It was politically weak, it was poor, and the major long-distance commerce was a slave trade led by Vikings. That's because the Black Death was at its peak. Example: Much of Eastern Europe's population has Russian ancestry. ), See also: How the attitudes of West and East Germans compare, 30 years after fall of Berlin Wall. See less Comments 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. Nationalism, therefore, was an important element in the culture of Eastern Europe for a long time, sometimes leading to major wars. 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. If we look at the stringency of control measures, we can also see that not all countries acted in the same way. Heres another map, concentrating just on Northern Europe. These are the countries that are in Eastern Europe: Russia (Partly in Asia). Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you 55 chapters | Stringency of COVID-19 control measures in eastern and western Europe. Feeding the YouTube algorithm. Excellent point. Eastern Europes pandemic experience has been dramatically different this autumn. 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. Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World, How the attitudes of West and East Germans compare, 30 years after fall of Berlin Wall, Gasoline costs more these days, but price spikes have a long history and happen for a host of reasons, Inflation has risen around the world, but the U.S. has seen one of the biggest increases, Views of the economy have turned sharply negative in many countries amid COVID-19, Prior to COVID-19, Urban Core Counties in the U.S. In the former East, 42% of adults say the next generation will be better off, compared with 50% in the West who say this. On average, Eastern Europeans live longer than western Europeans because they smoke fewer cigarettes and drink less alcohol on average. With so much diversity within this region, its easy to see why people from around the globe flock here every year. From West to East the climate, becoming more severe (in Siberia - almost impossible for an agricultural civilization) because decrease in influence of the Gulf stream. 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. Also the Danube is a big invasion route from the Black Sea to Germany. There are some exceptions, however. 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. 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. 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. Judaism - Eastern European Jews once numbered in the millions; however, they were nearly wiped out during the Holocaust. The division of the Roman Empire occurred partially as a result of economic differences. Those improvements can help at times when wars are necessaryfor instance, when we are fighting against enemies with whom we cannot negotiate. and I thought it was because they just freed themselves from communism a few decades ago. Conclusion paragraph: The differences between Eastern and Western Europe are vast, but there is one important similarity. Max Weber Fellow in Social and Political Sciences, European University Institute. 9. Hong Kong and Singapore, for instance, used to be poor jurisdictions. Almost all the Muslims who live in Eastern Europe belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. Up until the beginning of November, the spike in the death rate was largely driven by the Czech Republic. The standard of living of the population until the mid 19th century was about the same. However, over the past 20 years, most of the nations of Eastern Europe have joined the . A head start in the first wave. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. You can refer to the lesson, but try to recall as many from memory as you can. And Im debunking the argument that we should copy nations such as Denmark by allowing a larger government in the United States (though I do want to copy Danish policies in other areas, which generally are more pro-economic liberty than what we have in America). 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. 47 West Virginia, and not too far above No. Why are countries in eastern Europe poorer than in western Europe? 4. Eat: Eastern Europeans eat a lot of meat and potatoes while western Europeans eat more fruits and vegetables. 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. Many of the countries of Eastern Europe did not exist before the 20th century. There is a very important ocean . He also serves on the editorial board of the Cayman Financial Review. What were the politics and the political context of the economy that resulted in this ability to tax? Neighbouring Slovakia, on the other hand, imposed stricter measures despite having far fewer cases and deaths. Richer not only than Europe, but even more prosperous than the United States. When you go back that far, you need to use to use a proxy for human capital. Which is mostly Southern Europe and Anatolia (under the Macedonian dynasty at least). The capital of Romania is Bucharest, a city with approximately 1.8 million people. Generally speaking, Slavic languages that use the Cyrillic alphabet are found in countries that practice the Eastern Orthodox faith. When we turn to the second wave (starting around September and ongoing), were faced with the opposite question: why did eastern European countries not act in spite of rapidly rising infections and deaths? Today, not a single east German company is listed on the DAX-30, the nations leading stock exchange index, the report notes. Create your account. Importantly, however, there have been major differences within eastern Europe too. 2.Standard of living in Britain was usually poor, Probably OP refers the wealth of the States, not the standard of living of the population (e.g. Romanian is a romance language. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. For that to happen, the countries have to be small and close to one another. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. 6. What can we learn from the differences between Eastern and Western Europe? Germany has a higher percentage of its population living in urban areas than any other European Union member state. Unemployment is persistently higher in the former East Germany than in the former West. Eastern Europe has a total population of about 258 million people. 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. Despite these differences, the former East has narrowed the gap with the former West substantially in recent decades. It can be further subdivided into four sub-regions: Northern Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Southern Europe. Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? Some argued that this was because of economics: that eastern European countries locked down early because they feared their economies would . Germans in both areas say living standards in the former East have not yet caught up with those in the former West. Central American Countries & Facts | People, Tribes & Culture of Central America, Central America Geography | Map, Physical Features & Examples, Physical & Human Features of Europe | Mapping the Features of Europe, Comparing Life in Different Locations in Europe, Latin America | Population, Ethnic Groups & Demographics, Physical Features of Russia & Central Asia | Map, Characteristics & Geography, Where is Latin America? - Definition, Eligibility & Coverage, What Is Medication Reconciliation? 