Eastern Europe: Eastern Europe refers to the eastern part of Europe. Moldova is an independent nation that was once part of the Soviet Union. Romania is probably the most unusual country in this region. So that's not the answerit's something else. Both regions have a history of being ruled by powerful empires that brought change to the area. Paris was this little walled fortress town, and Constantinople was so large it needed its own governor. It is related to Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Before World War II, there were large pockets of German speakers scattered throughout parts of Western Europe. And I mean apocalyptic. Lets get back to whether people in places such as Denmark (or anywhere else in Europe) enjoy more prosperity than their American counterparts. The reason . why is eastern europe poorer than western europe? 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. The terrible assumption you have made so far is Eastern Europe was always poor. He has a Masters in Education, and a Bachelors in Physics. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you Neighbouring Slovakia, on the other hand, imposed stricter measures despite having far fewer cases and deaths. 55 chapters | Here, we take a look at why this has happened. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 Eastern Europe is more industrialized than Western Europe while Western European countries tend to be wealthier than their eastern counterparts. I feel like its a lifeline. 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. 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. Countries in this region are typically located on the continent of Asia, except for Turkey which lies partly in both Asia and Europe. Countries in the region imposed strict measures while being relatively mildly affected, whereas western countries waited until things got bad. In 1991, per-capita productivity in the former East was less than half (43%) of productivity in the former West. Hong Kong and Singapore, for instance, used to be poor jurisdictions. No major city is near the Danube until Belgrade. | Thomas Sowell. These are the countries that are in Eastern Europe: Russia (Partly in Asia). Through this article, let us examine the differences further. Love Sowell. In the former East, 42% of adults say the next generation will be better off, compared with 50% in the West who say this. Additionally, the ocean coast contributed to the early development of trade, and contributed to the development of cities (you can feed a large number of non-agricultural population due to fishing). 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. 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. What were the politics and the political context of the economy that resulted in this ability to tax? For example, that Europe became industrialized more quickly and therefore became wealthier than the rest of the world. The Romanian language consists of 75% Latin, 20% Dacian and 5% Slavic. All rights reserved. That's because the Black Death was at its peak. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Explore Eastern Europe. It also boasts some of the richest economies in the world with Germany being one of those countries at its forefront. - Definition, Eligibility & Coverage, What Is Medication Reconciliation? The largest country by area in eastern Europe is Russia with 677 thousand square miles. Historically, the culture of Eastern Europe has been closely linked to the history of the rest of the continent. 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. Western Europe is known for many things, but perhaps most famously it is the home of some of the worlds greatest tourist attractions. 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. 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. Adjusting for population size, both cases and . 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. This has helped them recover from the damage done during their communist past. (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.). Eastern Europe is a geographical term that refers to the easternmost countries of Europe. Or, that when Europeans began to travel the world, people in other countries did not have the immunity to fight off the diseases they brought with them. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. See here for the complete series: I love listening to Dr. Sowell's wonderful explanations for everything. Feeding the YouTube algorithm. Both regions have different economic structures and political systems. | Thomas Sowell Author: www.youtube.com Post date: 21 yesterday Rating: 3 (1898 reviews) Highest rating: 3 Low rated: 2 Summary: 3. 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"). And if you prefer direct measures of living standards, then data on consumption from the OECD also shows that America is considerably more prosperous. Monotheism Overview & Examples | What is Monotheistic Religion? On average, Eastern Europeans live longer than western Europeans because they smoke fewer cigarettes and drink less alcohol on average. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. The highest point in Eastern Europe is Mount Elbrus, which stands at 5642 meters high. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Generally speaking, Slavic languages that use the Cyrillic alphabet are found in countries that practice the Eastern Orthodox faith. The Czech Republic acted very late, for example, imposing stricter measures at the end of October, even though cases and deaths had been soaring upwards during the month. I think the main reason is that Europe is . 7. 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. That was a really great question and it got me interested. Most of the Jews who live in the United States are the descendants of people who once lived in Eastern Europe. Are there any overarching themes to your work? So as an explanation, industrialization doesn't work. | 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. Spain has more high-speed rail tracks than any other European country. I wrote previouslythat many European nations are doomed bydemographics tofiscal chaos, but a lot of people dont care that much about the future. In either case, you'll still be spending money on the military and on military research. Understanding why eastern European countries chose to respond differently during the second wave is complicated, though. 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. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. There are some exceptions, however. The Eastern and Western hemispheres of the world are vastly different in many ways. 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. 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. Most of these people migrated to Germany after the war. 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 led you to investigate the global conquests of western Europe? Until 1991, the Soviet Union controlled everything from the Bering Strait to the Rhine. But one explanation that can probably be ditched is the culture argument mentioned previously. 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. Europe Climate Zones & Classifications | What Is the Climate In Europe? Importantly, however, there have been major differences within eastern Europe too. In the very successful countries, the leaders could impose very heavy taxes and spend huge sums on war. They have distinct cultures, languages, traditions, and cuisine. Muslims are a minority in most parts of Europe. Most of the countries in Eastern Europe, including Romania, were never part of the Soviet Union. 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. Although they may be connected by us all being human beings, there is a lot that separates us as well. What explains this reluctance to reintroduce restrictions? 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. I have been a writer and editor for more than two decades. 3. 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. 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. What countries make up Eastern Europe? However, over the past 20 years, most of the nations of Eastern Europe have joined the European Union. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main The continent of Europe can be divided into two regions as the western and eastern 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. This is why Eastern Europe, in general, is poorer than countries in Western, Central, and Northern Europe. All findings are based on data from the German governments 2019 report, as well as the Centers recent survey. The most widely-spoken Slavic language is Russian. 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. They are found in their highest numbers in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Albania. Therefore, there are a lot of contradictions in this country. Some of the economic activity in energy-rich states such as North Dakota, for instance, translates into income for shareholders living elsewhere in America. Even much of Russia is located in Asia. For example, how did states get the ability to impose heavy taxes? Eastern Europe has a total population of about 258 million people. It severely inhibited political and economic development. The countries in western Europe have a more individualistic culture, with people caring about their success. 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. The theology of the Eastern Orthodox faith is very similar to the theology of the Catholic religion.