However, people in both areas work hard with about 40 hours per week spent working (the same amount). Also the Danube is a big invasion route from the Black Sea to Germany. He has a Masters in Education, and a Bachelors in Physics. Dude, the question literally asks if eastern Europe was always poorer than western europe. Therefore, do not misunderstand the information. 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,. You havent even mentioned socialism and central managed economies, the truth is that a lot of these countries were pretty 'rich' before ww2. 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA @media (max-width: 1171px) { .sidead300 { margin-left: -20px; } } The standard of living of the population until the mid 19th century was about the same. In 1991, per-capita productivity in the former East was less than half (43%) of productivity in the former West. 3. 5. Here is a look at how economic conditions in the former East and West Germany have changed over time, how they compare today and how people in the two areas perceive these differences. 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). Because at close to the end of WWII Stalin was fed up waiting for the ever delaying Normandy landing, wanted making peace with Hitler, and go home to carry on building communism. 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. | Thomas Sowell. 1. Most of these people migrated to Germany after the war. Its easternmost border is the Ural mountains. Eastern-Europe-map2 by CrazyPhunk self-made based upon: Image:Eastern-Europe-map2.png. I'm from Balkan, we have to translate Thomas Sowell in albanian, serbo-croatian, bullgarian, rumunian, greec .. Former East Germany remains economically behind West | Pew Research Center | Thomas Sowell 6,459 views Aug 4, 2022 Thomas Sowell Explains how geographical differences between Eastern and Western Europe played a key. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Muslims are a minority in most parts of Europe. 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. While its per-capita productivity remains lower than that of West Germany, the former East Germany has made major gains since unification. By introducing very strict prevention measures early on, countries in the region had significantly fewer COVID-related deaths than their western European counterparts.. Please, enable JavaScript and reload the page to enjoy our modern features. Create a poster, chart, or some other type of graphic organizer that lists and provides statistics for the religions of Eastern Europe. Nordstream pipeline story is not over | Fox News' Tucker Carlson asks | Thomas Sowell. Constantinople is now the city of Istanbul in Turkey, and the greatest church of the Eastern Orthodox faith, the Hagia Sophia, is located there. Bohemia (Czech lands) was one of the biggest and most developed economic centers of the Holy Roman Empire. Additionally, some definitions include Greece as part of Eastern Europe, while others maintain that Greece is, in fact, part of Southern Europe. Many of the countries of Eastern Europe did not exist before the 20th century. And almost no major companies have their headquarters in East Germany. Put another way, people in the former East Germany earned 86% the after-tax income of their West German counterparts in 2017. In the very successful countries, the leaders could impose very heavy taxes and spend huge sums on war. One big factor that's important to the advancement of any defense technology is how much money a political leader can spend. 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. - 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. Here are some notable geographic features in Easter Europe: Eastern Europe is the easternmost region in Europe. 47 West Virginia, and not too far above No. The countries in western Europe have a more individualistic culture, with people caring about their success. Some of the economic activity in energy-rich states such as North Dakota, for instance, translates into income for shareholders living elsewhere in America. 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. Eastern Europe religion is dominated by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. In this region may Catholics and Protestant Christians can be seen. Along with the inventions of the industrial revolution, countries have been able to gain a high economic development rate. 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. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. For example, how did states get the ability to impose heavy taxes? Coronavirus: why is eastern Europe's second wave so much worse than its ), See also: How the attitudes of West and East Germans compare, 30 years after fall of Berlin Wall. 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. Unofficial site of Thomas Sowell, Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? Eastern Europe: Eastern Europe is comparatively less advanced regarding the economy. They often wonder if theyre even in the same country when they arrive at their destination! (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. 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. 9. Why was Western Europe more developed than Eastern Europe? ------------------------------------------------------------ It seems that at least some countries in the region have learned their lessons. 7. why is eastern europe poorer than western europe? Religious: Eastern Europe is more religious than Western Europe.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'questionscity_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_8',114,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-questionscity_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); Poorer: Eastern European countries are poorer than Western European countries. Despite these differences, the former East has narrowed the gap with the former West substantially in recent decades. Its language is related to Italian, Spanish, and French, making the Romanians the only Latin people in Eastern Europe. Amazing how so many refuse to acknowledge how climate and geography go hand and hand with a countrys economic development. They are languages that descend from Latin, the language of the Romans. 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. 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. 8. - Definition, Eligibility & Coverage, What Is Medication Reconciliation? Both regions have a history of being ruled by powerful empires that brought change to the area. Through this article, let us examine the differences further. Those improvements can help at times when wars are necessaryfor instance, when we are fighting against enemies with whom we cannot negotiate. - Definition & Laws, What Is Medicare? The rest of Europe at that time was really no wealthier than China, the Middle East, or South Asia. With so much diversity within this region, its easy to see why people from around the globe flock here every year. In 1914, really only China, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire had escaped becoming European colonies. Feeding the YouTube algorithm. Well, it depends on the parameters. Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? : r/AskEconomics - Reddit SUU Macroblog - A Living Textbook: Why Is Eastern Europe Poorer? This set Russia back quite a bit in a number of ways. Through this article, let us examine the differences further. The Byzantium empire which included the Balkans, and Greece were the richest part of Europe prior to Ottoman conquest. The largest country by area in eastern Europe is Russia with 677 thousand square miles. Language spoken in most eastern European countries includes Russian and Ukrainian. - Definition, History & Criticism, Chaos Theory: Definition, History & Examples, What is a Pre-Existing Condition? Great work Dr. Sowell. What led you to investigate the global conquests of western Europe? But if these factors were at play in the first wave, they havent had the same effect in the second. 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. However, over the past 20 years, most of the nations of Eastern Europe have joined the . Spain has more high-speed rail tracks than any other European country. Countries like Italy, S. Korea, Spain, Portugal and Greece would each rank below Mississippi as the poorest states in the country. >Eastern European men >Like seriously, they are so formal, handsome, and respectful.. For example, differences in economic strength could explain why the relatively richer Czech Republic waited to reintroduce restrictions (thinking it could bear the brunt of a high number of infections), but this doesnt account for the relatively poorer Romanias decision to do the same. Western European countries are generally considered to include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland (Republic of), Italy(although it could also be grouped with Central/Eastern European nations), Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Countries in the region imposed strict measures while being relatively mildly affected, whereas western countries waited until things got bad. 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. why is eastern europe less developed And all of this describes Europe. Summary: Despite all of the above, Eastern Europe is still not a poor region. Why is Eastern Europe Poorer than Western Europe? | Thomas Sowell The economic model then connected that spending to changes in military technology. Russias GDP per capita (PPP) was $14,900 as of 2018. The 2018 version of the report is available here in English. Very hard for a country to be doing well after all those struggles. People in the former East Germany earn less than their counterparts in the former West. What are the Five Themes of Geography? 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. As always, excellently explained to be easily understood. 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. See less Comments But free markets and small government have produced decades of strong growth, and now these places are among the richest places on the planet. In this video, we will explore the reasons behind the economic gap between Western and Eastern Europe. 5. Resource 01: https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Eastern_EuropeResource 02: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Europe, Differences Between Eastern And Western Europe, Differences Between Eastern And Western Culture, Differences Between Eastern and Western Roman Empire, Differences Between Eastern And Western Religions, https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Eastern_Europe, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Europe. 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. The tendency to ignore Eastern Europe in favour of Western Europe is a holdover from the Cold War. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. 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 reporter from the Wall Street Journal who shared it remarked that Purple areas are rich as US states. If we look at the stringency of control measures, we can also see that not all countries acted in the same way. Answer (1 of 7): The time lapse. 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. 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. The Hagia Sophia is now a mosque. But exploring Soviet-era Eastern Europe is not even half the story. These two regions consist of a large number of countries that enrich the diversity of the two regions. No major city is near the Danube until Belgrade. Eastern Europe has a total population of about 258 million people. Live Longer: Western Europeans live longer than eastern Europeans.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,100],'questionscity_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_4',117,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-questionscity_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0'); Smaller House: Eastern Europeans live in smaller houses or apartments compared to western Europeans. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. 6. | 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. 3. We spoke with him recently about his research interests and what led him to study this particular topic. The spending on war gave leaders a chance to try out new weapons, new armed ships, and new tactics, and to learn from mistakes on the battlefield. Differences Between Eastern And Western Europe - QuestionsCity Has Eastern Europe always been poorer than Western Europe, and - Quora Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal. There's a brain drain. Seldom do you hear an average American complain about Poland or Estonia for not spending enough into defending Europebecause those countries, despite being . 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"). 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. So, I put together an economic model of how this technology has advanced to come up with what I think is the real reason why the West conquered almost everyone else. 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). The Romanian language consists of 75% Latin, 20% Dacian and 5% Slavic. This is Part 6 of an 8-Part series on Geography and Culture. David has taught Honors Physics, AP Physics, IB Physics and general science courses. Bernie Sanders, for instance, looks at nations such as Denmark and Sweden today and says that America should copy their expansive welfare states. From the Eiffel Tower in Paris to The Great Wall Of China, these landmarks are instantly recognizable and attract millions of visitors each year. Hungarian, Romanian, Albanian, Roma, and Turkish are the three Eastern European languages that are not Slavic. 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. Therefore, the simplest explanation for why eastern Europe initially fared much better is that it had a head start. 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. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. 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 . Neighbouring Slovakia, on the other hand, imposed stricter measures despite having far fewer cases and deaths. In approximately one paragraph (at least three to five sentences), explain why Russia is sometimes considered part of Eastern Europe but sometimes not.