes down to the political costs of raising revenue and a leader's ability to tax. 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. Albanian forms its own branch of the Indo-European language family. A thousand years ago, no one would have ever expected that result, for at that point western Europe was hopelessly backward. Write an essay of approximately one to two paragraphs that explains the Soviet Union's influence on certain countries of Eastern Europe. Western Europe: More Catholics and Protestant Christians can be seen. This is why Eastern Europe, in general, is poorer than countries in Western, Central, and Northern Europe. 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. The vast majority of people in Eastern Europe speak a Slavic language. You have been on the Caltech faculty for more than 30 years. Create a poster, chart, or some other type of graphic organizer that lists and provides statistics for the religions of Eastern Europe. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Muslims are a minority in most parts of Europe. Eastern Europe has a total population of about 258 million people. And if you prefer direct measures of living standards, then data on consumption from the OECD also shows that America is considerably more prosperous. During the cold war period, this region was referred to as the Eastern bloc or else the Soviet bloc. Western European countries are generally considered to include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland (Republic of), Italy(although it could also be grouped with Central/Eastern European nations), Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Max Weber Fellow in Social and Political Sciences, European University Institute. Five of the six states in the former East Germany with the exception of the city-state of Berlin had lower per-capita productivity in 2018 than the West German state with the lowest per-capita productivity, Schleswig-Holstein. 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA Continue with Recommended Cookies. Its fascinating how different these two worlds are, but it also shows us that we should not be afraid to embrace our unique qualities as individuals or communities if they lead to sustainable growth and innovationsomething both regions could stand for! The longest river in the region is the Danube. and I thought it was because they just freed themselves from communism a few decades ago. I wrote previouslythat many European nations are doomed bydemographics tofiscal chaos, but a lot of people dont care that much about the future. Eastern-Europe-map2 by CrazyPhunk self-made based upon: Image:Eastern-Europe-map2.png. - Definition & Types, Ad Hoc Balancing Theory: Definition & Examples, English Common Law System: Definition & History, Jeremy Bentham: Biography, Theory & Ethics, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. 525 lessons. Those improvements can help at times when wars are necessaryfor instance, when we are fighting against enemies with whom we cannot negotiate. 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. @media (max-width: 1171px) { .sidead300 { margin-left: -20px; } } In fact, the Ottomans once controlled a large chunk of this region. A third of all languages spoken in western Europe are indigenous and not derived from Latin or Greek. Before 1800, Europe had already taken over at least 35 percent of the world, but Britain was just beginning to industrialize. You havent even mentioned socialism and central managed economies, the truth is that a lot of these countries were pretty 'rich' before ww2. 5. However, unlike other Latin people, Romanians belong to the Eastern Orthodox faith, and unlike almost all other Eastern Orthodox countries, Romanians use the Latin alphabet. They were subjugated by, at war with, or were the front lines and battlefields of the austrian wars against the Ottomans for four and a half centuries. Please do not edit the piece, ensure that you attribute the author and mention that this article was originally published on FEE.org, Living Standards Are Markedly Higher in the United States, are doomed bydemographics tofiscal chaos, America should copy their expansive welfare states. Austria-Hungary is partially to blame. Both had one factor significantly holding them back: foreign invaders. Eastern Europe Lives And Breathes History. What led you to investigate the global conquests of western Europe? For example, if I am fighting you and you figure out a better way to build an armed ship, I can imitate you. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. What countries make up Eastern Europe? 20 Reasons Why Eastern Europe Is Extremely Underrated (And - TheTravel Answer (1 of 21): It's not. In 2017, the most recent year for which data is available, per-capita disposable income was 19,909 per year in the former East Germany the equivalent of about $22,500 based on the average euro-to-dollar exchange rate that year. succeed. Eastern European death rates overtook those in the west in early October, but restrictions in the region which had eased after the first wave still lagged behind controls reintroduced in the west. Last Updated on March 19, 2022 by QCity Editorial Stuffif(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'questionscity_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_2',107,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-questionscity_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Foreigners visiting Europe often find themselves wondering what the differences are between Eastern and Western Europe. Eastern Vs. Western Europe: Which is Best for You? Today, both Judaism and the Yiddish language are scarce in this part of the world. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. He also serves on the editorial board of the Cayman Financial Review. The way to think of Europe is that it is a big collection of peninsulas jutting out from Asia. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax The Netherlands is the country with the most time off in the world. Make a list of at least seven of the largest cities in Eastern Europe. For example, differences in economic strength could explain why the relatively richer Czech Republic waited to reintroduce restrictions (thinking it could bear the brunt of a high number of infections), but this doesnt account for the relatively poorer Romanias decision to do the same. Cross-posted from the International Libertyblog. Breathtaking nature Last, but definitely not least, nature in Eastern Europe is stunning. This may have produced scepticism about the severity of the pandemic. 