why is eastern europe poorer than western europe?

Thanks! Great work Dr. Sowell. 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). Spain has more high-speed rail tracks than any other European country. Why did Eastern Europe lag behind Western Europe in terms of economic development? Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal. Eastern Europe refers to the eastern part of Europe. I dont have a policy lesson here: simply an observation that the United Kingdom has one really rich region (Greater London) and quite few relatively poor regions. This is a somewhat more serious subreddit compared to many others. The Polish Lithuanian commonwealth was extremely powerful and wealthy by controling the rivers and by extension farmland and trade between Baltic and Black Seas. Hungarian, Romanian, Albanian, Roma, and Turkish are the three Eastern European languages that are not Slavic. Some of the economic activity in energy-rich states such as North Dakota, for instance, translates into income for shareholders living elsewhere in America. Hong Kong and Singapore, for instance, used to be poor jurisdictions. But one explanation that can probably be ditched is the culture argument mentioned previously. As its name suggests, Eastern Europe is the eastern part of the European continent. But if you look at the US average ($54,629), it obviously is higher than economic output in European nations. 1. This shows that eastern European countries took the opportunity to act quickly. 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). 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. Some people include Greece and the Baltic countries, as well. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Copyright 2010-2018 Difference Between. Most of the major periods in European history (Middle Ages, Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment), also affected Eastern Europe. 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. Up until the beginning of November, the spike in the death rate was largely driven by the Czech Republic. You also have more free time to learn other skills and trades. The reporter from the Wall Street Journal who shared it remarked that Purple areas are rich as US states. Why was Western Europe more developed than Eastern Europe? Eat: Eastern Europeans eat a lot of meat and potatoes while western Europeans eat more fruits and vegetables. Greeks, Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Bulgarians, Serbs, and a few others are traditionally Orthodox Christians. 10. 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. 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. Most Eastern European Jews spoke Yiddish, a language closely-related to German. Western Europe's Weakness Provoked Putin? What explains this reluctance to reintroduce restrictions? why is eastern europe poorer than western europe? Additionally, some definitions include Greece as part of Eastern Europe, while others maintain that Greece is, in fact, part of Southern Europe. In the former East, 42% of adults say the next generation will be better off, compared with 50% in the West who say this. 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. The technology grew to include more than just guns: armed ships, fortifications that can resist artillery, and more, and the Europeans became the best at using these things. Create your account. Moldova is an independent nation that was once part of the Soviet Union. They have distinct cultures, languages, traditions, and cuisine. - 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. Coming from Engineering cum Human Resource Development background, has over 10 years experience in content developmet and management. Our World in Data COVID-19 Dataset. 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). Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? Answer (1 of 21): It's not. See less Comments TOP 10 why is eastern europe poor BEST and NEWEST Its language is related to Italian, Spanish, and French, making the Romanians the only Latin people in Eastern Europe. Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? : r/AskEconomics - Reddit 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. The four major religions in Eastern Europe are the Eastern Orthodox faith, Catholicism, Islam, and Judaism. It's a sign of American prosperity that we can afford to buy more from other nations than they can afford to buy from us. Whats the difference between Eastern and Western Europe? 7. Required fields are marked *. Just take any economic, social map and overlay it with the iron curtain map and you will understand what it's actually about. This is why Eastern Europe, in general, is poorer than countries in Western, Central, and Northern Europe. @media (max-width: 1171px) { .sidead300 { margin-left: -20px; } } Eastern Vs. Western Europe: Which is Best for You? 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. 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. Please, enable JavaScript and reload the page to enjoy our modern features. The romance languages form another large branch of the Indo-European languages family. 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. In fact, the Ottomans once controlled a large chunk of this region. This has helped them recover from the damage done during their communist past. Most people in western Europe speak at least two languages, one of which will be English. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. People in the former East Germany earn less than their counterparts in the former West. Albanian forms its own branch of the Indo-European language family. 525 lessons. 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. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. 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? You can designate these countries on your list with an asterisk or "s" in parentheses next to them. That's because the Black Death was at its peak. Things are much better if the conflict concerns something that can be split upsuch as money or land. Both had one factor significantly holding them back: foreign invaders. Most of these people migrated to Germany after the war. 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA 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. In this region may Catholics and Protestant Christians can be seen. 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. Put another way, people in the former East Germany earned 86% the after-tax income of their West German counterparts in 2017. Before 1800, Europe had already taken over at least 35 percent of the world, but Britain was just beginning to industrialize. Western Europe: Western Europe refers to the western part of Europe. Maybe we should remind him that Mexico and China, as US states, would both be far below our poorest state Mississippi by 51% and 62% respectively for GDP per capita; and Japan would be barely above our poorest state Mississippi. 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.. Be sure to note on your list which countries these cities are found in. For this reason, the economic situation is not uniform across the region. Example: You could draw a long river to illustrate the blue Danube. 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. Hoffman's work is published in a new book titled Why Did Europe Conquer the World? There is a very important ocean . Even the Catholic Church held a different view from the eastern church. 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. Eastern Europe: Eastern Europe is comparatively less advanced regarding the economy. 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. Greece is located in south-east Europe! People in the former East Germany are also less optimistic than their counterparts in the former West on a variety of measures, including whether children today will grow up to be better off financially than their parents. Therefore, there are a lot of contradictions in this country. Western Europe is a region that includes many countries with diverse populations and cultures. And the more that the political leaders spend, the better their chances of defeating other leaders and, in the long run, of dominating the other cultures. Eastern Europe Lives And Breathes History. No major city is near the Danube until Belgrade. 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. Daily new COVID-19 deaths per million inhabitants, second wave, eastern Europe. 