10. Stringency of COVID-19 restrictions, second wave, eastern Europe. /r/History is a place for discussions about history. Then all the wars with the Turks and having to pretty much defeat the Nazis on their own. Thanks! I wrote previouslythat many European nations are doomed bydemographics tofiscal chaos, but a lot of people dont care that much about the future. Before World War II, there were large pockets of German speakers scattered throughout parts of Western 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. 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. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Both had one factor significantly holding them back: foreign invaders. What made you turn to the idea of gunpowder technology as an explanation? Their situation relative to Western Europe has not become better 70 years after WWII. Example: 1.56% of Eastern Europeans are atheist. Eastern-Europe-map2 by CrazyPhunk self-made based upon: Image:Eastern-Europe-map2.png. Moldova is an independent nation that was once part of the Soviet Union. On average, Eastern Europeans live longer than western Europeans because they smoke fewer cigarettes and drink less alcohol on average. For this reason, the economic situation is not uniform across the region. | Thomas Sowell. This shows that eastern European countries took the opportunity to act quickly. 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. I've also been interested in the development of tax systems. Another explanation, described in Jared Diamond's famous book [Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies], is disease. Language spoken in most eastern European countries includes Russian and Ukrainian. Greeks, Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Bulgarians, Serbs, and a few others are traditionally Orthodox Christians. | Thomas Sowell Author: www.youtube.com Post date: 21 yesterday Rating: 3 (1898 reviews) Highest rating: 3 Low rated: 2 Summary: 3. You havent even mentioned socialism and central managed economies, the truth is that a lot of these countries were pretty 'rich' before ww2. Amazing how so many refuse to acknowledge how climate and geography go hand and hand with a countrys economic development. Most of Eastern Europe was not touched by any Ancient advanced civilisation, either - they had to develop their own, except for the South Slavs. 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. Before that point, Western and Eastern Europe were relatively similar in prosperity. But Im digressing. Bohemia and Hungary were also quite powerful, and only the Russian states could be considered poor. Manage Settings Eastern Europe: Most people follow Orthodox Christianity or Islam. Make a list of at least seven of the largest cities in Eastern Europe. My idea incorporates the model of a contest or a tournament where your odds of winning are higher if you spend more resources on fighting. Press J to jump to the feed. Example: Some people do not consider Russia to be part of Europe. 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. David has taught Honors Physics, AP Physics, IB Physics and general science courses. But exploring Soviet-era Eastern Europe is not even half the story. How is your theory different? Over the years I've been interested in a number of different things, and this new work puts together a lot of bits of my research. This is why Eastern Europe, in general, is poorer than countries in Western, Central, and Northern Europe. | Themes of Geography: Examples, 6th Grade Life Science: Enrichment Program, 7th Grade Life Science: Enrichment Program, 8th Grade Life Science: Enrichment Program, NY Regents Exam - Global History and Geography: Help and Review, NY Regents Exam - Global History and Geography: Tutoring Solution, Introduction to Political Science: Help and Review, Introduction to Political Science: Tutoring Solution, Intro to Criminal Justice: Help and Review, Introduction to Criminal Justice Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, Common Core History & Social Studies Grades 11-12: Literacy Standards, Instructional Strategies for Teachers: Help & Review, OSAT Psychology/Sociology (CEOE) (032): Practice & Study Guide, NMTA Social Science (303): Practice & Study Guide, Create an account to start this course today. For example, if I am fighting you and you figure out a better way to build an armed ship, I can imitate you. This is a problem in an age of common migration because the educated and talented are migrating from Eastern to Western Europe. What led you to investigate the global conquests of western Europe? The continent of Europe can be divided into two regions as the western and eastern Europe. Europe's economic crisis has thrown into relief the economic disparity between the Continent's richer, northern half and its poorer . 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. Spain has more high-speed rail tracks than any other European country. Definitions of Western and Eastern Europe: Characteristics of Western and Eastern Europe: Difference Between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Difference Between Commonwealth and Protectorate. 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. In this region may Catholics and Protestant Christians can be seen. 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. The reason . 8. 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. I am glad that a more vigorous race wasn't here as they would have truly dominated the world! Communist: The eastern part of the continent has been ruled by communist governments for decades, while the West has had democratic governments for centuries. Required fields are marked *. Here is an Eastern Europe religion map that depicts the split of Christianity after the Great Schism of 1054. 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. Learn what is considered Eastern European, view a list of Eastern European countries and discover Eastern Europe religions. They are languages that descend from Latin, the language of the Romans. Where Eastern Europe begins, however, is a matter of opinion. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Also economically, the Western European countries are much more advanced than the eastern European countries. The Chinese invented gunpowder, but Hoffman, whose work applies economic theory to historical contexts, argues that certain political and economic circumstances allowed the Europeans to advance gunpowder technology at an unprecedented rateallowing a relatively small number of people to quickly take over much of the rest of the globe. Western Europe has l. Hello and welcome to our channel. Western Europe refers to the western part of Europe. Its clear that these two regions hold many similarities as well as some stark contrasts; it will be interesting to see what changes occur over the next few years. