Difference between revisions of "Eastern Europe" - New World Encyclopedia

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The term "Eastern Europe" is often used to refer to all European countries that were previously ruled by [[Communism|Communist]] regimes, (the [[Eastern bloc]]), due to the concept of the [[Iron curtain]] separating "[[Western Europe]]" and Soviet-controlled "Eastern Europe" which was dominant throughout the period of the [[Cold War]]. Prior to the [[German reunification|Reunification of Germany]], [[East Germany]] was often described as an Eastern European country.
 
The term "Eastern Europe" is often used to refer to all European countries that were previously ruled by [[Communism|Communist]] regimes, (the [[Eastern bloc]]), due to the concept of the [[Iron curtain]] separating "[[Western Europe]]" and Soviet-controlled "Eastern Europe" which was dominant throughout the period of the [[Cold War]]. Prior to the [[German reunification|Reunification of Germany]], [[East Germany]] was often described as an Eastern European country.
  
The boundaries of Eastern Europe, therefore, are subject to considerable overlap and fluctuation depending on the context they are used in, which makes differentiation difficult. Global regions are often of social constructs defined by abstract, neutral criteria and not necessarily strict physical features.
+
The boundaries of Eastern Europe, therefore, are subject to considerable overlap and fluctuation depending on the context in which they are used, which makes differentiation difficult. Global regions are often of social constructs defined by abstract, neutral criteria and not necessarily strict physical features.
  
  
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As a term its origins are fairly recent.  For many years Europe was divided on a North — South axis. With the southern [[Mediteranean]] states having much in common, and the northern [[Atlantic Ocean]] and [[Baltic Sea]] bordering states also having much in common.  The term first arose in the eighteenth and nineteenth century to describe an area that was falling behind the rest of Europe economically.  It was seen as a region where [[serfdom]] and autocratic governments persisted long after those notions were fading in the west. It was always a very vague notion, however, and many countries in the region did not fit the stereotypical view.
 
As a term its origins are fairly recent.  For many years Europe was divided on a North — South axis. With the southern [[Mediteranean]] states having much in common, and the northern [[Atlantic Ocean]] and [[Baltic Sea]] bordering states also having much in common.  The term first arose in the eighteenth and nineteenth century to describe an area that was falling behind the rest of Europe economically.  It was seen as a region where [[serfdom]] and autocratic governments persisted long after those notions were fading in the west. It was always a very vague notion, however, and many countries in the region did not fit the stereotypical view.
 
 
  
 
Much of Eastern Europe has ties to both the east and west.  While all of the countries were heavily influenced by [[Roman Catholicism]] or [[Protestantism]] and have close historical and cultural ties to [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[France]] or [[Scandinavia]] (e.g. the [[Hanseatic league]] in the [[Baltics]]), many countries also had relations with the East.  [[Russia]] was under the control of the [[Mongol]]s for centuries and inherited political and social conventions from them.  Further south the influence of the [[Ottoman Empire]] and [[Islam]] had a very strong influence.  The nations of the [[Balkans]] as well as [[Hungary]] and [[Romania]] were all at one time controlled by the Turks.   
 
Much of Eastern Europe has ties to both the east and west.  While all of the countries were heavily influenced by [[Roman Catholicism]] or [[Protestantism]] and have close historical and cultural ties to [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[France]] or [[Scandinavia]] (e.g. the [[Hanseatic league]] in the [[Baltics]]), many countries also had relations with the East.  [[Russia]] was under the control of the [[Mongol]]s for centuries and inherited political and social conventions from them.  Further south the influence of the [[Ottoman Empire]] and [[Islam]] had a very strong influence.  The nations of the [[Balkans]] as well as [[Hungary]] and [[Romania]] were all at one time controlled by the Turks.   
  
The concept of Eastern Europe was greatly strengthened by the domination of the region by the [[Soviet Union]] after the [[Second World War]] and the takeover of the nations of the region by communist governments.  The idea of an "[[Iron Curtain]]" separating Eastern and Western Europe was an extremely common view throughout the [[Cold War]].  This strict dualism caused problems, however, as it failed to account for the complexities of the region.  For instance, [[Yugoslavia]] and [[Albania]] refused to be controlled by [[Moscow]], but this division was often ignored by many in the west.
+
The approbative term "[[New Europe]]" has been coined by neoconservative Americans to describe those former Eastern-Bloc countries which disavow the antipathy towards the politics of the [[United States]] that is common in Western Europe.
 