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. Make a list of at least seven of the largest cities in Eastern Europe. This has led to higher levels of entrepreneurship in the west while greater collectivism in the east. You also have more free time to learn other skills and trades. What made you turn to the idea of gunpowder technology as an explanation? Authors compilation. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Then you can bargain with your enemies to divvy up whatever you disagree about and you can have something like peace. ------------------------------------------------------------ To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. What kinds of factors are included in this model? For example, if I am fighting you and you figure out a better way to build an armed ship, I can imitate you. The former East Germany trails the former West in productivity. Western Europe has l. Hello and welcome to our channel. These are the countries that are in Eastern Europe: Russia (Partly in Asia). In 1991, per-capita productivity in the former East was less than half (43%) of productivity in the former West. What were the politics and the political context of the economy that resulted in this ability to tax? Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? | Thomas Sowell Coronavirus: why is eastern Europe's second wave so much worse than its Today, not a single east German company is listed on the DAX-30, the nations leading stock exchange index, the report notes. The Romanian language consists of 75% Latin, 20% Dacian and 5% Slavic. For that to happen, the countries have to be small and close to one another. However, over the past 20 years, most of the nations of Eastern Europe have joined the European Union. Their situation relative to Western Europe has not become better 70 years after WWII. The governments report points to several possible factors for the worse economic conditions in East Germany, including the lack of major companies headquartered there. 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. You dont become wealthy by attacking and taking over subsistence farmers. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. Daily new COVID-19 deaths per million inhabitants, eastern and western Europe. 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. Those improvements can help at times when wars are necessaryfor instance, when we are fighting against enemies with whom we cannot negotiate. 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. And if you prefer direct measures of living standards, then data on consumption from the OECD also shows that America is considerably more prosperous. South Asian Countries | Religion, Culture & Countries List. Western Europe is a region in Europethat is associated with the western portion of the Eurasian landmass,as well as some countries on islands off its coast. - Definition & Laws, What Is Medicare? Bohemia and Hungary were also quite powerful, and only the Russian states could be considered poor. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. An important factor was also the raids of nomads from the steppes, ravaged Eastern Europe. One thing is clear: eastern Europe exited the first wave at the end of June in much better shape than western Europe. Being dominated for centuries has led to lingering inequality and long-lasting effects in many formerly colonized countries, including poverty and slow economic growth. Communist regimes were politically repressive, and stifled the economic development of the region. 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). To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. We spoke with him recently about his research interests and what led him to study this particular topic. Some of the countries that fall under this category are United Kingdom, Norway, Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Vatican City, Netherlands, Sweden, Malta, Italy, Iceland, Germany, Greece, Finland, etc. These differences between eastern and western Europe will help you understand the magnitude of these differences better than before.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'questionscity_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_5',109,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-questionscity_com-medrectangle-4-0'); Western and Eastern Europe are on opposite sides of the continent. By introducing very strict prevention measures early on, countries in the region had significantly fewer COVID-related deaths than their western European counterparts. Most of the people who live here speak a Slavic language and belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church. 4. Eastern Europe is generally poorer than Western Europe. Western Europe: More Catholics and Protestant Christians can be seen. [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. The countries in western Europe have a more individualistic culture, with people caring about their success. Map of the spread of Catholicism and the Eastern orthodox faith. Cases and deaths have not been spread evenly across the region. For instance, Romanians speak a romance language. 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. Until 1991, the Soviet Union controlled everything from the Bering Strait to the Rhine. All findings are based on data from the German governments 2019 report, as well as the Centers recent survey. | 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. 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. Are there any overarching themes to your work? There are over 500 different languages spoken in the region of eastern Europe. This is probably the biggest reason I prefer Eastern Europe over Western Europe. The highest point in Eastern Europe is Mount Elbrus, which stands at 5642 meters high. A third of all languages spoken in western Europe are indigenous and not derived from Latin or Greek. Another explanation, described in Jared Diamond's famous book [Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies], is disease. This is why Eastern Europe, in general, is poorer than countries in Western, Central, and Northern Europe. 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. What led you to investigate the global conquests of western Europe? With so much diversity within this region, its easy to see why people from around the globe flock here every year. Neighbouring Slovakia, on the other hand, imposed stricter measures despite having far fewer cases and deaths. These countries have several different borders with Russia, as well as other European nations such as Germany or Poland. 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. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. 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. In addition to historic sites, Western Europe also houses some of the most beautiful cities on earth with London being one such place. Also economically, the Western European countries are much more advanced than the eastern European countries. 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. Scooby snacks for you! 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! 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. By introducing very strict prevention measures early on, countries in the region had significantly fewer COVID-related deaths than their western European counterparts.. and I thought it was because they just freed themselves from communism a few decades ago. Although they may be connected by us all being human beings, there is a lot that separates us as well. You can think of that as being much like a baseball team that hires better players to win more games, but in this case, instead of coaches, it's political leaders and instead of games there are wars. 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,. Roma is an Indo-European language that originated in India. You can refer to the lesson, but try to recall as many from memory as you can. The Western Roman Empire was poorer. Others include Polish, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Slovenian, Croatian, Macedonian, Belorussian, etc. The Slavic languages form a large branch of the Indo-European language family. Create a poster, chart, or some other type of graphic organizer that lists and briefly describes the major geographical features of Eastern Europe. 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. 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. Long-run growth matters.