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But I don't really understand the constant need to classify the European countries by vague standards. Is it just to make things 'easier'? The history of Europe is so complex and diverse, that it's almost impossible to make a satisfactory classification. Restricting to recent history, economy and geographical location, is probably the only way.
I more just think it's kind of fun to debate and perceive the connections between different countries. No racial agenda here.
Europe is all the same thing, right? just a bunch of thousand year old buildings and cobblestone streets?
just kidding,
Map is alright, but Northern France in the same category as Greece? and Iceland in the same category as England?
Well, on the US front, Albuquerque is the same category as Honolulu and Seattle (West), Bismarck is the same category as Akron (Midwest), El Paso is the same category as Baltimore (South), and Pittsburgh is the same category as Bangor (Northeast).
When your parameters are quite broad they are going to encompass a pretty vast area.
I tell you what - divide Europe into three different categories by somewhat different definition;
Countries that were under German influence, countries that were under Russian influence and the rest, that managed to escape this fate.
There. Now it all starts falling into places))))
It wouldn't make sense because most countries of the old Austrohungarian Empire were occupied by the USSR, so that would be an overlapping classification.....and those countries have changed hands many times, including German kingdoms, countries and pricipalities (1020 of them some 150 years ago).
German and USSR influence and occupation were too ephimeral to have created any significant cultural influence.
Czech Republic, Estonia and Slovenia are incorrectly marked, in my opinion. They are very westernized and modern, Estonia is so closely related to Finland you would have to group it to there.
Slovenian culture is a mix of Slavic and Germanic, in my opinion.
Czech Republic is also a mix, but less so.
It wouldn't make sense because most countries of the old Austrohungarian Empire were occupied by the USSR, so that would be an overlapping classification.....and those countries have changed hands many times, including German kingdoms, countries and pricipalities (1020 of them some 150 years ago).
Very well then, it makes things even less complicated; divide Europe not into three, but two parts; first part - the countries that "changed hands," (that is that they were under Russian or German influence,) and the rest of European countries that escaped this fate. Hope this solves the problem.
Quote:
German and USSR influence and occupation were too ephimeral to have created any significant cultural influence.
To say that German influence was "too "ephimeral" to create any significant influence on other countries" is not to know much about Germany, starting with Reformation of the Church.
Even Russia herself was greatly influenced by Germany in many ways, be that development of science or education. You might like or dislike Germany - it's already a different matter, but undoubtedly it's a very strong influential factor in European history.
Likewise, later in time both Imperial Russia and the USSR were too powerful as cultural and ideological force to not to leave any influence on its former subjects.
Today's Greece is definitely culturally closer to the Balkans and to other Eastern European Orthodox countries (even Russia) than to Spain, France, and Portugal.
Southern Italy has some cultural similarities to Greece (excluding language and religion) but that's not enough to put Greece with Latin Europe.
Also, Balkan Slavic countries have Ottoman influence, which Ukraine, Poland, Russia, Belarus etc. don't. Grouping them together doesn't make sense.
I'd say put Latin Europe (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy) together and include Malta.
Germanic countries go together.
Put the Balkans together (incl. Greece, Romania), and then Slavic non-Balkan Europe, Finland, and the Baltics together.
Be careful about grouping Finns/Estonians and Balts together with Slavs.
The other two Baltics (Latvia and Lithuania) are kind of Slavic, by culture. Estonia and Finland are close to Sweden in culture.
And the people are somewhat similar, right?
Finns, Estos and Swedes?
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