Everything about Western European totally explained
Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of
Europe'. The concept at different times has had different meanings, at times including political and cultural considerations as well as geographical.
Classical antiquity and medieval origins
The earliest known distinctions between east and west in Europe originate in the history of the
Roman Republic. As
Roman domain expanded a cultural and linguistical division appeared between the mainly
Greek-speaking eastern provinces which had formed the highly urbanized
Hellenistic civilization. On contrast the western territories largely adopted the
Latin language. This cultural and linguistic division was eventually reinforced by the later political east-west division of the
Roman Empire
The division between these two spheres was enhanced during
Late Antiquity and the
Middle Ages by a number of events. The
Western Roman Empire collapsed starting the
Early Middle Ages. By contrast, the Eastern Roman Empire, mostly known as
Byzantine Empire, managed to survive and even to thrive for another 1000 years. The rise of the
Frankish Empire in the west, and in particular the
Great Schism that formally divided
Eastern and
Western Christianity, enhanced the cultural and religious distinctiveness between Eastern and Western Europe.
The conquest of the Byzantine Empire, center of the
Eastern Orthodox Church, by the
Muslim Ottoman Empire in the 15th century, and the gradual fragmentation of the
Holy Roman Empire (which had replaced the
Frankish Empire) led to a change of the importance of
Roman Catholic/
Protestant vs.
Eastern Orthodox concept in Europe.
Historical events like the
Renaissance, the
Protestant Reformation by
Martin Luther and the
Counter-Reformation of the
Catholic Church, the
Age of Enlightenment, the
French Revolution, and the
Industrial Revolution are considered to be common experiences which have shaped Western European culture and identity. During the
Age of Discovery, most of the Western European countries colonized
Africa,
Asia,
South and
North America. All these historical events and cultural developments have influence over the
Western European concept.
The Cold War
During the final stages of WWII the future of Europe was decided between the
Allies in the
1945 Yalta Conference, between the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Winston Churchill, the President of the
United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the Premier of the
Soviet Union Joseph Stalin.
Post-war Europe would be divided into two major spheres: the
"West" and the
Eastern Bloc dominated by the Soviet Union. With the onset of the Cold War, Europe was divided by the
Iron Curtain.
This term had been used during
World War II by German
Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels and later Count
Lutz Schwerin von Krosigk in the last days of the war; however, its use was hugely popularised by Winston Churchill, who used it in his famous "Sinews of Peace" address
March 5,
1946 at
Westminster College in
Fulton, Missouri:
Although some countries were officially
neutral, they were classified according to the nature of their political and economical systems. This division largely defined the popular perception and understanding of Western Europe and its borders with Eastern Europe till this day.
A divided Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe, in the view accepted after the
second World War, was mainly composed of all the European countries liberated and then occupied by the Soviet army. It included the
German Democratic Republic, widely known as
East Germany, formed by the
Soviet occupation zone of Germany. All the countries in Eastern Europe had communist regimes imposed upon them. Most of these countries were officially independent from the Soviet Union, but the practical extent of this independence was quite limited. In some matters many of them were little more than
client-states of the Soviet Union.
Currently, the borders of
Eastern Europe are a topic of debate, especially because of the countries and people identifying themselves with
Central Europe and denouncing the notion of "Easternity".
- Most of these countries were members of the military Warsaw pact and its economical twin COMECON. First and foremost was the Soviet Union (which by itself included Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, etc). Other countries dominated by the Soviet Union were the German Democratic Republic, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania.
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (formed after WWII and before its later dismemberment) was not a member of the Warsaw Pact. It was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, an organization created in an attempt to avoid being assigned to any of the two blocs. It was demonstratively independent from the Soviet Union for most of the Cold War period, but because of its communist regime it was widely regarded part of the Eastern/communist bloc.
Albania broke with the Soviet Union in the early 1960s as a result of the Sino-Soviet split, aligning itself instead with China. Despite this, it had a communist regime and thus was considered part of the Eastern/communist bloc.