 
The countries normally meant by the term Eastern Europe are:
 
 
 
*[[Albania]]
 
*the [[Baltic States]] — i.e. [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]] and [[Lithuania]],
 
*[[Belarus]]
 
*[[Bulgaria]]
 
*[[Moldova]]
 
*[[Romania]]
 
*former [[Yugoslavia]] (now [[Bosnia-Herzegovina]], [[Croatia]], [[Macedonia]], and [[Serbia and Montenegro]])
 
*[[Ukraine]]
 
Often this term includes countries of the [[Central Europe]]:
 
*former [[Czechoslovakia]] (now [[Czech Republic]] and [[Slovakia]])
 
*[[Hungary]]
 
*[[Poland]]
 
*[[Slovenia]] — formerly within Yugoslavia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
----
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In many outdated sources, the term "Eastern Europe" still encompasses most, or all, such European countries that until the end of the [[Cold War]] (around [[1989]]) were [[Communist state]]s or countries under Soviet [[Sphere of influence|influence]], the former [[Eastern bloc]]. The majority of people in [[Poland]], the [[Czech Republic]], [[Slovakia]], [[Hungary]], [[Croatia]] and [[Slovenia]] often consider their countries to be part of [[Central Europe]] rather than Eastern Europe, while many sources, especially in English-speaking countries, as well as the [[United Nations]], continue to classify these countries as Eastern Europe.
 
 
 
More recently, the term "Eastern Europe" has been used to refer to all European countries that were previously ruled by Communist regimes, the so-called "Eastern bloc." The idea of an "[[Iron Curtain]]" separating "[[Western Europe]]" and Soviet-controlled "Eastern Europe" was dominant throughout the period of Cold War which followed the [[World War II|Second World War]]. This dualism failed to account fully for some exceptions, as [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] and [[Albania]] were Communist states outside [[Moscow]]'s control. In recent years, since the [[Collapse of the Soviet Union|dissolution of the Soviet Union]] ([[1991]]), the term "Eastern Europe" is sometimes used to identify a region, in effect retroactively, as consisting only of those European countries that were parts of the [[Soviet Union]] itself.[source??]
 
 
 
As a cultural and ethnic concept, the term Eastern Europe was defined by 19th century German [[nationalism|nationalists]] to be synonymous with "Slavic Europe", as opposed to Germanic (Western) Europe {{Fact|date=February 2007}}. This concept was re-enforced during the years leading up to [[World War II]] and was often used in a racist terminology to characterize Eastern/Slavic culture as being backwards and inferior to Western/Germanic culture, language, and customs (see [http://www.hitler.org/writings/Mein_Kampf/ Mein Kampf]). Eastern Europe would then refer to the imaginary line which divided predominantly German lands from predominantly Slavic lands. The dividing line has thus changed over time as a result of the World Wars, as well as numerous expulsions and genocides.
 
 
 
As the ideological division of the [[Cold War]] has now disappeared, the cultural division of Europe between [[Western Christianity]], on the one hand, and Eastern [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]] and [[Islam]], on the other, has reemerged. It follows the so-called ''[[Samuel P. Huntington|Huntington]] line'' of "[[Clash of civilizations|clashing civilizations]]" corresponding roughly to the eastern boundary of Western Christianity in the year [[1500]]. This line runs along what are now the eastern boundaries separating [[Norway]], [[Finland]], [[Estonia]] and [[Latvia]] from [[Russia]], continues east of [[Lithuania]], cuts in northwestern [[Ukraine]], swings westward separating [[Transylvania]] from the rest of [[Romania]], and then along the line now separating [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]] and northern [[Vojvodina|Serbia]] from the rest of ex-Yugoslavia. In the [[Balkans]] this line coincides with the historic border between the [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungarian]] Kingdom (later [[Habsburg Monarchy|Habsburg]]) and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman empire]]s, whereas in the north it marks the then eastern boundaries of Kingdom of [[Sweden]] and [[Teutonic Order]], and the subsequent spread of [[Lutheran]] [[Reformation]]. The peoples to the west and north of the ''Huntington line'' are [[Protestant]] or [[Catholic]]; they shared most of the common experiences of Western European history — [[feudalism]], the [[Renaissance]], the Reformation, [[the Enlightenment]], the [[French Revolution]], and the [[Industrial Revolution]].  
 
