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. I've looked at changes in technology that influence agriculture, and I've studied the development of financial markets, and in between those two, I was also studying why financial crises occur. Make a list of at least seven of the largest cities in Eastern Europe. Romania is probably the most unusual country in this region. 2 2. In approximately one paragraph (at least three to five sentences), explain why Russia is sometimes considered part of Eastern Europe but sometimes not. - Definition & Laws, What Is Medicare? >Eastern European men >Like seriously, they are so formal, handsome, and respectful.. Most of the major periods in European history (Middle Ages, Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment), also affected Eastern Europe. Unofficial site of Thomas Sowell, Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? And if you prefer direct measures of living standards, then data on consumption from the OECD also shows that America is considerably more prosperous. Well, it depends on the parameters. 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. 47 West Virginia, and not too far above No. It's also a sign of prosperity that, when they do earn American dollars, foreigners often choose to invest those funds in the American economy (remember, the necessary flip side of a "trade deficit" is a "capital surplus"). Hoffman's work is published in a new book titled Why Did Europe Conquer the World? 4. 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. 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. One thing is clear: eastern Europe exited the first wave at the end of June in much better shape than western Europe. We spoke with him recently about his research interests and what led him to study this particular topic. | 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. What made you turn to the idea of gunpowder technology as an explanation? and I thought it was because they just freed themselves from communism a few decades ago. Stringency of COVID-19 control measures in eastern and western Europe. idc abour other guys i have a fat cock and im not afraid to shove it down ur skinny bitch throat But one explanation that can probably be ditched is the culture argument mentioned previously. The highest mountain in eastern Europe is Mount Elbrus, which stands at 18,510 feet tall. 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. Christianity is the main religion in Eastern Europe. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. 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. It started after I gave an undergraduate here a book to read about gunpowder technology, how it was invented in China and used in Japan and Southeast Asia, and how the Europeans got very good at using it, which fed into their successful conquests. The more they spent, the more chances they had to improve their military technology through trial and error while fighting wars. (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.). Higher Percentage: Theres a higher percentage of people living in poverty in eastern Europe than there is in western Europe.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'questionscity_com-leader-1','ezslot_3',116,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-questionscity_com-leader-1-0'); Unemployment Rate: Unemployment rates are much higher in eastern Europe. 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. Required fields are marked *. Here is an Eastern Europe countries list that can help discern what is considered Eastern European territory, and what countries are considered Eastern European: Note: The Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) are also sometimes considered to be part of Eastern Europe by some, but part of Northern Europe by others. The former East Germany trails the former West in productivity. Moldova is an independent nation that was once part of the Soviet Union. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. 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. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. The Eastern Europeans developed their "taste" to the Western ways of life during the communist era around the 1970's 80's, based on stereotypes in films or on the rare visits Clean streets, orderly suburbs, homogenous (mainly white) population, comfortable life,. Your email address will not be published. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? | Thomas Sowell This One Major Factor Makes Germany Richer Than Italy. Has Eastern Europe always been poorer than Western Europe, and if so, why? 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. Cheap travel Eastern Europe can be significantly less expensive than Western Europe. Although they may seem like completely different worlds at first glance, there are some striking similarities between eastern and western European countries that can help travelers decide where to go on vacation or which country to live in after college graduation. Yes, their welfare states are too large, but they somewhat compensate for that mistake by having very pro-free market policies in other areas. The economic model then connected that spending to changes in military technology. 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! 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. 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. All of the countries of Western and Northern Europe are very close to the ocean, and largely surrounded by it. One difference is that Eastern European countries were part of the Soviet Union for decades while Western European countries had more independence during this period. A heretical Christian sect, known as the Hussites (named after Jan Huss), challenged the Catholic Church in part of Eastern Europe during the early 15th century, but they were stamped out by the Catholic political elite. Caltech's Philip Hoffman, the Rea A. and Lela G. Axline Professor of Business Economics and professor of history, has a new explanation: the advancement of gunpowder technology. Gunpowder was really important for conquering territory; it allows a small number of people to exercise a lot of influence. Continue with Recommended Cookies. 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). Ukraine was the home and originator of "Rus" civilization pre-Mongol conquest with Kiev being a strong city when Moscow was a backwater. Explore Eastern Europe. 