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. These countries have several different borders with Russia, as well as other European nations such as Germany or Poland. Explore Eastern Europe. Language spoken in most eastern European countries includes Russian and Ukrainian. Before that point, Western and Eastern Europe were relatively similar in prosperity. The impact of modernization and individualization can be clearly seen in the lifestyles of people. More specifically, the Eastern orthodox Church is the branch of Christianity with the largest number of adherents in this region. Ukraine was the home and originator of "Rus" civilization pre-Mongol conquest with Kiev being a strong city when Moscow was a backwater. Create a poster, chart, or some other type of graphic organizer that lists and provides statistics for the religions of Eastern Europe. Eastern Europe has a total population of about 258 million people. Both regions have different economic structures and political systems. But that does not mean the former East and West Germany are on equal economic footing today. Christianity History & Location | How Did Christianity Spread? 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. The Romanian language consists of 75% Latin, 20% Dacian and 5% Slavic. Eastern Europe was praised for being exceptional during the first wave of the pandemic. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Living Standard: Western Europe has higher standards of living than eastern European countries. 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. Some argued that this was because of economics: that eastern European countries locked down early because they feared their economies would . Although they may be connected by us all being human beings, there is a lot that separates us as well. Transport, accommodation and food tend to take a smaller bite out of your wallet, without compromising on history, culture, and experience. Generally speaking, Slavic languages that use the Cyrillic alphabet are found in countries that practice the Eastern Orthodox faith. 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. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. South Asian Countries | Religion, Culture & Countries List. 2 2. They vary from culture to language, religion, and even government systems. Why is Eastern Europe Historically Poorer than Western Europe? - reddit 55 chapters | 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. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. This tool measures the stringency of efforts to control the virus on a scale of 0-100, with 100 being the most restrictive. 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA One final comment. From the Eiffel Tower in Paris to The Great Wall Of China, these landmarks are instantly recognizable and attract millions of visitors each year. Why are Eastern European men so much better than western men? Our World in Data COVID-19 Dataset. 7. For Western Europe, it was the Scandinavian Vikings who preyed upon river cities and traffic. Eastern Europe | Countries, Geography & Religions - Study.com The Eastern European area bore the brunt of the Asian invasions too as first the Huns, then Avars, Slavs, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Mongols, and Turks all swept into the Balkans, Carpathian Basin, and the lands between the Black and Baltic seas each time wiping out native political powers. Today, not a single east German company is listed on the DAX-30, the nations leading stock exchange index, the report notes. why is eastern europe less developed 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. 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. The standard of living of the population until the mid 19th century was about the same. Even before the Holocaust, Jews faced terrible discrimination from the Christian-majority populations in which they lived. Look again at the second graph above. (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.). Its language is related to Italian, Spanish, and French, making the Romanians the only Latin people in Eastern Europe. Albanian forms its own branch of the Indo-European language family. 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. 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. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. 9. Another explanation, described in Jared Diamond's famous book [Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies], is disease. Mark Perry of the American Enterprise Institute has put together some apples-to-apples data suggesting the answer is no. 4. In approximately one paragraph (at least three to five sentences), explain why Russia is sometimes considered part of Eastern Europe but sometimes not. Stringency of COVID-19 restrictions, second wave, eastern 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. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal. Where is Eastern Europe? Western Europe has l. Hello and welcome to our channel. 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. Authors compilation. The vast majority of people in Eastern Europe speak a Slavic language. The key difference between Western and Eastern Europe is that the name Eastern Europe is used to refer to all European countries that were previously ruled by communist regimes while the name Western Europe refers to the more economically stable and developed Western countries. Put another way, people in the former East Germany earned 86% the after-tax income of their West German counterparts in 2017. 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). (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Most of the countries in Eastern Europe, including Romania, were never part of the Soviet Union. 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. Many of those that survived, emigrated to Israel or the US. Eastern Europe is a geographical term that refers to the easternmost countries of Europe. I think the main reason is that Europe is . Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. While its per-capita productivity remains lower than that of West Germany, the former East Germany has made major gains since unification. 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. - Definition & Laws, What Is Medicare? 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? When examining the culture and society of the countries of Eastern Europe, a clear difference can be seen in family structures. 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 countries in the region have seen significant increases in cases and deaths. 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. So that's not the answerit's something else. Why is Eastern Europe more Western than Western Europe? Even much of Russia is located in Asia. 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. - Definition, History & Criticism, Chaos Theory: Definition, History & Examples, What is a Pre-Existing Condition? 4. 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A thousand years ago, no one would have ever expected that result, for at that point western Europe was hopelessly backward. 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. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. One explanation might be that these countries are victims of their own success. Example: Much of Eastern Europe's population has Russian ancestry. Russias GDP per capita (PPP) was $14,900 as of 2018. The Netherlands is the country with the most time off in the world. There have been many periods where the Polish/Baltic/Ukraine/Belarus area was very wealthy. The theology of the Eastern Orthodox faith is very similar to the theology of the Catholic religion. However, people in both areas work hard with about 40 hours per week spent working (the same amount). I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Western Europe: Western Europe is economically more advanced as well as prosperous. Eat: Eastern Europeans eat a lot of meat and potatoes while western Europeans eat more fruits and vegetables. 1. Countries in this region are typically located on the continent of Asia, except for Turkey which lies partly in both Asia and Europe. Almost all the Muslims who live in Eastern Europe belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. There are over 500 different languages spoken in the region of eastern Europe. After the sack of Constantinople in 1204, however, the eastern economy was permanently disrupted, and wealth began to shift westward. Romanian is a romance language. For example, if I am fighting you and you figure out a better way to build an armed ship, I can imitate you. 2. 8. However, Poles, Croats, and other Catholic Slavs use the Latin alphabet (the same alphabet used by English). Amazing how so many refuse to acknowledge how climate and geography go hand and hand with a countrys economic development. - 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. why is eastern europe poorer than western europe? QuotidianPain 2 yr. ago I don't think Atlantic trade is the sole reason though. 2023 Sowell.org. @media (max-width: 1171px) { .sidead300 { margin-left: -20px; } } Turkish belongs to the Turkic language family. Unemployment is persistently higher in the former East Germany than in the former West. They were part of large empires, such as the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian empires. The reformation gave way to more literacy, the Protestant work ethic, which resulted in rapid advances in the sciences and technology. 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 . Conclusion paragraph: The differences between Eastern and Western Europe are vast, but there is one important similarity. Coronavirus: why is eastern Europe's second wave so much worse than its 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. Eastern European countries include Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, Bulgaria Croatia (Hrvatska), Czech Republic (esk Republika), Estonia (Eesti), Georgia ( ) Hungary (Magyarorsz g), Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Montenegro Poland Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Ukraine.