An Intro To Eastern Europe

Precisely which nation-states make up Eastern Europe may depend on which fact book or researcher you refer to.

While some countries, because of their geographical location or their distinct culture, can fit easily in the idea of an Eastern Europe nation, some nations aren’t so distinguishable from their Central European neighbours.

The eastern border of the region is distinguished by the Ural Mountains rising high out of Russia. Mountains have acted as strong barriers for cultures and religions throughout history.  But the western border of the region is less precise, and there are no landmarks to separate Eastern Europe from Central Europe.

The division in Europe began as early as Roman times. The collapse of the once mighty Western Roman Empire didn’t affect the Eastern Byzantine Empire, which served as the centre of culture and technology for nearly a full millennium after.

It was during this time that Orthodox Christianity became the foremost religion worshipped in the area, a fact that still stands today with the only exceptions being the three Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. For this reason, some suggest these nations should be part of Central Europe, despite their geographical location and past political ties.

The modern day conception of Eastern Europe was shaped mostly by the Cold War and the break-up of the Soviet Union. The Warsaw Pact was an organization of communist nations in East and Central Europe.

At this time, the division in Europe was more clear-cut with the two sides’ differing ideologies meaning that violence could break out at any time.

The former Soviet Union, now Russia, was the focal point of the Communist ideal, and posed a serious threat to the lifestyle and well-being of the democratic Western nations.

Russia is now understood to be a transcontinental nation, rather than being a clear-cut member of Eastern Europe altogether. Eastern Germany was also considered a part of this region until its communist regime was ended with the reunification with Western Germany in 1989.

Many countries that were formed from existing Soviet states are now part of Eastern Europe, such as Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. Despite their independence, the cultural identity of these nations is still deeply ingrained with Russian traits.

Eastern Europe has been a hotbed for national separation in recent years, as Czechoslovakia divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, and Yugoslavia also separated in 1992, forming several new nation states.

Besides Russia, few nations in Eastern Europe have much political influence on the global scale. The nations of Bulgaria and Moldova are not famed for their tourists industries and the layman may only recognize Ukraine for its part in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

With small populations and troubled economies, many of these nations have joined the European Union and continue to work with the whole of Europe for a better and brighter future.