Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Eastern Europe shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Eastern Europe offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Eastern Europe at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Eastern Europe? Wrong! If the Eastern Europe is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Eastern Europe then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Eastern Europe? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Eastern Europe and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Eastern Europe wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Eastern Europe then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Eastern Europe site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Eastern Europe, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Eastern Europe, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
(medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange).
Eastern Europe is a socio-political concept mainly influenced by the
Cold War, which largely defined its borders. Its boundaries were effectively forged in the final stages of World War II and came to encompass all European countries which came under Soviet influence and control. As such these countries had
communism regimes imposed upon them and
Neutral country countries were classified by the nature of their political regimes.
However this definition is outdated - was absorbed by West Germany through the German reunification, becoming a part of Western Europe by default.
In common perception and usage, Eastern Europe was, and still is, to a lesser extent, distinguishable from Western Europe by differences of
culture, politics, and
economics; its borders have little to do with clear and precise
geography. The Ural Mountains are a clear geographical border of Eastern Europe, and therefore of Europe, on the East. On the West, however, culture and religion boundaries between Western Europe and Eastern Europe are subject to considerable overlaps and – most importantly – historical fluctuations, which make a precise understanding somewhat difficult.
It includes:
- , , , and and the European territories of , a transcontinental country.
- , , , .
- the Baltic states: , , and .
- the Balkans: , , , , , , , and .
- Also part of the Balkans is widely considered a part of Western Europe, and also East Thrace, the European territory of , isn't included in Eastern Europe.
UN geographical definition
s of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked red):Alternatively for the United NationsUnited Nations Statistics Division: "Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions, geographical sub-regions, and selected economic and other groupings",
Eastern Europe is also a geographic
subregion of Europe, including the following countries:
- , a transcontinental country
Classical antiquity and medieval origins
The earliest known distinctions between east and west in Europe originate in the history of the Roman Republic. As the Roman domain expanded, a cultural and linguistical division appeared between the mainly Koine Greek-speaking eastern provinces which had formed the highly urbanized Hellenistic civilization. In contrast the western territories largely adopted the
Latin language. 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 Western Roman Empire collapsed starting the
Early Middle Ages. By contrast, the Eastern Roman Empire, mostly known as the
Byzantine Empire, managed to survive and even to thrive for another 1,000 years. The rise of the Carolingian Empire in the west, and in particular the
East-West Schism that formally divided
Eastern Christianity and
Western Christianity, enhanced the cultural and religious distinctiveness between Eastern and Western Europe.
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.
Eastern Orthodox concept in Europe.
separated the members of the Warsaw Pact (in red) from the European members of
NATO (in blue). Neutral coutries were classified by the nature of their political system.
The Cold War divides Europe into the Eastern/Western blocs
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.
Post-war Europe would be divided into two major spheres: the
Western world#The Cold War mainly influenced by the USA, and the
Eastern Bloc dominated by the Soviet Union. With the onset of the Cold War, Europe was divided by the
Iron Curtain.
This term had been used during World War II by German Propagandaministerium 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, Missouri in
Fulton, Missouri:
As the Cold War continued the use of the term Central Europe declined. Although some countries were officially Neutral country, they were classified according to the nature of their political and economical systems. This division largely defined the popular perception and understanding of Eastern Europe and its borders with Western Europe till this day.
A divided Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe was mainly composed of all the European countries liberated and then occupied by the Soviet army. It included the
German Democratic Republic, widely known as
East Germany, formed by the Soviet occupation zone of Germany. 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 Satellite states of the Soviet Union.
Under pressure from Stalin these nations rejected to receive funds from the
Marshal plan. Instead they participated in the
Molotov Plan which later evolved into the Comecon (short:
Comecon). As
NATO was created, the countries of Eastern Europe became members of the opposing
Warsaw Pact.
- First and foremost was the Soviet Union (which by itself included Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, etc). Other countries dominated by the Soviet Union were the German Democratic Republic, Poland, Czechoslovakia (which later separated into the Czech Republic and Slovakia), Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania.
- The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (formed after WWII and before its later dismemberment) was not a member of the Warsaw Pact. It was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, an organization created in an attempt to avoid being assigned to any of the two blocs. It was demonstratively independent from the Soviet Union for most of the Cold War period, but because of its communist regime it was widely regarded part of the Eastern/communist bloc.
- Albania broke with the Soviet Union in the early 1960s as a result of the Sino-Soviet split, aligning itself instead with China. Despite this, it had a communist regime and thus was considered part of the Eastern/communist bloc.
Since 1989
With the Fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 the political landscape of Eastern Europe, and indeed of the world, changed. The Federal Republic of Germany peacefully absorbed the Democratic Republic of Germany, leading to the
German reunification. COMECON and the Warsaw Pact were dissolved, and in 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to exist.
Many European nations which had been part of the Soviet Union regained their full independence, namely , , , , and .
peacefully separated into the and (see:
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia).
fell apart, creating new nations: , , , , , and the . (see:
Breakup of Yugoslavia)
Many countries of this region joined the European Union, namely the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Romania.
The term
Central Europe has slowly reappeared and many people in this region consider their countries rather to be part of Central Europe. Despite this, most English-speaking sources, as well as the
United Nations, continue to classify all these countries as part of Eastern Europe.
The goverment of Estonia has been following a policy of re-affirming its
Estonia#Foreign policy since regaining independence identity.
