History and Cultures of Eastern and Western Europe 1

HISTORY AND CULTURES OF EASTERN AND WESTERN EUROPE

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 History and Cultures of Eastern and Western Europe 2

History and Cultures of Eastern and Western Europe

History and cultures of Western and Eastern Europe have long been studied in trying to

determine whether their differences are merely regional or if there are real cultural differences.

Noticeably, the United Kingdom (UK) in Western Europe and the Russian Federation in Eastern

Europe were chosen to provide a closer view when comparing the two regions. History was a

significant determinant in determining the current states of both the UK and Russia. As for the

UK, its history of imperialism after it was first formed through an Act of Union and the invasion

of 90% of all the countries in the world give evidence of a culture that is embedded with a yearn

for power (Cain, P. & Hopkins, A., 2016, 77). On the other hand, Russia which is a communist

society with an arguably Christian religion aligned to the Orthodox Church also has a rich history

spanning the Old Russia, imperialism, post-revolutionary, and the post-Soviet era (Rogaeva, I.,

2015).

Through a systematic study of the UK and Russia, it is right to conclude that there exists

a real cultural separation which is stronger than a mere regional difference. This is depicted in

the way that history has contributed profoundly in shaping the cultural identities of the UK and

Western Europe, while on the other hand, history and religion have impacted more in developing

the cultural identities of the Russian Federation and notably, Eastern Europe.

Local Historical and Cultural Specifics of the United Kingdom

Local Historical Specifics

The UK is one of the signature states in Western Europe that has recently been in the

limelight after it voted to exit the European Union in the renowned Brexit vote in 2014. As a

global power, the country has been through a range of ups and downs that either enhanced or
 History and Cultures of Eastern and Western Europe 3

destroyed their credibility. Notably, what is evident is that all these scenarios have in one way or

another impacted profoundly on building the country into what they are today. The history of the

UK can be dated back to the 10th century when King Athelstan managed to gain control and lead

what is now known to constitute pretty much of the present UK (Foot, S., 2012, 30). Over time,

other seemingly smaller islands such as Wales and Scotland joined forces with England to form

the United Kingdom. This was after a series of agreements through the centuries that were

cemented by the Acts of Union that united Great Britain with North Ireland to form the United

Kingdom (Macinnes, A., 2011). Notably, there have been tensions between the unionists and

nationalists in North Ireland. Unionists prefer that North Ireland continues to be part of the

United Kingdom while on the other hand, nationalists prefer to secede and exist as a separate

entity from the UK (Macinnes, A., 2011). Admittedly, the UK is credit for various exports such

as television, literature, arts, and film. It would be naïve to ignore the extents to which the

English language has managed to penetrate and become a worldwide signature language. This is

mainly attributed to the fact that Britain invaded 90% of all the countries in the world and

therefore managed to spread the English language to almost the farthest points of the earth (Cain,

P. & Hopkins, A., 2016, 145). In the end, the UK has experienced significant growth, and with

London as its landmark capital city, its successes through history are there to see.

Local Cultural Specifics

A short trip through London, the UK’s capital city, reveals a country that has a high

population with many immigrants. This paints the picture of a nation that supports multiple

cultures, and with such diversity, one would think that the country's culture has been eroded

(Boffey, D., 2013). Nothing can be further from the truth. It is not hard to notice how much

London's buildings give the impression of a country that has a richness of history. As the
 History and Cultures of Eastern and Western Europe 4

buildings date back to as back as the 16th century, they are characterized by a unique architecture

that depicts the English culture (Brockignton, R., 2016). Christianity is the main religion in the

UK with 59.3% of the population including the royal family being aligned with it (Macinnes, A.,

2011). It is, however, important to note the declining role of religion which is seen by the

changes in family structures as more families are preferring to cohabit rather than marry while

divorce which was previously unheard of, is synonymous. Indeed, the UK has also been

influenced by the modern cultures and allows same-sex marriage. In the end, the UK maintains

much of its cultures as seen with the presence of the royal family and celebrations of various

holidays such as the birthday of the Queen which is celebrated in the second Saturday of June

(Macinnes, A., 2011).

