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. The following blog post will discuss some common misconceptions about Eastern Europeans and provide insight into their culture based upon personal experience living there for an extended time. 2. Muslims are a minority in most parts of Europe. Western Europe: More Catholics and Protestant Christians can be seen. Hungarian, Romanian, Albanian, Roma, and Turkish are the three Eastern European languages that are not Slavic. The impact of modernization and individualization can be clearly seen in the lifestyles of people. | Latin America Countries, Physical Features & Facts, South Asia Geography & Culture | Physical Features & Human Characteristics, Canada Geography: Physical & Human | Landscape, Impact & Overview, West Africa: People, Culture & History | West African Countries, States' Rights & the Civil War | History, Role & Examples, Boundaries Overview & Types | Physical, Political & Cultural Boundaries. You can refer to the lesson, but try to recall as many from memory as you can. 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. Great work Dr. Sowell. Philip Hoffman, Rea A. and Lela G. Axline Professor of Business Economics and Professor of History, Credit: Courtesy of Philip Hoffman/Caltech, Click here to open the "Quick Links" submenu, Click here to open the "Research" Submenu, Click here to open the "Academics" Submenu, Click here to open the "Admissions & Aid" Submenu, Click here to open the "Campus Life & Events" Submenu, Technology Transfer & Corporate Partnerships, Hundreds of Copies of Newton's Principia Found in New Census. I mean, as a Brit, I can see how our island had the best of it regarding no land border and access to the sea! Hoffman's work is published in a new book titled Why Did Europe Conquer the World? Also, the people follow many religions such as Orthodox Christianityand also Islam. Answer (1 of 21): It's not. As always, excellently explained to be easily understood. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. This is Part 6 of an 8-Part series on Geography and Culture. Example: 1.56% of Eastern Europeans are atheist. We can see from the next graph that, at the same time in the spring, the two regions introduced measures that were similarly strict. Cheap travel Eastern Europe can be significantly less expensive than Western Europe. New research shows that this goes back about 1,000 years. 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. The Western Roman Empire was poorer. Politics might provide a hint: the Czech Republic held regional elections in October, while Romania voted in local elections in September and is about to vote in national elections in December. The reporter from the Wall Street Journal who shared it remarked that Purple areas are rich as US states. Both had one factor significantly holding them back: foreign invaders. The key difference between Western and Eastern Europe is that Eastern Europe consists of countries that once belonged to the Soviet block, unlike the Western European countries. The terrible assumption you have made so far is Eastern Europe was always poor. Lets get back to whether people in places such as Denmark (or anywhere else in Europe) enjoy more prosperity than their American counterparts. Generally speaking, Slavic languages that use the Cyrillic alphabet are found in countries that practice the Eastern Orthodox faith. Countries in this region are typically located on the continent of Asia, except for Turkey which lies partly in both Asia and Europe. That being said, Ireland and the United Kingdom have the most economic freedom among EU nations, andSwitzerland would be at the top if the choice was broadened to non-EU nations in Europe. The climate varies greatly from country to country because it encompasses such a large area of land for an area thats not very populated which leads to different types of vegetation across the region. In addition to historic sites, Western Europe also houses some of the most beautiful cities on earth with London being one such place. Dude, the question literally asks if eastern Europe was always poorer than western europe. What are the Five Themes of Geography? Whats the difference between Eastern and Western Europe? Unofficial site of Thomas Sowell, Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? Im simply making the modest yet important argument that Europeans would be more prosperous if the fiscal burden of government wasnt so onerous. Romania is probably the most unusual country in this region. The countries in western Europe have a more individualistic culture, with people caring about their success. 1. Most people in western Europe speak at least two languages, one of which will be English. 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. - Definition & Process, Largest Revenue Sources for the Federal Government, What Do Archaeologists Study? For example, if I am fighting you and you figure out a better way to build an armed ship, I can imitate you. Shifting to a different topic, Mark Perry also takes a shot at Donald Trump, who seems to think that other nations are winning over America because of trade. 9. One thing is clear: eastern Europe exited the first wave at the end of June in much better shape than western Europe. Answer (1 of 3): The main reason is the Atlantic conveyor. All countries in the region have seen significant increases in cases and deaths. Speaking of European prosperity, heres a fascinating map I saw on Twitter. [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. He has a Masters in Education, and a Bachelors in Physics. (In all economic statistics in this analysis, Berlin is counted in East Germany, even though the city was divided during communism and is not directly comparable to other parts of East Germany.). An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Bohemia and Hungary were also quite powerful, and only the Russian states could be considered poor. Bohemia (Czech lands) was one of the biggest and most developed economic centers of the Holy Roman Empire. Western Europe: People speak romance languages and languages with Germanic roots. 7. 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. That comes down to the political costs of raising revenue and a leader's ability to tax. Even the Catholic Church held a different view from the eastern church. Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Slovenians, Hungarians, Croats, and a few others in Eastern Europe are traditionally Catholic. Some of the countries that belong to Eastern Europe are Albania, Bosnia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, Serbia, Slovakia, Moldova, Lithuania, etc. Communist: The eastern part of the continent has been ruled by communist governments for decades, while the West has had democratic governments for centuries. Continue with Recommended Cookies. 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. Adjusting for population size, both cases and . Example: Some people do not consider Russia to be part of Europe. Things are much better if the conflict concerns something that can be split upsuch as money or land. The reason . But if these factors were at play in the first wave, they havent had the same effect in the second. Also, the people in Romania speak a language with romance roots, which is called the Romanian language. The more they spent, the more chances they had to improve their military technology through trial and error while fighting wars. Explore Eastern Europe. Most of the people who live here speak a Slavic language and belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church. Most of Eastern Europe was not touched by any Ancient advanced civilisation, either - they had to develop their own, except for the South Slavs. Their situation relative to Western Europe has not become better 70 years after WWII. 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. What countries make up Eastern Europe? The Romanian language consists of 75% Latin, 20% Dacian and 5% Slavic. 5. It's just fascinating. Countries in the region imposed strict measures while being relatively mildly affected, whereas western countries waited until things got bad. Oxford COVID-19 government response tracker, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship. For most of the Middle Ages, the West was dirt poor, and the real money was in the east. Long-run growth matters. But that does not mean the former East and West Germany are on equal economic footing today. Per-capita gross domestic product was 32,108 in the former East German states in 2018, compared with 42,971 in the former West German states. You have been on the Caltech faculty for more than 30 years. In the very successful countries, the leaders could impose very heavy taxes and spend huge sums on war. Luckily, this blog post will help you to understand some of the differences between these two parts of Europe. In eastern European cultures, there is an emphasis on family and community life. That's because the Black Death was at its peak. No major city is near the Danube until Belgrade. Eastern Europe refers to the eastern part of Europe. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. I have been a writer and editor for more than two decades. On average, Eastern Europeans live longer than western Europeans because they smoke fewer cigarettes and drink less alcohol on average. Eastern Europe: Eastern Europe refers to the eastern part of Europe. The key difference between Western and Eastern Europe is that Eastern Europe consists of countries that once belonged to the Soviet block, unlike the Western European countries.