  
The [[1995]] and [[2004]] enlargements arguably brought the [[European Union]]'s eastern border up to the boundary between Western and Eastern Orthodox civilizations. Most of Europe's historically Protestant and Roman Catholic countries (with the exception of [[Iceland]], [[Norway]], [[Switzerland]], [[Croatia]], and the various European [[microstate]]s) were now EU members, while most of Europe's historically Eastern Orthodox countries (with the exception of [[Greece]] and [[Cyprus]]) were outside the EU. This was, however, temporary, as the [[2007]] [[Accession of Bulgaria to the European Union|accession of Bulgaria]] and [[Accession of Romania to the European Union|Romania]], both predominantly Eastern Orthodox and located in Southeastern Europe, have shifted the EU's borders further east to reach the west coast of the [[Black Sea]].
+
== History ==
 +
[[Image:Eeurope rel84.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Eastern Europe prior to 1990.]]
 +
As a cultural and ethnic concept, the term Eastern Europe was defined by 19th century German [[nationalism|nationalists]] to be synonymous with "Slavic Europe", as opposed to Germanic (Western) Europe. This concept was re-enforced during the years leading up to [[World War II]] and was often used in a [[racism|racist]] terminology to characterize Eastern/Slavic culture as being backwards and inferior to Western/Germanic culture, language, and customs.  <ref> Hitler, Adolf. November 1926. [http://www.hitler.org/writings/Mein_Kampf/ Mein Kampf], Retrieved August 21, 2007.</ref> Eastern Europe would then refer to the imaginary line which divided predominantly German lands from predominantly Slavic lands. The dividing line has thus changed over time as a result of the World Wars, as well as numerous expulsions and genocides.
  
A view that Europe is divided strictly into the West and the East is considered pejorative by many in the nominally eastern countries. For example, many people in [[Estonia]], [[Poland]], [[Latvia]], the [[Czech Republic]] or [[Slovenia]] may feel the label [[Social status|stigma]]tizing in comparison with countries that successfully have asserted their belonging to "the West" despite their equally, or more, "eastern" location &mdash; and history as parts of [[Imperial Russia]] (Finland) or [[Eastern Orthodoxy]] (Greece)Czechs, for instance, will often point out that [[Prague]] is significantly west of [[Vienna]], but [[Austria]] is never categorized as Eastern Europe.
+
The concept of Eastern Europe was greatly strengthened by the domination of the region by the [[Soviet Union]] after the [[Second World War]] and the takeover of the nations of the region by communist governments.  The idea of the [[Iron curtain]] separating Eastern and Western Europe was an extremely common view throughout the [[Cold War]].  This strict dualism caused problems, however, as it failed to account for the complexities of the regionFor instance, [[Yugoslavia]] and [[Albania]] refused to be controlled by [[Moscow]], but this division was often ignored by many in the west.
  
On the other hand, the approbative term "[[New Europe]]" has been coined by [[neoconservative]] Americans to describe those former Eastern-Bloc countries which disavow the antipathy towards the [[politics of the United States]] that is common in Western Europe.
+
As the ideological division of the [[Cold War]] has now disappeared, the cultural division of Europe between Western Christianity, on the one hand, and Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Islam, on the other, has reemerged. It follows the so-called ''[[Samuel P. Huntington|Huntington]] line'' of "clashing civilizations" corresponding roughly to the eastern boundary of Western Christianity in the year 1500. This line runs along what are now the eastern boundaries separating [[Norway]], [[Finland]], [[Estonia]] and [[Latvia]] from [[Russia]], continues east of [[Lithuania]], cuts in northwestern [[Ukraine]], swings westward separating [[Transylvania]] from the rest of [[Romania]], and then along the line now separating [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]] and northern [[Vojvodina|Serbia]] from the rest of ex-Yugoslavia. In the [[Balkans]] this line coincides with the historic border between the [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungarian]] Kingdom (later [[Habsburg]]) and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman empire]]s, whereas in the north it marks the then eastern boundaries of Kingdom of [[Sweden]] and [[Teutonic Order]], and the subsequent spread of [[Lutheran]] [[Reformation]]. The peoples to the west and north of the ''Huntington line'' are [[Protestant]] or [[Catholic]]; they shared most of the common experiences of Western European history — [[feudalism]], the [[Renaissance]], the Reformation, [[the Enlightenment]], the [[French Revolution]], and the [[Industrial Revolution]].
  
