| Forum | Europe Travel Guide | Ecology | Facts & Trivia | Genetics | History | Linguistics |
| Austria | France | Germany | Ireland | Italy | Portugal | Spain | Switzerland |
 Eupedia Top > Eupedia Forum & Japan Forum
|
Are Balkans and West Slavic countries,such as Slovakia and Czech Republic in Eastern Europe too?
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
Last edited by Amber87; 22-03-18 at 11:41.
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?Originally Posted by Amber87
I'd say, Polish language belongs to Slavic family and which belongs to Eastern Europe. Polish food and drinks are more like Eastern European. Traditional elite dresses were more like Eastern European. Traditions were Slavic/Eastern European. Polish people are more traditional and conservative like most Eastern Europe. Less economically develop like Eastern Europe. More religious like most of Eastern Europe. Etc.
I have to add, that on top of it Poles are much closer genetically to many of Eastern Europe than anyone of Western Europe.
Last edited by LeBrok; 23-03-18 at 04:01.
Be wary of people who tend to glorify the past, underestimate the present, and demonize the future.
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 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.
oh boy
it depends the criteria always,
it is another West the Carlomagnenian Europe and East Byzantine Europe
Another the Catholic and Orthodox and Protestanding North
another West the outside and inside ex- Iron curtain line
another the EU and non EU East
another the Slavic East Europe vs non Slavic West
etc etc
the criteria of Division,
as for geographical terms
West is West of Alps
Center is from Alps to Tatra and carpathian mountains
and East is East of Tatra and carpathian mountains
but that creates other problems
so better use the correct criteria each time we divide Europe to East and West
for example Greece
can pass to East due to Byzantine
can pass to East due to Orthodox
can pass to West due to ex-Iron Curtain line
can pass to West due to non Slavic country
can pass to central due to geographical length, west of carpathian mts
which you choose?
ΟΘΕΝ ΑΙΔΩΣ OY EINAI
ΑΤΗ ΛΑΜΒΑΝΕΙΝ ΑΥΤΟΙΣ
ΥΒΡΙΣ ΓΕΝΝΑΤΑΙ
ΝΕΜΕΣΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΙΣΗ ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΟΥΣΙ ΔΕ
When there is no shame
Divine blindness conquers them
Hybris (abuse, opprombium) is born
Nemesis and punishment follows.
Εχε υπομονη Ηρωα
Η τιμωρια δεν αργει.
The Former Soviet/Eastern Communist/Socialist Bloc.
🕷️
It’s a short period of time, only 40 years, nothing in comparison with thousands of years of divisions.
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.Here is the Soviet Bloc.
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.
But excuse me, there are 1.000 years of Byzantine and 500 years of Ottoman Empire legacy.
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.
nah
I think the 4-5 most south Aimos peninsula countries
are a group of their own,
call it the ex-Ottoman countries
neither west neither east just Balkans
@Laberia @Yetos
East Europe according to LivingDNA:
@Laberia @Yetos
East Europe according to LivingDNA:
well as I said,
Not East, not West
Let's call everyone Eastern European in that case. Down with the compartmentalization!
People from North America, but also a lot of people from Europe and other parts of the world tend to throw around the term 'Eastern Europe' as if it doesn't mean anything. Words have meanings.
Eastern Europe can be a geographical term. Or it can be a political term. A cultural term. You decide.
But once you've made up your mind, you have to try to activate your neurons to use the term in a fitting context.
This subforum relates to traveling. What does Albania have in common with, say, Estonia in terms of traveling? Nothing. There's literally no overlap. Not in terms of geography, culture, architecture, religion, language, economy, politics. There's not a single unique thing in common between these two nations.
Now, what could be the reason why the Benelux countries, which are the size of Latvia, have a subforum of its own, yet a couple of dozen allegedly Eastern European nations are thrown together randomly?
The reason is intellectual laziness or a complete lack of knowledge. Or casual racism. Because it's OK to be racist towards white people, right? I'm not being facetious, by the way.
Give me a single valid reason why the use of this subforum in its current form makes sense.
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.
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.
Roughly the divide goes through center of Europe so it helps to solidify this view. What baffles me is that Eastern Europeans take offence to this!
So casual racism it is then. Got it.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.
Protestant Riga and Tallinn, a Western outpost in the Baltic for nearly a millenium, with its Gothic roof gables and Hanseatic red brick facades, with its church staples, with its narrow cobblestone streets and fortresses, canals, and city walls built by the Teutonic Order.
Two nations that have always been on the frontline against invaders from the East, be it Mongolian hordes, Slavic tribes or totalitarian
tyrants with their delusions of grandeure. We have always bore the brunt of it all. There's a couple of million Russian bodies buried in our lands from all the wars we have fought against them throughout the centuries. If it wasn't for us and the sacrifices we made, the Iron Curtain would lie far further to the West.
Our economies were crippled by the Soviet experiment. My great grandfather waged guerrila warfare against the Russians for 14 years up until the early 1950s. My father was a part of the independence movement in the 1980s. We laid our lives, were deported, imprisoned, shot, maimed and killed in the fight against them. Yet somehow we are being reduced to this nondescript Eastern Euro label by a soft-bodied Anglo-Saxon ignoramus drowned in postmaterialist sludge all because of a few decades of Soviet military occupation.
I'd wager we're one of the last truly Western places left.
As for being backwards, look up some freedom indices, education rankings, economic growth rates. Go read a history book. Educate yourself.
Nicely soaked through with nationalistic hatred towards others. I knew you must be the pinnacle of humankind, nevermind the Western delight.
Being a part of the West includes a set of values that one subscribes to.
It has got nothing to do with hatred of others.
You don't have to hate others in believing that freedom of speech, freedom of thought, economic freedom, political freedom, justice and a moral compass makes a society better overall. Not willing to be associated with parts of the world, which do not share anything of the like with you, is not an act of hatred.
There's nothing wrong with being proud of who you are and what you stand for.
Posting Permissions
