(Definitions)
–Q: Curt: Please explain the difference between ‘Western’ European, ‘European’, ‘Western European’ and ‘Northern European’ (etc.)?–
TLDR; European narrow continental civ vs western broad including americas, australia, new zealand civ.
In academic discourse, the terms are often used in relation to civilization, but have slightly distinct meanings:
1) Western – Broader(broadest) ethnic, cultural, and philosophical designation not defined strictly by ethnicity or geography.
– Encompasses political ideas, cultural norms, and intellectual traditions that emerged in Europe but are not limited to Europe geographically.
– Includes Europe itself but also societies strongly influenced by European colonialism and migration, such as the Americas and Australia.
– Emphasizes shared heritage of Greco-Roman, Christian, liberal democratic and Enlightenment values rather than a specific ethnic subset of the european identity.
2) European – Refers specifically to the nations and peoples of the European continent. May also include offshoot societies founded principally by European colonization, such as the Americas.
– Principally an ethnic and geographic term referring to European heritage and place of origin.
3) Western European – Refers to the countries in the western part of Europe, often including:
– The UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, etc.
– Characterized by Romance and Germanic language groups.
– Heavily influenced by both Protestant and Catholic branches of Christianity.
– Represents the Latin/Romanized areas of Western Christendom.
4) Northern European – Refers to countries in the northern part of Europe, including:
– The Nordic nations – Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, amd may include Germany, Netherlands, UK, Ireland.
– Historically shaped by Norse and Germanic cultures.
– Protestant Christianity and Lutheranism had significant influence.
Latin (Southern) Europe – Refers to the southern region influenced by ancient Rome and the Catholic church.
– Defined as including: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Romania, with influence extending into Wallonia, Switzerland, and other regions.
– It represents the Latinate branch of Western Christianity and European culture, as contrasted with Germanic, Slavic, and Nordic Europe. The term emphasizes the shared Romance language and religious heritage of the region.
Eastern European – Refers to the broad region east of Germany/Austria, including the countries of the eastern region of Europe:
– It contains distinct sub-cultures defined by religion, empires, and Slavic vs Baltic languages. But overall represents a coherent historical/geographic Eastern European civilization.
– The Slavic language group: Russia, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belarus.
– The Baltic states: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia.
Hungary, Romania, Moldova.
– Albania and Greece are sometimes included though distinct linguistically.
Key subgroups within Eastern Europe:
– Central Europe – Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia. Catholic Christian and Germanic/Austrian influenced.
– The Balkans – Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania. Historically part of the Ottoman Empire.
– Slavic East – Russia, Belarus, Ukraine. Orthodox Christian. Heavily influenced by Russian culture and Soviet communism.
– Baltics – Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia. Protestant historically but spent time under Soviet control.
(Note that while eastern europe consist of baltic and slavic branches of europeans and their languages, and traditionally we have included the baltics in the slavic branch, the culture has almost entirely converted to the western european model.)