3. You havent even mentioned socialism and central managed economies, the truth is that a lot of these countries were pretty 'rich' before ww2. 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. There are many different religions practiced in eastern European countries, including Christianity and Islam. In 1914, really only China, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire had escaped becoming European colonies. Eastern Europe | Countries, Geography & Religions - Study.com - 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. I am glad that a more vigorous race wasn't here as they would have truly dominated the world! For Western Europe, it was the Scandinavian Vikings who preyed upon river cities and traffic. This is why Eastern Europe, in general, is poorer than countries in Western, Central, and Northern Europe. England in 1800 was the richest country in the world, but the population lived in terrible poverty), Easter Europe always got the brunt of the migrant waves for almost all of recorded history, it didn't really begin to stabilize until the 900s so it had some catching up to do. Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? They are languages that descend from Latin, the language of the Romans. Then all the wars with the Turks and having to pretty much defeat the Nazis on their own. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. You can refer to the lesson, but try to recall as many from memory as you can. Eat: Eastern Europeans eat a lot of meat and potatoes while western Europeans eat more fruits and vegetables. Most of the countries in Eastern Europe, including Romania, were never part of the Soviet Union. None of this suggests that policy in America is ideal (it isnt) or that European nations are failures (they still rank among the wealthiest places on the planet). Its also a sign of prosperity that, when they do earn American dollars, foreigners often choose to invest those funds in the American economy (remember, the necessary flip side of a trade deficit is a capital surplus). So, I put together an economic model of how this technology has advanced to come up with what I think is the real reason why the West conquered almost everyone else. Despite these differences, the former East has narrowed the . 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. Western Europe: Western Europe is economically more advanced as well as prosperous. It was politically weak, it was poor, and the major long-distance commerce was a slave trade led by Vikings. It is difficult to point out the geographical division between the western and eastern regions of Europe although it is believed that the Caucasus Mountains, Ural River and mountain lay the boundary for Eastern Europe. Eastern Europe is more industrialized than Western Europe while Western European countries tend to be wealthier than their eastern counterparts. This is a somewhat more serious subreddit compared to many others. Why are countries in eastern Europe poorer than in western Europe? 55 chapters | The vast majority of people in Eastern Europe speak a Slavic language. Serbia was especially rich in mineral wealth and with trade from Adriatic to Aegean during the Middle Ages. Thomas Sowell Explains how geographical differences between Eastern and Western Europe played a key role in the economic differences between the two regions, which caused Eastern Europe to be historically poorer than Western Europe. The Romanian language consists of 75% Latin, 20% Dacian and 5% Slavic. 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. 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. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 So as an explanation, industrialization doesn't work. Write an essay of approximately one to two paragraphs that explains the Soviet Union's influence on certain countries of Eastern Europe. Breathtaking nature Last, but definitely not least, nature in Eastern Europe is stunning. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. 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Bohemia (Czech lands) was one of the biggest and most developed economic centers of the Holy Roman Empire. For example, if I am fighting you and you figure out a better way to build an armed ship, I can imitate you. 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. Richer not only than Europe, but even more prosperous than the United States. In either case, you'll still be spending money on the military and on military research. Resource 01: https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Eastern_EuropeResource 02: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Europe, Differences Between Eastern And Western Europe, Differences Between Eastern And Western Culture, Differences Between Eastern and Western Roman Empire, Differences Between Eastern And Western Religions, https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Eastern_Europe, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Europe. People speak romance languages and those with Germanic roots as well. Even the Catholic Church held a different view from the eastern church. Language spoken in most eastern European countries includes Russian and Ukrainian. I understand why it looks that way but that's because of your perspective. What are the Five Themes of Geography? Their situation relative to Western Europe has not become better 70 years after WWII. Example: 1.56% of Eastern Europeans are atheist. Where Eastern Europe begins, however, is a matter of opinion. September 01, 2015. 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. Just take any economic, social map and overlay it with the iron curtain map and you will understand what it's actually about. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Eastern Europe has a total population of about 258 million people. Western Europe is a region that includes many countries with diverse populations and cultures. Another explanation, described in Jared Diamond's famous book [Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies], is disease. Living Standard: Western Europe has higher standards of living than eastern European countries. When you go back that far, you need to use to use a proxy for human capital. Europe's 'food apartheid': are brands in the east lower quality than in Im simply making the modest yet important argument that Europeans would be more prosperous if the fiscal burden of government wasnt so onerous. I think the main reason is that Europe is . 