Steve Lixandru
11 Oct 2011
History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1080]
I've read this thread like twice or trice. And yet still many arguments for me are unconvincing.
Have a look:
-Poland has a Western-type culture
-Polish launguage uses Latin script
-Poland has in fact more in common with Germany than with... even Ukraine for instance
The statistics are mercyless. The standard of living in Poland is like 25th in the world, which is a really nice result. When I stand in a random point and look around myself I think: "If this is the poor Eastern Europe, so how the hell the marvellous "Western Europe" looks like ? They live in palaces ??" The wages seem to be low, but only due to fact that the exchange rate between USD or EUR and PLN is high. So if a German gets 2000 euros a month it means more-less the same for a Pole earning 2000 zlotys.
The vast majority of stereotypes are outdated or concerning Polish immigrants... who are often nothing but rednecks (don't say there's no fusty villages in "Western" Europe). I've notice,d that since some time the stereotypical lifestyle of "Polacks" (vulgar word) has been moving to Ukraine (being somewhat a twin of Poland) so to the actual Eastern Europe.
Conclusion: Since the beggining of it's existence in 966 Poland was a Central European country with a temporary Soviet occupation (1945-1989), thus being an Eastern one. Recently it returned to the "First Wolrd" (of the "West) and is now a developped country with a high standard of living. Wealthiness ? Better than moderate. Immigrants ? Don't worry this will end soon. Poland has its own problems with immigrants (Gypsies, Vietnamese, Ukrainians) so states like UK or France shouldn't think Poland is that uniform in terms of nationalities.
Verdict: Central Europe alongside with Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary (in the narrowest possible definition). Furthermore Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
I've read this thread like twice or trice. And yet still many arguments for me are unconvincing.
Have a look:
-Poland has a Western-type culture
-Polish launguage uses Latin script
-Poland has in fact more in common with Germany than with... even Ukraine for instance
The statistics are mercyless. The standard of living in Poland is like 25th in the world, which is a really nice result. When I stand in a random point and look around myself I think: "If this is the poor Eastern Europe, so how the hell the marvellous "Western Europe" looks like ? They live in palaces ??" The wages seem to be low, but only due to fact that the exchange rate between USD or EUR and PLN is high. So if a German gets 2000 euros a month it means more-less the same for a Pole earning 2000 zlotys.
The vast majority of stereotypes are outdated or concerning Polish immigrants... who are often nothing but rednecks (don't say there's no fusty villages in "Western" Europe). I've notice,d that since some time the stereotypical lifestyle of "Polacks" (vulgar word) has been moving to Ukraine (being somewhat a twin of Poland) so to the actual Eastern Europe.
Conclusion: Since the beggining of it's existence in 966 Poland was a Central European country with a temporary Soviet occupation (1945-1989), thus being an Eastern one. Recently it returned to the "First Wolrd" (of the "West) and is now a developped country with a high standard of living. Wealthiness ? Better than moderate. Immigrants ? Don't worry this will end soon. Poland has its own problems with immigrants (Gypsies, Vietnamese, Ukrainians) so states like UK or France shouldn't think Poland is that uniform in terms of nationalities.
Verdict: Central Europe alongside with Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary (in the narrowest possible definition). Furthermore Germany, Austria and Slovenia.