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. Eastern Europe contained the virus so successfully in spring, it didnt experience the horrific hospital scenes seen in northern Italy, for example. SUU Macroblog - A Living Textbook: Why Is Eastern Europe Poorer? Also Austria and Hungary drained ressources from the other areas (Bohemia being one of the few parts that was actually rather well off with a lot of industry). This is a problem in an age of common migration because the educated and talented are migrating from Eastern to Western Europe. Required fields are marked *. Its a sign of American prosperity that we can afford to buy more from other nations than they can afford to buy from us. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'questionscity_com-banner-1','ezslot_10',113,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-questionscity_com-banner-1-0'); Western Europe has been characterized by its diversity as well as its commitment to democracy and human rights. Hungarian is a Finno-Ugric language that is distantly related to Finnish and Estonian. In approximately one paragraph (at least three to five sentences), explain why Russia is sometimes considered part of Eastern Europe but sometimes not. Thanks! 5. 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. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Importantly, however, there have been major differences within eastern Europe too. While its per-capita productivity remains lower than that of West Germany, the former East Germany has made major gains since unification. They mostly had industry in the western part of the empire while the east was sparsely populated, large parts of the population were seen as unreliable (= suspected tsar sympathisers) and it was expected that the most eastern parts would get ruined by the next war with Russia so there wasn't much work to improve anything. 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. In eastern European cultures, there is an emphasis on family and community life. 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. Unofficial site of Thomas Sowell, Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? In 1991, per-capita productivity in the former East was less than half (43%) of productivity in the former West. Unemployment is persistently higher in the former East Germany than in the former West. Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The impact of modernization and individualization can be clearly seen in the lifestyles of people. It seems that at least some countries in the region have learned their lessons. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Put another way, people in the former East Germany earned 86% the after-tax income of their West German counterparts in 2017. One big factor that's important to the advancement of any defense technology is how much money a political leader can spend. Why are Eastern European countries colder than Northern ones? Germans in both areas say living standards in the former East have not yet caught up with those in the former West. Moldova is an independent nation that was once part of the Soviet Union. 3. However, Poles, Croats, and other Catholic Slavs use the Latin alphabet (the same alphabet used by English). The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. In either event, the people of Romania and Moldova are closely related. Roma is an Indo-European language that originated in India. Spain has more high-speed rail tracks than any other European country. Eastern Europe was praised for being exceptional during the first wave of the pandemic. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Well, it depends on the parameters. It's a sign of American prosperity that we can afford to buy more from other nations than they can afford to buy from us. 1. How is your theory different? When you go back that far, you need to use to use a proxy for human capital. Feel free to submit interesting articles, tell us about this cool book you just read, or start a discussion about who everyone's favorite figure of minor French nobility is! I wish we did live in that world, but unfortunately it's not realistic. Despite this, the Soviet Union did play an important role in the regions history. The continent of Europe can be divided into two regions as the western and eastern Europe. Well, Eastern Europe has always been less developed than the Western half. 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. 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. Feeding the YouTube algorithm. QuotidianPain 2 yr. ago I don't think Atlantic trade is the sole reason though. Pandemic fatigue is present across the entire continent, and may be especially present in the east, where some people may have felt that they went into a lockdown for nothing. Why Did Western Europe Dominate the Globe? 9. The capital of Romania is Bucharest, a city with approximately 1.8 million people. Example: You could draw a long river to illustrate the blue Danube. Because at close to the end of WWII Stalin was fed up waiting for the ever delaying Normandy landing, wanted making peace with Hitler, and go home to carry on building communism. 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. I'm thinking the USSR isn't the reason why the non-Balkan east is poor, so from a wider historical perspective, what's the real reason? However, people in both areas work hard with about 40 hours per week spent working (the same amount). Today, not a single east German company is listed on the DAX-30, the nations leading stock exchange index, the report notes. Western Europe is wealthier than Eastern Europe. Why? - YouTube I've also been interested in the development of tax systems. However, most central and eastern European countries have been gradually converging towards western Europe countries over the past few decades after the transition to market economies, the introduction of democracy, and the formation of the European Union. There are many possible explanations for why history played out this way, but few can explain why the West was so powerful for so long. Their situation relative to Western Europe has not become better 70 years after WWII.