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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.

Contents

Classical antiquity and medieval origins

The earliest known distinctions between east and west in Europe originate in the history of the Roman Republic. The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the 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. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Koine Greek (Κοινὴ Ἑλληνική, "common Greek" or, ciˈni ðiˈale̞kto̞s "the common dialect" is the popular form of Greek which emerged in This article focuses on the cultural aspects of the Hellenistic age for the historical aspects see Hellenistic period. On contrast the western territories largely adopted the Latin language. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. 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 Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Late Antiquity (c 300-600 is a Periodization used by historians to describe the transitional centuries from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in The Western Roman Empire collapsed starting the Early Middle Ages. The Western Roman Empire refers to the western half of the Roman Empire, from its division by Diocletian in 285 the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern The Early Middle Ages is a period in the History of Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire spanning roughly five centuries from AD 500 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 Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, enhanced the cultural and religious distinctiveness between Eastern and Western Europe. Carolingian Empire is a historiographical term sometimes used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the Carolingian dynasty. The East-West Schism, or the Great Schism, divided medieval Christendom into Eastern (Greek and Western (Latin branches which later became known as the The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world

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. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire (imperium Francorum Frankish Kingdom (Latin regnum Francorum, "Kingdom of the Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Eastern Orthodox concept in Europe. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world

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. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer The Counter-Reformation (also Catholic Reformation denotes the period of Catholic revival from the pontificate of Pope Pius IV in 1560 to the close of the The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the During the Age of Discovery, most of the Western European countries colonized Africa, Asia, South and North America. The Age of Discovery or Age of Exploration was a period from the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century during which Europeans explored South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a All these historical events and cultural developments have influence over the Western European concept.

The borders of Western Europe were largely defined by the Cold War. The Iron Curtain separated the European members of NATO (in blue) from the members of the Warsaw Pact (in red). Neutral countries were classified by the nature of their political system.
The borders of Western Europe were largely defined by the Cold War. The Iron Curtain separated the European members of NATO (in blue) from the members of the Warsaw Pact (in red). The " Iron Curtain " was the symbolic ideological and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II until the end The North Atlantic Treaty The Warsaw Pact (see Nomenclature) was an organization of Communist states in Central and Eastern Europe. Neutral countries were classified by the nature of their political system.

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. In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and Codenamed the Argonaut Conference, was the wartime meeting from 4 February Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party

Post-war Europe would be divided into two major spheres: the "West" and the Eastern Bloc dominated by the Soviet Union. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings During the Cold War, the term Communist Bloc (or Soviet Bloc) was used to refer to the Soviet Union and countries it either controlled or that were With the onset of the Cold War, Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain. The " Iron Curtain " was the symbolic ideological and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II until the end

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:

“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Paul Joseph Goebbels (German pronunciation ˈɡœbəls English generally ˈɡɝbəlz (29 October 1897 1 May 1945 was a German politician and Reich Minister of Public Johann Ludwig (Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, (22 August 1887 4 March 1977 was a German jurist and senior government official Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Westminster College is a private Liberal arts institution in Fulton Missouri, USA Fulton is a City in Callaway County, Missouri, the United States of America The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. Trieste (Trieste Slovene and Croatian: Trst; German: Triest) is a city and port in northeastern Italy very near to Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Central and Eastern Europe is an accepted term describing former Communist countries in Europe, after the collapse of the Iron Curtain in 1989 Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia; all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow. Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Budapest ( also /ˈbʊ-/) is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary it serves as the country's principal Political, Belgrade (Београд Beograd is the Capital and largest city of Serbia. Bucharest ( Romanian: Bucureşti) is the Capital city, industrial and commercial centre of Romania. Sofia (София ˈsɔfija is the Capital and largest city of the Republic of Bulgaria, with a population of 1395568 in the Capital Municipality Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of ”

Although some countries were officially neutral, they were classified according to the nature of their political and economical systems. For other uses of Neutral and Neutrality see Neutral A neutral country takes no side in a War between other parties 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. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including It included the German Democratic Republic, widely known as East Germany, formed by the Soviet occupation zone of Germany. The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state The Soviet Occupation Zone ( German: Sowjetische Besatzungszone (SBZ or Ostzone; Советская зона Германии Sovetskaya zona Germanii 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. Satellite state is a political term that refers to a country which is formally independent but under heavy influence or control by another country