 
==Countries and territories==
 
==Countries and territories==
== United Nations Statistics Division ==
+
[[Image:Location-Europe-UNsubregions.png|right|thumb|250px|Statistical [[region]]s of Europe as delineated by the [[United Nations]][http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm] (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked salmon):
[[Image:Location-Europe-UNsubregions.png|right|thumb|200px|Statistical [[region]]s of Europe as delineated by the [[United Nations]][http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm] (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked salmon):
 
 
{{legend|#4080FF|[[Northern Europe]]}}
 
{{legend|#4080FF|[[Northern Europe]]}}
 
{{legend|#00FFFF|[[Western Europe]]}}
 
{{legend|#00FFFF|[[Western Europe]]}}
 
{{legend|#FF8080|Eastern Europe}}
 
{{legend|#FF8080|Eastern Europe}}
 
{{legend|#00FF00|[[Southern Europe]]}}]]
 
{{legend|#00FF00|[[Southern Europe]]}}]]
 +
 +
The varying definitions of Eastern Europe are detailed below.
 +
 +
=== United Nations Statistics Division ===
  
 
The [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm United Nations Statistics Division] defines Eastern Europe as:
 
The [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm United Nations Statistics Division] defines Eastern Europe as:
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*{{flagcountry|Ukraine}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Ukraine}}
  
== Former Eastern Bloc ==
+
=== Former Eastern Bloc ===
<sup>These countries used to be part of the [[Eastern Bloc]]</sup>
 
 
 
{{main|Eastern Bloc}}
 
  
[[Image:Eeurope rel84.jpg|right|thumb|230px|Eastern Europe prior to 1990.]]
+
Former Eastern Bloc nations are often considered to belong to Eastern Europe.  
  
 
*{{flagcountry|Belarus}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Belarus}}
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*{{flagcountry|Ukraine}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Ukraine}}
  
<!-- ALTERNATIVELY:
 
*{{flagcountry|Bulgaria}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Czechoslovakia}} (Now {{flagcountry|Czech Republic}} and {{flagcountry|Slovakia}})
 
*[[Image:Flag_of_East_Germany.svg|23px|Flag of German Democratic Republic]] [[German Democratic Republic]] (Now part of {{flagcountry|Germany}})
 
*{{flagcountry|Hungary}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Poland}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Romania}}
 
*Parts of {{flagcountry|Soviet Union}} ({{flagcountry|Belarus}}, {{flagcountry|Moldova}}, {{flagcountry|Russia}} and {{flagcountry|Ukraine}})
 
—>
 
 
== Other definitions ==
 
 
===Southeastern Europe and the Balkan Peninsula===
 
===Southeastern Europe and the Balkan Peninsula===
Commonly the definition of Eastern Europe is expanded to include these other previously Communist/Socialist countries:
 
  
<sup>Note:The parentheis "()" label the The [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm United Nations Statistics Division]</sup>
+
Commonly the definition of Eastern Europe is expanded to include the following previously [[Communism|Communist]]/[[Socialism|Socialist]] countries. The terms in paranthesis are the regions which the nations are determined to exist in by the [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm United Nations Statistics Division]
  
*{{flagcountry|Albania}} ([[Southern Europe]])
+
*{{flagcountry|Albania}} (Southern Europe)
 
*{{flagcountry|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ('''Southern Europe''')
 
*{{flagcountry|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} ('''Southern Europe''')
 
*{{flagcountry|Bulgaria}} (''Eastern Europe'')
 
*{{flagcountry|Bulgaria}} (''Eastern Europe'')
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===Central Europe===
 
===Central Europe===
 +
 
A number of countries that are also considered part of [[Central Europe]] became included in "Eastern Europe" during the era of the [[Cold War]] due to their being Communist states. Today they are sometimes considered part of Central Europe and sometimes part of Eastern Europe.
 
A number of countries that are also considered part of [[Central Europe]] became included in "Eastern Europe" during the era of the [[Cold War]] due to their being Communist states. Today they are sometimes considered part of Central Europe and sometimes part of Eastern Europe.
 
*{{flagcountry|Czech Republic}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Czech Republic}}
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*{{flagcountry|Slovenia}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Slovenia}}
  
Countries formally recognised as part of this group.
+
Countries formally recognized as part of this group.
 
*{{flagcountry|Czechoslovakia}} (became [[Czech Republic]] and [[Slovakia]]).
 
