QUESTION

Write an essay about cultural diversity of European societies?

SOLUTION

Beginning of European Civilization

To cite Europe as a mere continent or a just a distinct geographical entity would be an understatement. Europe is a political and cultural heritage explored and experienced by intellectual elite. The largest land mass in the Western Eurasia, has always been the subject of interest of the thinkers. Europe, before becoming a reality for large groups of people, was only voiced as the utopia and propaganda instrument of the elite. The political identity of Europe came to prominence only after the Second World War. It was only thereafter that economists and lawyer-turned politicians attempted to conceive the concept of Europe as a long historical tradition. It was then when Europe was given its ideological foundation, derived out of political, military and economic needs. The course that politicians led to realize and unify the ideological Europe resulted in an untested power of collective European ideal against the firmness of older, regional and national allegiance. However, the post-war shift in the European identity, forces us to delve deeper in the ancient ideology of Europe. Since the seventh century, Europe has been honored with titles as Asian Princess, Greek Demigoddess and the queen of the world (Rietbergen, P. J. A. N, 1998).

The beginning of history of Europe is the end result of analysis of events occurred in Egypt, Near East and Greece from 5000BC. There is an assumption that east coast of Mediterranean was the ‘Cradle of European civilization’. Europe is indeed the birth place of the Graeco-Roman Culture and Christianity, which later went on becoming the cornerstone of European civilization. Besides, ever since fifteenth century, many influences of outside world also have an important role in framing the European civilization. Interestingly, Europe always had a sense about the outside world, but in a context that the outside world was largely dominated by Europe. European dominance on Asian and African regions that lasted over two centuries from 1750 to 1950 resulted in a cultural amalgamation in European, which represents it in the present day as well. The two centuries also served as base for consumer-oriented, democratic and literate European societieswith establishment of European empires in Eurasia, Africa and Asia.

Greco-Roman: Beginning of Classical Heritage in Europe

In the medieval age, Greece framed the classical heritage of Europe. The legacy of Greece had medieval thinker, who put forward such views as humanity’s rational powers. Europe derived the concept of polity or politics from Athens. It linked rationalism with belief in divine plan, which in a set a stage for advancements in rationalistic scientific thought. Medieval thinkers played important role in establishing larger cultural heritage of Europe. William Shakespeare for instance had a great Greek influence in the late 16^th century. Besides, Greek thinkers and the Roman law helped in bringing about political stabilization by organization of Church in the 11^th century. Greco-Roman on intellectual life laid foundation of classical learning as we know in the present day world. Classical achievements of Europe were so profound that Greco-Roman influence resurrected even after a series of cultural chaos in the West (Guisepi, R. A., n.d.).The city governance in Europe was derived out of political theory based on great Greek philosophers, Aristotle and Plato. Moreover, the city-state culture in Europe strengthened only during the Roman Empire, which came out as the most powerful city-state empire in the world history. The empire expanded as ‘federation of cities’, which linked regional and provincial centers with the empire. Furthermore, the Roman concept ‘civis’ can also be traced as the basis of European. Even after fall of the Roman Empire, the city-centered concept was continued by the Christian Church.

German Influence and Shift in European Civilization

Influence of German society on Europe should not only emphasize the strength of German industry but also high level of institutional treatment of social problems in Germany. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels have claimed in their studies that socio-political characteristics of modern Germany have its root in the events surrounding the Reformation and the Peasant Wars. Germany lacked unification and faced poor economic state during the Thirty Years War, which removed Germany from politically active countries of Europe for almost two centuries.

In 1848, the first modern revolution took place in Germany. Germany was still struggling with economic and political backwardness, but as Marx has stated, this backwardness made great contribution in transforming European thought. It laid foundation of European and world civilization. Marx and Engels with contempt of philistinism of the German bourgeois propagated the consciousness of German contribution to European civilization between 1780 and 1830. The German philosophy as largely identified as Marxism professed the irrationality of the competitive societies, the relationship of citizen to the community and the role of the state. German philosopher Fichte in is works has proved the necessity of a state-controlled economy as a solution to social illnesses. Thus, German philosophers while suggesting solutions to Germany’s social problems made great contribution to frame a more social European civilization. Marx drew conclusions from his early works in the early 1848, which went to frame events for the doom of the bourgeois society, enemy of civilization in Europe to this very day.Marx’s theory was nourished, developed and propagated by the German proletariat, who has great contribution in the modern theory of social life in Europe. Karl Marx’ Capital has formed the basis of European political and social thought till date (James, C.L.R, 1944).