Local Historical and Cultural Specifics of Russia

Local Historical Specifics

Russia is especially known to be the largest country in the world occupying a record 17.1

million square kilometers (Orlovsky, D. & Kolonitskii, B., 2018). The country’s history has been

dotted with sudden breaks that have often threatened the collapse of the state in itself. The

Russian history can be separated into four distinct periods, the Old Russia, Imperial, post-

revolutionary and the post-Soviet periods (Rogaeva, I., 2015). The imperial period which ran

from 1613 to 1917 was ruled by Kings and had King Nicholas II as the last king (Zhivov, V.,

2014). The falling of the Russian empire was facilitated by the leadership of one man, Vladimir

Lenin and the Bolsheviks in what came to be known as the Bolshevik revolution (Hirik, S.,

2014). The Bolshevik revolution invaded and overthrew the dynasty of the Russian empire in

1917 and therefore paved the way for the post-revolutionary period (Hirik, S., 2014). The post-
 History and Cultures of Eastern and Western Europe 5

revolutionary period led to the creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) also

known as the Soviet Union (Hirik, S., 2014).

After the Bolshevik revolution, Vladimir Lenin was the first premier of the USSR who

gave way to the dictator, Joseph Stalin. Jose Stalin was head of the USSR for many years starting

from the mid-1920s to 1953. One of the most notable events of the 20th century was World War II

after where global powers were shifted from the countries in Europe such as the UK and France

to the USSR and the United States (US). In the end, the USSR collapsed at the end of the cold

war period of the 20th century under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev. The 21st century

Russia has been characterized by a series of the country trying to regain its global powers and

through imperialism such as the annexing of Crimea in March, 2014. Notably, the state is

credited for having achieved more stability in the 21st century. (Maisner, H., 2016, 134-150).

Local Cultural Specifics

Russia has been a country with a richness of culture and has often been criticized for not

changing with the world. The notable signature that depicts Russia's culture is its literature which

has contributed a lot to literary growths over the century. The Russian literature that has been of

much significance in the world was specially written in the years spanning the 1860s and 1870s,

a period that was characterized with literary brilliance (Hirik, S., 2018). Noticeably, Russian

literature has been concerned with philosophical problems, the country’s connection to the

Western cultures and the extents to which formal education can contribute to the country’s

development (Hirik, S., 2018). The Orthodox Church is the main religion boasting a 75%

following in the state (Orlvosky, D. & Kolontskii, B., 2018). Admittedly, Russia is a communist

society as opposed to the UK which is capitalist (Orlcosky, D. & Kolontskii, B., 2018).

According to Hofstede Insights (n.d), the Russian culture scores a high of 95% in uncertainty
 History and Cultures of Eastern and Western Europe 6

avoidance and 93% of power distance. As for the former, it means that the culture of Russia is

attributed to a threat posed by the future where many people are scared of what the future will

bring to them and the country as a whole (Hofstede Insights, n.d). The power distance attribute is

the extents to which the Russian people have accepted that there are power structures through

which they cannot penetrate (Hofstede Insights, n.d). In the end, Russia has been seemingly

deviating itself from the Western world although it is now gaining shape.

Processes That Shaped the Cultural Identities

United Kingdom

The UK is famous for its so-called imperialism which has been described as being a landmark of

its consolidation of power through the 18th and 20th centuries. With an alignment to the Church of

England, the UK first attained its prowess immediately it was formed through the Acts of Union

when North Ireland and Wales joined hands with England and Scotland to form the UK

(Macinnes, A., 2011). It is in the 19th and 20th centuries that the UK also asserted her influence

worldwide and invaded 90% of all the countries in the world in a bid to colonize them (Cain, P.,

& Hopkins, A., 2016, 96). This concept reiterated the capitalistic culture that is synonymous with

the country’s population. Indeed, the maintenance of the royal family in the UK has also helped

to give a signature look where the modern era of the 21st century UK is integrating with the older

periods of Britain monarchies (Macinnes, A., 2011). It is, therefore, right to say that much of the

cultural identity in the UK population was processed by history rather than religion, ethnicity or

other factors.