*{{flagcountry|Czechoslovakia}} (became [[Czech Republic]] and [[Slovakia]]).
 
*{{flagcountry|East Germany}} (reunited with [[West Germany]]).
 
*{{flagcountry|East Germany}} (reunited with [[West Germany]]).
  
===Baltic States (see also Northern Europe)===
+
=== Baltic States ===
 +
 
 +
Often considered as belonging to the region of Northern Europe.
 
*{{flagcountry|Estonia}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Estonia}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Latvia}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Latvia}}
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===Eurasia===
 
===Eurasia===
 +
 +
Eurasian counties often considered part of Eastern Europe.
 
*{{flagcountry|Armenia}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Armenia}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Azerbaijan}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Azerbaijan}}
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*{{flagcountry|Kazakhstan}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Kazakhstan}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Turkey}}
 
*{{flagcountry|Turkey}}
 +
  
 
==Geography==
 
==Geography==
 
'''EB'''
 
'''EB'''
 
The countries bordered by the Baltic and Barents seas on the north; the Adriatic, Black, and Caspian seas and the Caucasus Mountains on the south; and the Ural Mountains on the east make up Eastern Europe. In the western part of the region Poland largely occupies part of the glaciated plains. The land of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia), Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and Bulgaria is split between the mountains and highlands associated with the Alpine system and the river valleys and structural basins between the highlands. The eastern part of the region consists of a large, relatively flat, stable, geologic plateau. Continental glaciation has left its imprint of frequent lakes, glacial ridges, and disrupted drainage systems on the northeastern part of the region. The major rivers are the Vistula, Danube, Volga, Dnepr, Don, Rhine, Elbe, Rhône, and Ural.
 
The countries bordered by the Baltic and Barents seas on the north; the Adriatic, Black, and Caspian seas and the Caucasus Mountains on the south; and the Ural Mountains on the east make up Eastern Europe. In the western part of the region Poland largely occupies part of the glaciated plains. The land of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia), Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and Bulgaria is split between the mountains and highlands associated with the Alpine system and the river valleys and structural basins between the highlands. The eastern part of the region consists of a large, relatively flat, stable, geologic plateau. Continental glaciation has left its imprint of frequent lakes, glacial ridges, and disrupted drainage systems on the northeastern part of the region. The major rivers are the Vistula, Danube, Volga, Dnepr, Don, Rhine, Elbe, Rhône, and Ural.
 +
  
 
==Economy==
 
==Economy==
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Wheat and corn are major products of the Danube Valley countries. Poland has an agricultural system based largely on rye, potatoes, and livestock. Ukraine, north of the Black Sea, is one of the most important wheat-growing areas of Europe and for years was known as the Breadbasket of the Soviet Union. It also produces sugar beets, potatoes, and livestock. The growing season shortens to the north, making crop agriculture more and more difficult. There are, however, excellent commercial forests. The area north of the Caspian Sea is among the driest, most unproductive areas in Europe.
 
Wheat and corn are major products of the Danube Valley countries. Poland has an agricultural system based largely on rye, potatoes, and livestock. Ukraine, north of the Black Sea, is one of the most important wheat-growing areas of Europe and for years was known as the Breadbasket of the Soviet Union. It also produces sugar beets, potatoes, and livestock. The growing season shortens to the north, making crop agriculture more and more difficult. There are, however, excellent commercial forests. The area north of the Caspian Sea is among the driest, most unproductive areas in Europe.
  
==History==
+
 
 
== Politics==
 
== Politics==
 
'''EB'''
 
'''EB'''
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* [[Warsaw Pact]]
 
* [[Warsaw Pact]]
 
* [[Warsaw Uprising]]
 
* [[Warsaw Uprising]]
 +
  
 
== Sources and Further reading ==
 
== Sources and Further reading ==
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*  ''Britannica Student Encyclopedia''. 2007. [http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-200423 Europe], Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
 
*  ''Britannica Student Encyclopedia''. 2007. [http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-200423 Europe], Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
 
* ''Wikinfo''. December 14, 2003. [http://www.wikinfo.org/index.php/Eastern_Europe Eastern Europe], Retrieved August 21, 2007.
 
