Answer (1 of 3): The main reason is the Atlantic conveyor. Although Europe represents only about 8 percent of the planet's landmass, from 1492 to 1914, Europeans conquered or colonized more than 80 percent of the entire world. 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. An important factor was also the raids of nomads from the steppes, ravaged Eastern Europe. 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. 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. 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. 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 1991, per-capita productivity in the former East was less than half (43%) of productivity in the former West. Feeding the YouTube algorithm. The Slavic languages form a large branch of the Indo-European language family. Very hard for a country to be doing well after all those struggles. Heres another map, concentrating just on Northern Europe. Language spoken in most eastern European countries includes Russian and Ukrainian. You dont become wealthy by attacking and taking over subsistence farmers. They were part of large empires, such as the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian empires. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7s6piXiFK-TaMDsKM4I7IS7iaNiyONEM, How Geography Shaped Africa | Thomas Sowell, Why Cultures Are So Different? 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. Create your account. Eastern Europe: Eastern Europe refers to the eastern part of Europe. 7. 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. - Definition & Laws, What Is Medicare? It is related to Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese. 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. Well, Eastern Europe has always been less developed than the Western half. crochet cardigan size chart on carolina thunderbirds salary; why is eastern europe poorer than western europe? I wish we did live in that world, but unfortunately it's not realistic. Stringency of COVID-19 control measures in eastern and western Europe. During the cold war period, this region was referred to as the Eastern bloc or else the Soviet bloc. Through this article, let us examine the differences further. By comparison, disposable income in the former West Germany was 23,283 a year, or about $26,300. | Thomas Sowell, What Makes Coastal People So Different? About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. The standard of living of the population until the mid 19th century was about the same. After the sack of Constantinople in 1204, however, the eastern economy was permanently disrupted, and wealth began to shift westward. Western Europe (Robinson Project)By Serg!o [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons, 2. 525 lessons. We live much more better than Latin America, the Middle East, Africa or India for 2.Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? I am glad that a more vigorous race wasn't here as they would have truly dominated the world! Judaism - Eastern European Jews once numbered in the millions; however, they were nearly wiped out during the Holocaust. It is followed by a brief description of the four major religions in the region. Despite this, the Soviet Union did play an important role in the regions history. And if you prefer direct measures of living standards, then data on consumption from the OECD also shows that America is considerably more prosperous. 8. Their situation relative to Western Europe has not become better 70 years after WWII. 50 Mississippi. 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! There is a very important ocean . The Hagia Sophia is now a mosque. 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. More specifically, the Eastern orthodox Church is the branch of Christianity with the largest number of adherents in this region. That was a really great question and it got me interested. Many theories purport to explain how the West became dominant. 6. In this region may Catholics and Protestant Christians can be seen. 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. Cultural Syncretism Definition & Examples | What is Religious Syncretism? All of the countries of Western and Northern Europe are very close to the ocean, and largely surrounded by it. Eastern Europe is more industrialized than Western Europe while Western European countries tend to be wealthier than their eastern counterparts. The head of the Orthodox faith is the Patriarch of Constantinople. Belgiums King Philippe is also Queen Mathildes husband. 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. They are found in their highest numbers in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Albania. 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? You also have more free time to learn other skills and trades. Definitions of Western and Eastern Europe: Characteristics of Western and Eastern Europe: Difference Between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Difference Between Commonwealth and Protectorate. 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. Before 1800, Europe had already taken over at least 35 percent of the world, but Britain was just beginning to industrialize. 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.. What countries make up Eastern Europe? It also boasts some of the richest economies in the world with Germany being one of those countries at its forefront. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. But Im digressing. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Countries in the region imposed strict measures while being relatively mildly affected, whereas western countries waited until things got bad. In either case, you'll still be spending money on the military and on military research. 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. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Richer not only than Europe, but even more prosperous than the United States. @media (max-width: 1171px) { .sidead300 { margin-left: -20px; } }
September 01, 2015. 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). The more they spent, the more chances they had to improve their military technology through trial and error while fighting wars. Before that point, Western and Eastern Europe were relatively similar in prosperity. Yes, there are lots of conventional explanationsindustrialization, for examplebut on closer inspection they all fall apart. These countries have several different borders with Russia, as well as other European nations such as Germany or Poland. 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. You can refer to the lesson, but try to recall as many from memory as you can. Since there is no exact definition of Eastern Europe, be sure your list includes countries that are sometimes included as part of Eastern Europe. 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. If we look at the stringency of control measures, we can also see that not all countries acted in the same way. I've also been interested in the development of tax systems. The majority of western Europeans live within 50 kilometers (30 miles) from their place of birth. What can we learn from the differences between Eastern and Western Europe? In fact, the Ottomans once controlled a large chunk of this region. Those improvements can help at times when wars are necessaryfor instance, when we are fighting against enemies with whom we cannot negotiate. Explore Eastern Europe. So as an explanation, industrialization doesn't work. Press J to jump to the feed. Eastern Europe religion is dominated by the Eastern Orthodox Church. I'm thinking the USSR isn't the reason why the non-Balkan east is poor, so from a wider historical perspective, what's the real reason? There is also easier access to mineral resources the further west you go in Europe, so more western regions would develop stronger economies when the Industrial Revolution upped the demand for those resources, while the minerals of the east weren't tapped until later. Eastern Europe: People speak languages with Slavic roots. Make a list of at least seven of the largest cities in Eastern Europe. There are many different religions practiced in eastern European countries, including Christianity and Islam. The 2018 version of the report is available here in English. For instance, Romanians speak a romance language. Being dominated for centuries has led to lingering inequality and long-lasting effects in many formerly colonized countries, including poverty and slow economic growth. Ukraine was the home and originator of "Rus" civilization pre-Mongol conquest with Kiev being a strong city when Moscow was a backwater. Historically, the culture of Eastern Europe has been closely linked to the history of the rest of the continent. - 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. | Thomas Sowell 6,459 views Aug 4, 2022 Thomas Sowell Explains how geographical differences between Eastern and Western Europe played a key. Example: Some people do not consider Russia to be part of Europe. 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. Eastern Europe: Most people follow Orthodox Christianity or Islam. Living Standard: Western Europe has higher standards of living than eastern European countries. The former East has a much smaller population than the former West (about 16 million people, compared with about 67 million), but its productivity is also lower when adjusted for population differences. Muslims are a minority in most parts of Europe. Hungarian, Romanian, Albanian, Roma, and Turkish are the three Eastern European languages that are not Slavic. Many of those that survived, emigrated to Israel or the US. Many scholars believe that Moldovan is simply a dialect of Romanian, while others believe it is a separate language. Required fields are marked *. 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. Both regions have a history of being ruled by powerful empires that brought change to the area. I mean, as a Brit, I can see how our island had the best of it regarding no land border and access to the sea! She has a Master's degree in History. 5. 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. Countries in this region are typically located on the continent of Asia, except for Turkey which lies partly in both Asia and Europe. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Roma is the language of the people who used to be called Gypsies (The modern term for gypsies is "Roma."). What kinds of factors are included in this model? By introducing very strict prevention measures early on, countries in the region had significantly fewer COVID-related deaths than their western European counterparts.. 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. I'd given it to him because the use of this technology is related to politics and fiscal systems and taxes, and as he was reading it, he noted that the book did not give the ultimate cause of why Europe in particular was so successful. - Definition, History & Criticism, Chaos Theory: Definition, History & Examples, What is a Pre-Existing Condition? A third of all languages spoken in western Europe are indigenous and not derived from Latin or Greek. 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. 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. 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.