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. The highest mountain in eastern Europe is Mount Elbrus, which stands at 18,510 feet tall. The influence of the ocean. Our World in Data COVID-19 Dataset. Even much of Russia is located in Asia. It also includes some of the Balkan nations. The former East Germany trails the former West in productivity. Write an essay of approximately one to two paragraphs that explains the Soviet Union's influence on certain countries of Eastern Europe. | Thomas Sowell, What Makes Coastal People So Different? Unofficial site of Thomas Sowell, Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? This tool measures the stringency of efforts to control the virus on a scale of 0-100, with 100 being the most restrictive. why is eastern europe poorer than western europe? Western Europe is a region that includes many countries with diverse populations and cultures. For example, how did states get the ability to impose heavy taxes? Eastern Europe is home to a number of mountain ranges, including the Musala, the region's tallest mountain. Yes, there are lots of conventional explanationsindustrialization, for examplebut on closer inspection they all fall apart. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Copyright 2010-2018 Difference Between. So now I wonder why India, which is by the ocean, has a warm climate, natural wealth, and at the same time is much poorer than those poor Eastern European countries? There's a brain drain. Western Europe (Robinson Project)By Serg!o [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons, 2. Answer (1 of 21): It's not. - Definition, History & Criticism, Chaos Theory: Definition, History & Examples, What is a Pre-Existing Condition? The reporter from the Wall Street Journal who shared it remarked that Purple areas are rich as US states. It severely inhibited political and economic development. When it's easier to travel and grow food, it's easier to sell the food at a greater. Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms, Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza, Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19, Difference Between Motorola Droid Bionic and Droid HD, Difference Between Coherence and Consistency, What is the Difference Between PEP and PrEP, What is the Difference Between Syphilis and Chancroid, What is the Difference Between Open and Closed Mitosis, What is the Difference Between Typical and Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia, What is the Difference Between Menactra and Menveo, What is the Difference Between Soft Skills and Technical Skills, What is the Difference Between Idiopathic Hypersomnia and Narcolepsy. 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. 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. You also have more free time to learn other skills and trades. In 1914, really only China, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire had escaped becoming European colonies. But one explanation that can probably be ditched is the culture argument mentioned previously. 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"). From the Eiffel Tower in Paris to The Great Wall Of China, these landmarks are instantly recognizable and attract millions of visitors each year. The countries in western Europe have a more individualistic culture, with people caring about their success. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. Daily new COVID-19 deaths per million inhabitants, eastern and western Europe. 3. 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. Eastern Europe squandered its spring gains and then repeated the mistakes made by the west in spring: waiting until cases and deaths are out of control before imposing controls. 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. But that does not mean the former East and West Germany are on equal economic footing today. Along with the inventions of the industrial revolution, countries have been able to gain a high economic development rate. Most of the people who live here speak a Slavic language and belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church. Cases and deaths have not been spread evenly across the region. wu tang clan concert 2021; beauty and the beast symbolic interactionism 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. Fox News' Tucker Carlson asks what Attorney General Merrick Garland is doing in Ukraine, and wonders why no one cares about what happened to the Nordstream pipeline. For instance, Romanians speak a romance language. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. 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. There have been many periods where the Polish/Baltic/Ukraine/Belarus area was very wealthy. 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. Greece is in Eastern Europe. Today, both Judaism and the Yiddish language are scarce in this part of the world. Eastern Europe is generally poorer than Western Europe. Western Europe: People speak romance languages and languages with Germanic roots. 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. One thing is clear: eastern Europe exited the first wave at the end of June in much better shape than western Europe. As always, excellently explained to be easily understood. 10. This button displays the currently selected search type. 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. Christianity is the main religion in Eastern Europe. For Western Europe, it was the Scandinavian Vikings who preyed upon river cities and traffic. 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. 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. I have been a writer and editor for more than two decades. Well, Eastern Europe has always been less developed than the Western half. - Definition & Process, Largest Revenue Sources for the Federal Government, What Do Archaeologists Study? 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. Paris was this little walled fortress town, and Constantinople was so large it needed its own governor. Well, it depends on the parameters. Many scholars believe that Moldovan is simply a dialect of Romanian, while others believe it is a separate language. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, which spans roughly 40% of the continent's landmass while accounting for approximately 15% of its total . In the very successful countries, the leaders could impose very heavy taxes and spend huge sums on war. Authors compilation. Its easternmost border is the Ural mountains. Adjusting for population size, both cases and deaths were substantially lower in the east, as shown in this comparison of the COVID-19 death rate in the two regions. 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. QuotidianPain 2 yr. ago I don't think Atlantic trade is the sole reason though. 2. The Byzantium empire which included the Balkans, and Greece were the richest part of Europe prior to Ottoman conquest. 5. So that's not the answerit's something else. 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. 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. Romania is probably the most unusual country in this region. Create a poster, chart, or some other type of graphic organizer that lists and briefly describes the major geographical features of Eastern Europe.
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