Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature currently requires accessing the site using the built-in Safari browser.
Do you mean that there are better people in the West, than in the East, to makes you want to identify with? Is it hard to be proud Eastern European?I get a bit angry when I hear I am from Eastern Europe. I am from Poland and I believe the most of us don't consider ourselves as Eastern Europeans. We are Central Europeans (or Central-Eastern Europeans)! We are Slavic like Russians, Belarussians and Ukrainian, but we have been Catholics since the Middle Ages (whereas they have been Orthodox). Our history, architecture, culture and identity (and often roots) have much more to do with our west neighbour than the east ones. I can't accept that many people in the West think that we are from "the other world", just because we were under Soviet control for 44 years in our 1052 years' history. I like, respect and consider interesting Eastern Europeans but I don't wish to be called like that, because I don't even know how to read their alphabet. I think the people who do it, are ignorants. It feels like: "You are not like us. We have nothing in common. Go away and make friends in your Russia." I know that it is technically easier to call us like that, but it is misleading. Why can't you create two or more divisions instead of one (Central-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe)? We are much more varied than you believe.
For your information:
WESTERN EUROPE ("former colonisators"):
in the south - Portugal, Spain, Italy
in the north - Ireland, UK, France, Benelux
CENTRAL EUROPE (formerly under German/Austrian influence):
in the west - Switzerland, Germany, Austria
in the east - Czech, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary
NORTHERN EUROPE ("light blondes"):
in the west - Island, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland
in the east - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
EASTERN EUROPE ("orthodox"):
in the north - Russia, Belarus, Ukraine
in the south - Romania and Moldavia, West Balkans, East Balkans, Greece
I get a bit angry when I hear I am from Eastern Europe. I am from Poland and I believe the most of us don't consider ourselves as Eastern Europeans. We are Central Europeans (or Central-Eastern Europeans)! We are Slavic like Russians, Belarussians and Ukrainian, but we have been Catholics since the Middle Ages (whereas they have been Orthodox). Our history, architecture, culture and identity (and often roots) have much more to do with our west neighbour than the east ones. I can't accept that many people in the West think that we are from "the other world", just because we were under Soviet control for 44 years in our 1052 years' history. I like, respect and consider interesting Eastern Europeans but I don't wish to be called like that, because I don't even know how to read their alphabet. I think the people who do it, are ignorants. It feels like: "You are not like us. We have nothing in common. Go away and make friends in your Russia." I know that it is technically easier to call us like that, but it is misleading. Why can't you create two or more divisions instead of one (Central-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe)? We are much more varied than you believe.
For your information:
WESTERN EUROPE ("former colonisators"):
in the south - Portugal, Spain, Italy
in the north - Ireland, UK, France, Benelux
CENTRAL EUROPE (formerly under German/Austrian influence):
in the west - Switzerland, Germany, Austria
in the east - Czech, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary
NORTHERN EUROPE ("light blondes"):
in the west - Island, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland
in the east - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
EASTERN EUROPE ("orthodox"):
in the north - Russia, Belarus, Ukraine
in the south - Romania and Moldavia, West Balkans, East Balkans, Greece
The funny thing is that she considers herself open minded, kind and tolerant person, but at the end of the day she has strongly nationalistic/superiority agenda. She considers Poland and herself better than the rest of Eastern Europe. She belongs to the West, the superior part of Europe. Eastern Europe stinks, nothing to be proud of. Croatia? Who cares!I don't know who made this list above but there is a big mistake there.
In your last line at least, you put West Balkans under EASTERN EUROPE ("orthodox") and that's completely wrong. First let's go back to you, where you correct some ignorants that the Poles are actually Central Europeans and in addition also Catholics, which have historically and culturally more in common with West Europeans than their eastern neighbours. I suppose the same goes for West Balkans. The big part of it are Catholics, connected since the Early Middle Ages to Western states and the Pope. Not less than Poland.
The Former Soviet/Eastern Communist Bloc.
Here is the Soviet Bloc.It’s a short period of time, only 40 years, nothing in comparison with thousands of years of divisions.
I know which countries were part of Communist Bloc. But let me repeat again that 40 years of communism are nothing. History didn't started with the Iron Curtain.Here is the Soviet Bloc.
I know which countries were part of Communist Bloc. But let me repeat again that 40 years of communism are nothing. History didn't started with the Iron Curtain.
Albania was part of this Bloc for less than 15 years. Meanwhile we are in good relations in the last 30 years with West, we are part of NATO and we have asked to be part of EU. Following your logic we are now an western country.
By picking and choosing a time frame the answer change.
I mean no disrespect.
Right or wrong, Up to recently, we associated The Soviet Bloc as East Europe.
Also I’m 9%, 7, 5, 2.2, 0.2 Eastern European according to all the Main Ancestry Sites.
Balcan Peninsula in my opinion is East Europe.
Let's call everyone Eastern European in that case. Down with the compartmentalization!The funny thing is that she considers herself open minded, kind and tolerant person, but at the end of the day she has strongly nationalistic/superiority agenda. She considers Poland and herself better than the rest of Eastern Europe. She belongs to the West, the superior part of Europe. Eastern Europe stinks, nothing to be proud of. Croatia? Who cares!
Perhaps she wants to humor us if Ukrainian and Belarusian Catholics should be called Western or Central Europeans too. Compartmentalize, segregate, build walls, feel proud.
So, according to you 45 years of Cold War decide which countries are East or Ovest in a continent with thousands of years of history?This:
The reason being that Eastern Europe is defined in contrast to Western Europe, much in the same way that Asia is separate from Europe despite both Europe and Asia being clearly part of the same continent - Eurasia. It's basically Western European "exclusiveness" bias (everyone else is seen as somewhat more backwards, even barbarian). So, what ends up happening is that the countries that aren't seen as related to the West are just lumped together.
The only countries that I would say are borderline are Czechia, Hungary and Croatia. Czechia and Hungary could be seen as somewhat Central European rather than Eastern Europe, for the simple reason that they are perceived as more culturally sophisticated (basically, Prague and Budapest), and as a rule Eastern Europe is backwards. And Croatia is often seen as more Mediterranean due to their beach tourism.
And to clear things up, NOBODY sees Poland as part of Central Europe. Whenever anybody mentions Eastern Europe, they think Poland. This isn't necessarily so for Russia, because Russia is seen as more distantly European and, well, Russian. If I were to list the basic regions of Europe as envisioned by Western eyes, it would be as follows: "true" Western Europe (the UK, France, Germany etc.), the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland etc.), the Mediterranean countries (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece), Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania, Lithuania etc.), and Russia.
This thread has been viewed 27949 times.