Why is it that west European countries are generally bigger, more stable and more ethnically homogeneous, and East European countries are less so?

Question

I am mainly thinking of UK, France, Germany, Spain as big, but all of them (with the possible exception of Ireland) could be thought of as stable, ie no wars or revolution since WW2.

In: Other

Answer 1

First things first, the UK is an island, islands tend to be more ethnically homogenous than continental countries just because logistics are more difficult. This actually contributed to the stability of it because there were few external pressures and the early modern economic boom gave loads of money to stabilise a lot of issues.

With France I reject your premise. France was on the brink of civil war in the 60s, in the aftermath of a massive war of independence with Algeria. It was only General De Gaul’s massive intervention which stopped this, drafting a new constitution and having a country wide referendum on it. France also has an interesting immigration policy where there is a minimum “French ness” level before you’re allowed to become a citizen.

Spain is an interesting one. Spain was once ruled by the Moors, only being fully reconquered in 1492. This gave a massive boost to crusader zeal and became the Spanish inquisition, actively suppressing those who did not fit into the “Catalan Catholic” mold. This involved expelling Jews and Muslims. Spain was also ruled by Franco until the 70s who was extremely suppressive of rebel sentiment. When he died its a miracle another civil war didn’t break out.

The next factor is simple, if you look at a map, the eastern European nations are comprised of pretty much empty grasslands, the Eurasian steppes. This means that nomadic tribes could wander around and simply turn up wherever they felt like it. When great migrations occurred (like the one preceding the fall of Rome) massive amounts of people moved thousands of miles and just settled where they could. Since they reached eastern Europe first that’s where they settled, the most notable example of this is Bulgaria.

For the West, Spain can be reached across the straits of Gibraltar, but this is difficult because it needs boats that refugees don’t often have. France is extremely far away and bounded by mountains on its southern borders. The UK is an island and very difficult to reach. This means that they’re basically unaffected by great migrations, contributing to the ethno homogeneity.

However the biggest factor is the EU. The EU provided subsidies to restart economies (UK in 1970s) and stability across these countries. Countries don’t go to war when there is mediation available. This stability and comparative wealth means that people don’t revolt because everything’s just fine. Revolutions only start when there’s nothing to lose and people in these countries have something to lose.