Cultural Pluralism in Europe

Culturally and ethnically- plural European societies have always brought about economic and social reforms in the European civilization. Cultural diversity derived out of economic, social and linguistic associations have often conjoined disparate places into single polities or what we cite as nationalization. The World War II is greatly responsible for cultural diversity in Europe as it led to large-scale movement of population across different European societies to seek refuge. The societies since then have attempted to assimilate immigrants and refugees. The violent civil wars and migratory movements in the twentieth century had spurred debates on cultural pluralism or cultural autonomy. With it came the challenges of a multi-cultural civilization, mostly in the form of minority groups. In attempt to address the oppression, minority groups have always been imposing challenges to European societies.  Since it is inevitable to ignore contribution of cultural pluralism on economic welfare of the economies, a constant effort is made to maintain cultural pluralism in Europe. For such interests, the Berlin Roundtables have been framing policies in the religious and linguistic rights.

Economic evolution and its impact on European Societies

Not only politically, but biologically also, Europe became third most populated region after China and India between 1650 and 1850. During that period, the Eurasian economic history was a landmark as three-quarter of world population lived there and still lives. The economic stature of European societies is in broad contrast from other older polities and large societies in the world. It is monumental and grand having exemplifying living standard. One factor that attributed to the grand lifestyle there had been large preference to civil engineering and luxury in the court circles. The credit goes to the then political arrangement, which devoted most of the tax revenue to the public works and comforted life for the elite. However, the average income in Eurasia was not much high as most of it was concentrated in the favor of the elite. More than any large society, European societies commanded much more per head capital as their livestock. However, when Europe took over Eurasia as a more collective force, it led to an unusually equal distribution of income there Jones, (E.L., 2003).

Eighteenth century, brought a series of economic change which transformed the Economic dominance of Europe massively. The economists called it the ‘Industrial Revolution’. Since revolution is unknown to the world of economics, so the industrial revolution was not a sudden catastrophic change in European economy but took place over a century. However, the industrial revolution was a strange mix of both good and evil. Only Britain, France, Belgium and Germany had massive industrialization, which comprises a very small area of Europe. Rest most of the European continent remained largely agrarian. Industrial revolution hit different European countries at different time, the reason being partly economic and partly political. There came about the concept of division of labor and specialization. Suitable trade began with America and Asia. Soon, the westernization of the rest of the world was to take place. European clothing, education and European goods spread across the third world while also digging roots of colonization. The European control on the international market was unprecedented and in which Britain came out as victor.Birnie, A., 1930.

Conclusion

The concept of Europe flourished from ancient Greek philosophies that propagated the concept of single polities and rationality of human power. Then with Roman city law, Christian Church influence and German-philosophies of Karl Marx, Europe came to be described as a series of overlapping cultures. European societies serving as the hub of cultural innovation and movements, gave rise to concepts of ‘common cultures’ or ‘common values’ in the world.

References

Birnie, A., 1930. An Economic History of Europe, 1760-1930.UK. Routledge, Oxon.

Guisepi, R. A., n.d., A New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe. A project by History World International

Immerfall, S & Therborn, G., 2010. Handbook of European Societies: Social Transformations in the 21st Century. London. Springer New York Dordrecht Heidelberg.

James, C.L.R, 1944, Germany and European Civilization.

Jones, E.L., 2003, The European miracle. USA. Cambridge University Press.

Rietbergen, P. J. A. N, 1998. Europe: A Cultural History. London. Routledge 11 Felter Lane, London, EC4P 4EE

Wolf, E.R., 1982, Europe and the People without History. California. The Regents of the University of California

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