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. The Differences Between Eastern and Western European Startups An error occurred trying to load this video. It seems that at least some countries in the region have learned their lessons. In either event, the people of Romania and Moldova are closely related. Western Europe: Western Europe refers to the western part of Europe. The longest river in the region is the Danube. In this video, we will explore the reasons behind the economic gap between Western and Eastern Europe. Many scholars believe that Moldovan is simply a dialect of Romanian, while others believe it is a separate language. Why was Western Europe more developed than Eastern Europe? Eastern Europe: Eastern Europe refers to the eastern part of Europe. From the Eiffel Tower in Paris to The Great Wall Of China, these landmarks are instantly recognizable and attract millions of visitors each year. 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. Well, Eastern Europe has always been less developed than the Western half. On average, Eastern Europeans live longer than western Europeans because they smoke fewer cigarettes and drink less alcohol on average. This is why Eastern Europe, in general, is poorer than countries in Western, Central, and Northern Europe. Mountain ranges - Urals, Apls, Musala (Tallest Mountain range in the region, located in Bulgaria), Carpathians, Balkan Mountains, Rivers - Volga, Danube (longest), Dnieper, Oder, Don. Then you have more capital to invest, which allows for . But something like the smallpox epidemic that ravaged Mexico when the Spanish conquistador Hernn Corts overthrew the Aztec Empire just isn't the whole story of Corts's victory or of Europe's successful colonization of other parts of the world. The majority of western Europeans live within 50 kilometers (30 miles) from their place of birth. 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. In addition to historic sites, Western Europe also houses some of the most beautiful cities on earth with London being one such place. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax They often wonder if theyre even in the same country when they arrive at their destination! 2. There are over 500 different languages spoken in the region of eastern Europe. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. 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. What this Westerner refused to mention was all the wars and foreign occupations we went through all of our history (for Russia, a lot but not the entirety). Byzantium, so long as it had Anatolia, could essentially produce gold at will, and was really the only European power to have actual cities as we understand them. Countries in this region are typically located on the continent of Asia, except for Turkey which lies partly in both Asia and Europe. That was a really great question and it got me interested. If, for some reason, somebody was holding a gun to my head and demanding that we copy the policies of a nation from the European Union,the Nordic countries would be among my top choices. Here is an Eastern Europe religion map that depicts the split of Christianity after the Great Schism of 1054. Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms. The political dominance of western Europe was an unexpected outcome and had really big consequences, so I thought: let's explain it. Has Eastern Europe always been poorer than Western Europe, and - Reddit As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. Islam - Islam came to Eastern Europe via the Ottoman Empire. Even much of Russia is located in Asia. 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. Both regions have a history of being ruled by powerful empires that brought change to the area. Create a poster, chart, or some other type of graphic organizer that lists and briefly describes the major geographical features of Eastern Europe. Even in countries where governments reintroduced relatively strong restrictions in October, such as Slovenia and Lithuania, infections and deaths have remained high throughout November suggesting low compliance with the rules. David has taught Honors Physics, AP Physics, IB Physics and general science courses. 6. I have been a writer and editor for more than two decades. - Definition, History & Criticism, Chaos Theory: Definition, History & Examples, What is a Pre-Existing Condition? Coronavirus: why is eastern Europe's second wave so much worse than its The governments report points to several possible factors for the worse economic conditions in East Germany, including the lack of major companies headquartered there. Western Europe has the most Nobel Prize, winners. It also boasts some of the richest economies in the world with Germany being one of those countries at its forefront. 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). What kinds of factors are included in this model? When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. 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. Today, both Judaism and the Yiddish language are scarce in this part of the world. I'm from Balkan, we have to translate Thomas Sowell in albanian, serbo-croatian, bullgarian, rumunian, greec .. Spain has more high-speed rail tracks than any other European country. Albanian forms its own branch of the Indo-European language family. In this region may Catholics and Protestant Christians can be seen. 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. You dont become wealthy by attacking and taking over subsistence farmers. In the very successful countries, the leaders could impose very heavy taxes and spend huge sums on war. Then you can bargain with your enemies to divvy up whatever you disagree about and you can have something like peace. 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. When its easier to travel and grow food, its easier to sell the food at a greater. 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. 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. Most of Europe Is a Lot Poorer than Most of the United States 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.