* ''Wikinfo''. December 14, 2003. [http://www.wikinfo.org/index.php/Eastern_Europe Eastern Europe], Retrieved August 21, 2007.
 +
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
 
*  Hamot, Gregory E. [http://www.ericdigests.org/2004-2/europe.html Civic Education Trends in Post-Communist Countries of Central and Eastern Europe]. ''ERIC Digest''. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
 
*  Hamot, Gregory E. [http://www.ericdigests.org/2004-2/europe.html Civic Education Trends in Post-Communist Countries of Central and Eastern Europe]. ''ERIC Digest''. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
 +
* ''East Central European Center''. [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/sipa/REGIONAL/ECE/ Polish-German Reconciliation–A Never Ending Story]. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
  
<b>Academic Institutions</b>
 
 
* ''East Central European Center''. [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/sipa/REGIONAL/ECE/ Polish-German Reconciliation–A Never Ending Story]. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
 
  
 
{{Regions of the world}}
 
{{Regions of the world}}

Revision as of 00:59, 22 August 2007


Pre-1989 division between the "West" (grey) and "Eastern Bloc" (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange).

Eastern Europe, as defined by the United Nations Statistic Division, includes the countries of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia and Ukraine as well as the Slavic republics of Belarus, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

In some sources Eastern Europe is defined as the nations bordered by the Baltic and Barents seas on the north; the Adriatic, Black, and Caspian seas and the Caucasus Mountains on the south; and the Ural Mountains. Using this definition, the nations of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia and Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia), which the UNSD categorizes as Southern Europe, would be included. This definition also includes the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, considered by the UN as Northern Europe. The Transcaucasian countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are included in this definiation, though they are defined by the U.N. as western Asia.

The term "Eastern Europe" is often used to refer to all European countries that were previously ruled by Communist regimes, (the Eastern bloc), due to the concept of the Iron curtain separating "Western Europe" and Soviet-controlled "Eastern Europe" which was dominant throughout the period of the Cold War. Prior to the Reunification of Germany, East Germany was often described as an Eastern European country.

The boundaries of Eastern Europe, therefore, are subject to considerable overlap and fluctuation depending on the context in which they are used, which makes differentiation difficult. Global regions are often of social constructs defined by abstract, neutral criteria and not necessarily strict physical features.


Terminology and usage

Eastern Europe is a grouping of countries on the European continent which has varying definitions, sometimes geographical in nature and sometimes more political. The term is often used to designate the European countries under (former) communist regimes.

Their populations do not necessrily see themselves as Eastern Europeans, and many consider it a pejorative term. Most countries prefer to include themselves in other groups, associating themselves with Germany in Central Europe, with Scandinavia in Northern Europe or with Italy and Greece in Southern Europe.

As a term its origins are fairly recent. For many years Europe was divided on a North — South axis. With the southern Mediteranean states having much in common, and the northern Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea bordering states also having much in common. The term first arose in the eighteenth and nineteenth century to describe an area that was falling behind the rest of Europe economically. It was seen as a region where serfdom and autocratic governments persisted long after those notions were fading in the west. It was always a very vague notion, however, and many countries in the region did not fit the stereotypical view.

Much of Eastern Europe has ties to both the east and west. While all of the countries were heavily influenced by Roman Catholicism or Protestantism and have close historical and cultural ties to Germany, Italy, France or Scandinavia (e.g. the Hanseatic league in the Baltics), many countries also had relations with the East. Russia was under the control of the Mongols for centuries and inherited political and social conventions from them. Further south the influence of the Ottoman Empire and Islam had a very strong influence. The nations of the Balkans as well as Hungary and Romania were all at one time controlled by the Turks.

The approbative term "New Europe" has been coined by neoconservative Americans to describe those former Eastern-Bloc countries which disavow the antipathy towards the politics of the United States that is common in Western Europe.

History

File:Eeurope rel84.jpg
Eastern Europe prior to 1990.

As a cultural and ethnic concept, the term Eastern Europe was defined by 19th century German nationalists to be synonymous with "Slavic Europe", as opposed to Germanic (Western) Europe. This concept was re-enforced during the years leading up to World War II and was often used in a racist terminology to characterize Eastern/Slavic culture as being backwards and inferior to Western/Germanic culture, language, and customs. [1] Eastern Europe would then refer to the imaginary line which divided predominantly German lands from predominantly Slavic lands. The dividing line has thus changed over time as a result of the World Wars, as well as numerous expulsions and genocides.

