One thing is clear: eastern Europe exited the first wave at the end of June in much better shape than western Europe. The spread of communism during the beginning and middle of the 20th century had a devastating effect of the culture and economy of Central Europe. 10. It is followed by a brief description of the four major religions in the region. None of this suggests that policy in America is ideal (it isnt) or that European nations are failures (they still rank among the wealthiest places on the planet). 4. Create your account. I am glad that a more vigorous race wasn't here as they would have truly dominated the world! Being dominated for centuries has led to lingering inequality and long-lasting effects in many formerly colonized countries, including poverty and slow economic growth. See here for the complete series: I love listening to Dr. Sowell's wonderful explanations for everything. The spending on war gave leaders a chance to try out new weapons, new armed ships, and new tactics, and to learn from mistakes on the battlefield. Definitions of Western and Eastern Europe: Characteristics of Western and Eastern Europe: Difference Between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Difference Between Commonwealth and Protectorate. There are over 500 different languages spoken in the region of eastern Europe. But something like the smallpox epidemic that ravaged Mexico when the Spanish conquistador Hernn Corts overthrew the Aztec Empire just isn't the whole story of Corts's victory or of Europe's successful colonization of other parts of the world. Cheap travel Eastern Europe can be significantly less expensive than Western Europe. Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. This is interesting because it shows that the wealth divide between Eastern and Western Europe existed long before the modern era. Shifting to a different topic, Mark Perry also takes a shot at Donald Trump, who seems to think that other nations are winning over America because of trade. /r/History is a place for discussions about history.