Western Europe
At the end of the World War II almost all countries of Western Europe received economical assistance from the United States through the Marshall Plan. Most joined NATO and/or the European Community or its rival, the European Free Trade Association.
Western Europe was and is composed by:
United Kingdom and France, one of the several victors of the war.
The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg countries who had been occupied by Nazi Germany and subsequently liberated by the Western Allies.
The Federal Republic of Germany, widely known as West Germany, which had been formed by the three occupation zones of Germany belonging to the Western Allies (USA, UK, and France).
Italy, a former Axis Power who had surrendered and been occupied by the Western Allies.
The Republic of Ireland gained its independence in the 1922 from the United Kingdom. It stayed neutral during the war. It never joined NATO but it joined the European Union in 1973.
The Nordic countries were a peculiar case. Denmark and Norway had been conquered by Nazi Germany but were not liberated by the allies. During the war Iceland, then still united with Denmark under a common king, had been invaded and occupied by the United Kingdom and the United States without any casualties by either side. In fact Iceland proclaimed its full independence during the war.
Sweden had managed to remain neutral throughout the war.
Finland had been a co-belligerent of Germany against the Soviet Union and it had been defeated, but wasn't conquered or occupied. (for further details see: Continuation War). The peace treaty between Finland and the Soviet Union stipulated that the Soviet Union would annex minor parts of Finland, and that Finland would have friendly relations with the Soviet Union (see also: Moscow Armistice).
Austria and Switzerland were also a peculiar case. Austria had been incorporated into Nazi Germany through the Anschluss before the war, while Switzerland had managed to remain neutral throughout the WWII. After the war both of them remained neutral, in the case of Austria through the Austrian State Treaty. Austria later joined the European Union but not NATO. Switzerland declined membership of NATO and the European Union and joined EFTA instead.
Other countries also became increasingly part of Western Europe.
Countries who were under the rule of dictators, Portugal, Spain, and Greece became parliamentarian democracies in the mid-1970s. The first two are situated in the geographic south-west of Europe, while the last one is located in the south-east of it. They joined NATO and also the European Union.
The European microstates of Vatican City, San Marino, Monaco, Andorra and Liechtenstein are considered part of Western Europe but they're mainly overlooked. Many of these states have special agreements and treaties with the European Union.
The legal status of many of the Overseas territories in Europe (Gibraltar, Channel Islands, Faroe Islands, etc) are peculiar and vary from case to case. Despite all that, they're also considered part of Western Europe.
Malta is generally considered part of Western Europe.
Turkey
Turkey, as a member of NATO was accepted as belonging to the Western bloc. However it has yet to become a part of the European Union. Turkey is typically considered to be a transcontinental nation in both Southeastern Europe and Southwest Asia.
Later political developments
The world changed dramatically with the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. The Federal Republic of Germany peacefully absorbed the Democratic Republic of Germany, leading to the German reunification. COMECON and the Warsaw Pact were dissolved, and in 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Several countries which had been part of the Soviet Union regained their full independence.
Although the term Western Europe was largely defined of the Cold War, it still remains much in use. The term is commonly used in the media and in everyday use both in "western" and other regions of Europe.
The term Central Europe reappeared. Germany for example is still often considered Western in some countries, but Germans (also politicians) consider Germany more and more Central European (see also German Wikipedia).
Western Europe has increasingly less to do with the European Union. The 1995, 2004, and 2007 enlargements saw many eastern countries joining the EU, and a view that Europe is divided strictly into the West and the East is sometimes considered patronising or pejorative by many in the nominally eastern countries.
Present time
The present definition, as geographically defined by the CIA World Factbook includes:
Western Europe:
Southwestern Europe:
The United Nations definition considers Western Europe to consist of the following nine countries, except in the case of United Nations Regional Groups, in which the term also includes northern and southern Europe:
Further Information
Get more info on 'Western European'.
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