See also
References and notes
(medium orange),members of the
Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange).
Eastern Europe is a socio-political concept mainly influenced by the
Cold War, which largely defined its borders. Its boundaries were effectively forged in the final stages of World War II and came to encompass all European countries which came under Soviet influence and control. As such these countries had
communism regimes imposed upon them and Neutral country countries were classified by the nature of their political regimes.
However this definition is outdated - was absorbed by West Germany through the
German reunification, becoming a part of Western Europe by default.
In common perception and usage, Eastern Europe was, and still is, to a lesser extent, distinguishable from Western Europe by differences of culture, politics, and economics; its borders have little to do with clear and precise
geography. The
Ural Mountains are a clear geographical border of Eastern Europe, and therefore of Europe, on the East. On the West, however, culture and religion boundaries between Western Europe and Eastern Europe are subject to considerable overlaps and – most importantly – historical fluctuations, which make a precise understanding somewhat difficult.
It includes:
- , , , and and the European territories of , a transcontinental country.
- , , , .
- the Baltic states: , , and .
- the Balkans: , , , , , , , and .
- Also part of the Balkans is widely considered a part of Western Europe, and also East Thrace, the European territory of , isn't included in Eastern Europe.
UN geographical definition
s of Europe as delineated by the
United Nations (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked red):Alternatively for the United NationsUnited Nations Statistics Division: "Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions, geographical sub-regions, and selected economic and other groupings",
Eastern Europe is also a geographic
subregion of Europe, including the following countries:
- , a transcontinental country
Classical antiquity and medieval origins
The earliest known distinctions between east and west in Europe originate in the history of the Roman Republic. As the Roman domain expanded, a cultural and linguistical division appeared between the mainly
Koine Greek-speaking eastern provinces which had formed the highly urbanized
Hellenistic civilization. In contrast the western territories largely adopted the
Latin language. 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
Western Roman Empire collapsed starting the Early Middle Ages. By contrast, the Eastern Roman Empire, mostly known as the Byzantine Empire, managed to survive and even to thrive for another 1,000 years. The rise of the
Carolingian Empire in the west, and in particular the
East-West Schism that formally divided Eastern Christianity and Western Christianity, enhanced the cultural and religious distinctiveness between Eastern and Western Europe.
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.
Eastern Orthodox concept in Europe.
separated the members of the
Warsaw Pact (in red) from the European members of NATO (in blue). Neutral coutries were classified by the nature of their political system.
The Cold War divides Europe into the Eastern/Western blocs
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.
Post-war Europe would be divided into two major spheres: the
Western world#The Cold War mainly influenced by the USA, and the
Eastern Bloc dominated by the Soviet Union. With the onset of the Cold War, Europe was divided by the
Iron Curtain.
This term had been used during World War II by German
Propagandaministerium 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, Missouri in Fulton, Missouri:
As the Cold War continued the use of the term Central Europe declined. Although some countries were officially
Neutral country, they were classified according to the nature of their political and economical systems. This division largely defined the popular perception and understanding of Eastern Europe and its borders with Western Europe till this day.
A divided Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe was mainly composed of all the European countries liberated and then occupied by the Soviet army. It included the
German Democratic Republic, widely known as
East Germany, formed by the Soviet occupation zone of Germany. 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
Satellite states of the Soviet Union.
Under pressure from Stalin these nations rejected to receive funds from the
Marshal plan. Instead they participated in the Molotov Plan which later evolved into the
Comecon (short:
Comecon). As NATO was created, the countries of Eastern Europe became members of the opposing Warsaw Pact.
- First and foremost was the Soviet Union (which by itself included Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, etc). Other countries dominated by the Soviet Union were the German Democratic Republic, Poland, Czechoslovakia (which later separated into the Czech Republic and Slovakia), Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania.
- The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (formed after WWII and before its later dismemberment) was not a member of the Warsaw Pact. It was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, an organization created in an attempt to avoid being assigned to any of the two blocs. It was demonstratively independent from the Soviet Union for most of the Cold War period, but because of its communist regime it was widely regarded part of the Eastern/communist bloc.
- Albania broke with the Soviet Union in the early 1960s as a result of the Sino-Soviet split, aligning itself instead with China. Despite this, it had a communist regime and thus was considered part of the Eastern/communist bloc.
Since 1989
With the Fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 the political landscape of Eastern Europe, and indeed of the world, changed. The Federal Republic of Germany peacefully absorbed the Democratic Republic of Germany, leading to the
German reunification. COMECON and the Warsaw Pact were dissolved, and in 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to exist.
Many European nations which had been part of the Soviet Union regained their full independence, namely , , , , and .
peacefully separated into the and (see:
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia).
fell apart, creating new nations: , , , , , and the . (see: Breakup of Yugoslavia)
Many countries of this region joined the
European Union, namely the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Romania.
The term
Central Europe has slowly reappeared and many people in this region consider their countries rather to be part of Central Europe. Despite this, most English-speaking sources, as well as the
United Nations, continue to classify all these countries as part of Eastern Europe.
The goverment of Estonia has been following a policy of re-affirming its Estonia#Foreign policy since regaining independence identity.
See also
References and notes
Whittle Eastern Europe Logistics LTD
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Amazon.co.uk: Eastern Europe (Lonely Planet Multi Country Guide): Tom ...
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