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". Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and

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. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Marshall Plan (from its enactment officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was the primary plan of the United States for rebuilding and creating a stronger Most joined NATO and/or the European Community or its rival, the European Free Trade Association. The North Atlantic Treaty The European Community (EC is one of the Three pillars of the European Union (EU created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992 The European Free Trade Association ( EFTA) is a European Trade bloc which was established on 3 May 1960 as an alternative for European states who were either

Western Europe was and is composed by:

Other countries also became increasingly part of Western Europe.

Turkey

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. German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany 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. Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and 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). The German Wikipedia (Deutschsprachige Wikipedia is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online Encyclopedia.

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. Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union (EU through the accession of new member states. Though the majority in the West see a difference between their cultures and the former Eastern Bloc nations. During the Cold War, the term Communist Bloc (or Soviet Bloc) was used to refer to the Soviet Union and countries it either controlled or that were

Present time

The present definition, as geopolitically defined by the Western European Union. The Western European Union ( WEU) is a partially dormant European defence and security organization established on the basis of the Treaty of Brussels of 1948

Western European Union membership definition.
Western European Union membership definition. The Western European Union ( WEU) is a partially dormant European defence and security organization established on the basis of the Treaty of Brussels of 1948

     Members

CIA World Factbook classification:     Western Europe      Southwestern Europe
CIA World Factbook classification:     Western Europe      Southwestern Europe

The present definition, as geographically defined by the CIA World Factbook[2] includes: Western Europe:

Southwestern Europe:

Contemporary statistical regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (UN definition of Western Europe marked light blue):      Northern Europe      Western Europe      Eastern Europe      Southern Europe
Contemporary statistical regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (UN definition of Western Europe marked light blue):      Northern Europe      Western Europe      Eastern Europe      Southern Europe

The United Nations definition considers Western Europe to consist of the following nine countries[3], except in the case of United Nations Regional Groups, in which the term also includes northern and southern Europe:

See also

References and notes

  1. ^ United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: Western Europe
  2. ^ CIA World Factbook
  3. ^ United Nations Statistics Division - Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions, geographical sub-regions, and selected economic and other groupings

External links

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία The World Factbook ( ISSN; also known as the CIA World Factbook) is an annual publication of the Central Intelligence Agency of the The World Factbook ( ISSN; also known as the CIA World Factbook) is an annual publication of the Central Intelligence Agency of the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn or Mann (Mannin) is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by For other uses see Monaco (disambiguation Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco ( French: Principauté de Monaco; Monégasque Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra ( Catalan: Principat d'Andorra) is a small Landlocked country in western Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The article is about the geographic sense of the term For other uses including Regions and Regional, see Region (disambiguation. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Northern Europe is a term for the northern part of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as (Finland Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. The term Southern Europe can have four definitions geographical political climatic phytogeographic The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The United Nations is unofficially divided into five geopolitical regional groupings Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Principality of Liechtenstein (Fürstentum Liechtenstein) is a tiny doubly landlocked Alpine country in Western Europe, bordered by Switzerland Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by For other uses see Monaco (disambiguation Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco ( French: Principauté de Monaco; Monégasque The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Western European Union ( WEU) is a partially dormant European defence and security organization established on the basis of the Treaty of Brussels of 1948 The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings The term " first world " refers to countries that are capitalist, which are technologically advanced and whose thumb|right|350px|Map showing the European countries that became independent or regained their independence during the [[20th century]] New Europe is a rhetorical Old Europe is a term that was popularized in January 2003 after then-U The Marshall Plan (from its enactment officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was the primary plan of the United States for rebuilding and creating a stronger Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and The term Romano-Germanic describes the conflation of Roman culture with that of various Germanic peoples under the rule of the Roman Empire. Hugh Bicheno is a living British - American Military historian most famous for his revisionist interpretations of the American Revolution in his

Dictionary

Western Europe

-proper noun

  1. A sociopolitical region in the west of Europe.
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