Russian Federation
 History and Cultures of Eastern and Western Europe 7

Much of the cultural identities in Russia have been processed or otherwise shaped by a

long and arguably diverse line of history and religion. For one, each of the periods in the Russian

history from Old Russia to the current post-Soviet period is seen having brought a myriad of

changes in the Russian culture (Zhivov, V., 2014). For one, Russian literature through the years

has gone on to shape the cultural identities of the population through a series of works that

touched on various aspects of the society including psychology, philosophical thoughts, art and

other forms of works (Rogaeva, I., 2015). With the passing of the World War II and the fall of the

USSR after the cold war period, this was seen as a rather unfortunate state of the country. What

cannot be ignored in this case is the extents to which the effects of the Orthodox Church have

gone on to offer a distinct religious line of thinking in the Russian population (Rogaeva, I.,

2015). In the end, religion and history have both played a prominent role in not only unifying but

also shaping the Russian culture over the years.

Whether there is a regional difference or a cultural separation of Eastern and Western Europe

With the UK being to the West and Russia being to the East of Europe, there comes a

need to identify whether the two regions reveal any close relationships that can foster integration.

It is vital to note that although the UK and Russia are aligned to an almost same religion,

Christianity, the extents to which they differ come out as being more in-depth than the regional

difference (Applebaum, A., 2015, 270). What is evident, however, is although both regions

responded differently to "westernization," the extents to which western cultures have influenced

them cannot be underestimated. Eastern Europe aligns itself with communist ideologies while

Western Europe is more of a capitalistic society (Cain, P. & Hopkins, A., 2016, 401). In my view,

therefore, there is a real cultural separation between Eastern and Western Europe which cannot

be explained as coming from only regional distinctions but rather more profound differences.
 History and Cultures of Eastern and Western Europe 8

Conclusion

In conclusion, Eastern and Western Europe come out as two geographically connected

regions that are different in many aspects including culture, the perception of religion, and

economic view. For the study, the UK was picked to represent Western Europe while the Russian

Federation was picked to represent Eastern Europe. The history of the UK is based on its

imperialism after the union of Great Britain with North Ireland and Wales. The imperialism

proceeded to other countries in the world with Britain going on record for having invaded 90%

of all the countries in the world. Notably, Russia is also aligned to Christianity although they

follow the Orthodox Church. In the end, Russia is a communist society and its history through

the years especially after the collapse of the USSR have enhanced the uncertainty avoidance

culture in the country.

In the end, Eastern and Western Europe have a real cultural separation as opposed to just

a regional difference. This is clearly shown through the effects that history has gone on to shape

the culture of the UK while religion and equally history are what have shaped the culture of the

Russian Federation.

References

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insights.com/country/russia/> [Accessed 21 May 2018.

Cain, P. J. & Hopkins, A. G., 2016. British imperialism, Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge.

Orlovsky, D. & Kolonitskii, B. I., 2018. The Russian revolution centennial: research of a new

generation. Russian Studies in History, 56(4), pp. 223-224.

 History and Cultures of Eastern and Western Europe 9

Hirik, S., 2018. Indigenization before indigenization. Russian Studies in History, 56(4), pp. 294-

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Zhivov, V. M., 2014. The myth of the state in the age of enlightenment and its destruction in late

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Foot, S., 2012. Aethelstan: the first king of England, New Haven: Yale University Press.

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<http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/acts_of_union_01.shtml>. Accessed 21

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