The concept of Eastern Europe was greatly strengthened by the domination of the region by the Soviet Union after the Second World War and the takeover of the nations of the region by communist governments. The idea of the Iron curtain separating Eastern and Western Europe was an extremely common view throughout the Cold War. This strict dualism caused problems, however, as it failed to account for the complexities of the region. For instance, Yugoslavia and Albania refused to be controlled by Moscow, but this division was often ignored by many in the west.

As the ideological division of the Cold War has now disappeared, the cultural division of Europe between Western Christianity, on the one hand, and Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Islam, on the other, has reemerged. It follows the so-called Huntington line of "clashing civilizations" corresponding roughly to the eastern boundary of Western Christianity in the year 1500. This line runs along what are now the eastern boundaries separating Norway, Finland, Estonia and Latvia from Russia, continues east of Lithuania, cuts in northwestern Ukraine, swings westward separating Transylvania from the rest of Romania, and then along the line now separating Slovenia, Croatia and northern Serbia from the rest of ex-Yugoslavia. In the Balkans this line coincides with the historic border between the Hungarian Kingdom (later Habsburg) and Ottoman empires, whereas in the north it marks the then eastern boundaries of Kingdom of Sweden and Teutonic Order, and the subsequent spread of Lutheran Reformation. The peoples to the west and north of the Huntington line are Protestant or Catholic; they shared most of the common experiences of Western European history — feudalism, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution.

Countries and territories

Statistical regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations[1] (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked salmon): ██ Northern Europe ██ Western Europe ██ Eastern Europe ██ Southern Europe

The varying definitions of Eastern Europe are detailed below.

United Nations Statistics Division

The United Nations Statistics Division defines Eastern Europe as:

Former Eastern Bloc

Former Eastern Bloc nations are often considered to belong to Eastern Europe.

Southeastern Europe and the Balkan Peninsula

Commonly the definition of Eastern Europe is expanded to include the following previously Communist/Socialist countries. The terms in paranthesis are the regions which the nations are determined to exist in by the United Nations Statistics Division.

Central Europe

A number of countries that are also considered part of Central Europe became included in "Eastern Europe" during the era of the Cold War due to their being Communist states. Today they are sometimes considered part of Central Europe and sometimes part of Eastern Europe.

Countries formally recognized as part of this group.

Baltic States

Often considered as belonging to the region of Northern Europe.

Eurasia

Eurasian counties often considered part of Eastern Europe.


Geography

EB The countries bordered by the Baltic and Barents seas on the north; the Adriatic, Black, and Caspian seas and the Caucasus Mountains on the south; and the Ural Mountains on the east make up Eastern Europe. In the western part of the region Poland largely occupies part of the glaciated plains. The land of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia), Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and Bulgaria is split between the mountains and highlands associated with the Alpine system and the river valleys and structural basins between the highlands. The eastern part of the region consists of a large, relatively flat, stable, geologic plateau. Continental glaciation has left its imprint of frequent lakes, glacial ridges, and disrupted drainage systems on the northeastern part of the region. The major rivers are the Vistula, Danube, Volga, Dnepr, Don, Rhine, Elbe, Rhône, and Ural.


Economy

EB

The major mineral resources are coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, and bauxite. The Czech Republic is the leading industrial nation of the western part; Ukraine, the Moscow region, the Ural Mountains, and the land along the Volga River are the major urban-industrial regions in the east. The growth of manufacturing industries throughout Eastern Europe during the 20th century was an important factor in regional economies.

Wheat and corn are major products of the Danube Valley countries. Poland has an agricultural system based largely on rye, potatoes, and livestock. Ukraine, north of the Black Sea, is one of the most important wheat-growing areas of Europe and for years was known as the Breadbasket of the Soviet Union. It also produces sugar beets, potatoes, and livestock. The growing season shortens to the north, making crop agriculture more and more difficult. There are, however, excellent commercial forests. The area north of the Caspian Sea is among the driest, most unproductive areas in Europe.


Politics

EB The economy and politics of the region, once dominated by the Soviet Union, changed greatly in the late 20th century. Nations in the western part began a shift from Communist-controlled governments and centrally planned economies to democratic and capitalist systems. The Soviet Union splintered in 1991 amid cries for increased political and economic freedom. Many of the newly independent republics aligned themselves with the capitalist democracies of Western Europe. The Commonwealth of Independent States, a loose confederation of 11 former Soviet republics, attempted to assume some control and create stability during the period of transition.


See also


Sources and Further reading


External links



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  1. Hitler, Adolf. November 1926. Mein Kampf, Retrieved August 21, 2007.