Why Is Europe so well off today? It was wrecked during both world wars... Is there an actual western European mentality that is unique? A way of interacting with others and with different aspects of life?
I live in Israel and Its definately economically worse in every way compared to western European and northern European countries. What im curious about is what is it exactly that is causing these differences. Is it the fact Israel is in conflict with some of its neighbors? Is it because the countries around us are economically weak? Or is there some sort of outlook on life and way of behaving with others and thinking of others that is unique to Western European people? Or maybe its just that Europe has had a prolonged time of peace, allowing European countries to really perfect all their systems and infrustructure(though it was ahead before as well)? I mean, as an example, even when we think of legal systems, for them to become more nuanced requires time and experience. Sure, a legal system can learn from others and adapt some general guidlines but to be nuanced it requries precedents and histroical depth of the political and social entity of which it is a part of.
I have been to several European countries but only as a tourist so its hard for me to really understand the differences, if there are any meaningfull ones. Are there perhaps some resources that help make such comparisons? some framework that puts it all in perspective? Europe is definately richer and more organized but is it really because of a certain mentality? and if it is what composes it? Is it on an individual level or on a systemic level that is only very loosely connected to how individuals behave and think?
Josiah Evans
Valuable human capital coupled with the financial capital provided by the USA with the Marshall Plan
Alexander Diaz
Actually hard working people, strong middle class and total ignorance of most socialist laws everywhere but in the government. At least in Czech republic.Combine it with generally high level of education at industrial schools and voilá. Not sure how much small-scale stealing matters, since everyone does it (if you don't steal from the state you're robbing your family).
Ayden Howard
It wasn't wrecked, it was boosted through war. Winning does that. That said, Europe lost its empires.
Only Germany was wrecked but it was rebuilt with help.
Charles Lee
How exactly does that work though? wrecked tanks and planes dont improve living standards.
Jaxson Martinez
>Only Germany was wrecked The most retarded thing I've seen on Veeky Forums.
Juan Morris
Europe had older civilization still intact.
Liam Hernandez
Mixture of several reasons. >1 Relative peace since WW2 >2 Significant Aid from the United States specifically aimed at the recovery of the European economy to act as a bulwark against communism. >3 The large scale discredit of autocratic forms of governments made the democracies in Europe much more stable than they were before the war >4 the relative ease with which European nations were able to influence the petty dictators to the mutual benefit of the dictators and Western Nations. >5 Relatively homogeneous societies and a lack of a permanent racial underclass for at the least the beginning part of the Era
Ethan Powell
white people are literally the mustard race
Not too spicy like hot sauce (Hispanics and blacks and Arabs), not too fattening like mayonnaise(jews and Asians), just right..
David Miller
>I live in Israel and Its definately economically worse in every way compared to western European and northern European countries >after getting 10 million bucks from the US every day I thought you jews were supposed to be good with money
Landon Gonzalez
Western countries are the collection points for the worlds gathered wealth. Add to this the high levels of infrastructure, transport networks, education and training of the populace, as well as a temperate, fertile climate. All of these things allow us to rebuild quickly.
Landon Cooper
Guess all the US bucks go to building settlements in the ex-Palestine territories.
Mason Martin
>temperate, fertile climate
I wouldn't say this matters anymore since the poorest country in Europe is the most fertile and the most barren is the richest one.
Christian Reyes
Racial superiority of course. What else could it possibly be?
Aaron Bailey
Favour of Gods
Joshua Ramirez
>europe >well Go to Serbia and see what's going on!
Brody Allen
Yeah, they had an economic system emerge that allowed European society to prosper by parasitizing resources from the "devolping" world
Jonathan King
When the local infrastructure is destroyed (no food, water, gas, etc), being able to pick food from the roadside or growing it in your garden can make a big difference to wether a population stays and rebuilds, tries to migrate or just starves to death. It may not generate much wealth, but it can effect a population's ability to survive and rebuild.
Eli Sanchez
He specifically mentioned Northern and Western Europe, since the East was ravaged by Comunisms and civil wars.
David Barnes
How can we stop the ''rich-first-world'' countries treat us like shit and tell them to actually help us?
Tyler Cook
*treating
Joshua Myers
join the EU
Joseph Reyes
True communism has never been tried. :^)
Colton Collins
KEK nope
Chase Wilson
That's true, since Communism is by definition end-game utopia.
But why do you mention it? To derail the thread?
Well, then don't expect us to help you.
Cooper Mitchell
scratch the 'help' thing, but when will rich countries stop treating poor countries like worthless shit?
Charles Rogers
No its basically a subsidy for the US defense industry. Israel gets 3 billion dollars (about 15% of their defense budget) from the US but they have to buy American stuff with it, subsiding US arm's companies when the U.S isn't at war or in need of new stuff.
Cooper Reyes
Better yet, join the EEC. Easier to join. Not as much aid. But actually meeting the requirements will help your country develop on it's own.
Ryder Hernandez
Never
The weak must fear the strong
Brody Gonzalez
>weak must fear the strong so...
Isaac Cruz
You'll be treated like shit, until you are strong enough to stand up for yourself.
Jacob Parker
>until you are strong enough to stand up for yourself. Will it need isolation to be strong enough? Who will be the next shittiest president of Serbia?
Jaxon Bennett
Quick question. Da li si Srbin?
Landon Johnson
Well memed, my friend.
Landon Moore
Well I personally buy into the Guns, Germs, and Steel argument. Europeans lucked out with their starting point and the rest is history. That being said, I do think there are certain European ideals and values (for a lack of a better term) that certainly helped Europeans develop thing like nation states and the western apparatus to consolidate wealth and so forth. Because I mean places like India and China also lucked out with their starting positions, however they failed to become as wealthy and powerful.
David Jenkins
The rule of law and (relativly speaking) a lot of liberty granted by the states coupled with competition thanks to the decentralized nature of the continent after the fall of rome lead to the rise of private enterprises.
The rest is history.
Grayson King
This except the Marshall Plan. Europe would have recovered without it, it simply boosted up the process.
Liam Price
That contradicts the GGS argument. A posteriori, it's pretty simplistic and dumb to state that whatever currently ahead civilization (for a lack of a better term) achieved that because le happy starting point determined so.
Which btw isn't even true. Med Europe was a happy starting point but everything north of the Alps didn't favour agriculture until the invention of the heavy plow in the middle ages. Overall China has a better starting point than Europe. Although China was wealthier than Europe for most of history. It fell behind technologically because simply they weren't motivated to advance towards economical, social and technological change, because they were fine as they were.
In Europe in contrast, the driving force behind social, economical and technological advance wasn't some sort of systemic cultural collective will in which people woke up at 7:00 am thinking "hmmm I have to do stuff and ''contribute'' into things being different towhat they are now and fuck traditions and the systemic order as it is". Nope. The driving force was collective butthurt and competition between states. Even though the old Grecorroman civilizational ethos impregnated the West with a distinct mental and philosophical approach to life, stressing individualism, the very concept of embracing change, a mechanical view of the world and etc... had any country achieved a situation of comfy absolutely dominance so that there's no need to be aware of what happens beyond your borders or pay attention to what others are doing, they too would have stalled in their comfyness like China, Japan and the Roman Empire did.
Jaxon Cox
>Why Is Europe so well off today?
Because it was unified in conflict.
Michael Jenkins
>What is the Marshall Plan
Lucas Young
>UNITED FOREVER IN FRIENDSHIP AND LABOR >STRONG IN OUR FRIENDSHIP TRIED BY FIRE >THE GREAT SOVIET UNION WILL LIVE THROUGH THE AGES