Faultlines in the Euro down to religion?

[Duncer]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18789154

[jomifl]

Duncer, interesting article, might liven up R&S. :-)

[Duncer]

I thought that jomilf - just planting a little bomb. It is interesting though.

I am the anachronism that prevents me from having an opinion on this as I come from strong Protestant stock but have the financial acumen of a housebrick.

[jake-the-peg]

Shame France, Belgium and Austria don't match the data

Oh well push on and hope nobody notices!

[jno]

even Germany doesn't really fit in; current leaders may be Protestant but half the country isn't.

[Johnysid]

A better fit is the Frankish/Holy Roman Empire versus the rest. Did you know that continental historians are now describing the twentieth century conflicts in Europe as "The European Civil War"? See http://pol-check.blog...rgerkrieg-anyone.html

[Gromit]

Not convinced by the article at all. If there is some kind of split, it will be economic not religious and be North/South.

[Gromit]

Jonnysid.

Before WWII came along, what we now call WWI was known by everyone as The Great European War.

[Gromit]

More reading I find unconvincing

The European Civil War
http://en.wikipedia.o...ki/European_Civil_War

[Johnysid]

Gromit, the point I was making was that there was a pre-existing Frankish Empire, like there was a pre-existing Wales or Scotland and that European history can be, and now is being, construed as a movement to restore the nation. To join together those who share a national culture. A bit like Wales being independent 700 years ago is felt by the Welsh to be a motivation for an independent Wales (though the Holy Roman Empire existed only 400 years ago).

[Johnysid]

The Wikipedia article leans on Anglo-American sources, try the references in: http://pol-check.blog...rgerkrieg-anyone.html

[Gromit]

Jonnysid
You have linked to the Politic Thoughs blog many times before. I do not need anymore evidence that it is barmy nonsense.
The European civil war idea has not gotten any traction. No one believes that.
The EU came about for economic reasons, namely a trading area. It became attractive to the UK as our world empire diminished.

[Khandro]

Interesting thesis, but stating; //[T]he eurozone crisis has intensified a deep-rooted debate about whether Germans, shaped by Protestantism, are fundamentally different from Catholic "Latin" countries and their allies.//
fails to recognise that Germany itself is divided between its Protestant north, and Catholic south, the latter containing Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg which combine together into the powerhouse behind the German economy, and whose residents are non to happy to watch the squandering of this hard-earned wealth by Berlin.

[Johnysid]

So, Gromit, you would deny that the countries that formed the Holy Roman Empire have strikingly similar forms of architecture and similar cultures? Or do you believe that despite centuries of being a single country they have nothing in common?

Surely if we are looking at European fault lines the old Frankish/Holy Roman Empire is a clearer line of demarcation that religion - just compare Milan, which was in the Holy Roman Empire with Naples, which was not.

[LazyGun]

@JohnySid.

I have asked you this question before, as have others. I will ask it again. Is the blog you continually reference your own? Are the essays you continually link to your own work? A Yes or No answer would be helpful.

If it is your own blog, as I and others suspect, there is, to me at least, something faintly distasteful with the way you continually promote it. To me,It smacks of self- aggrandisement and self- promotion, and neither trait builds confidence, or is attractive, come to that.

Worse, you reference this blog as if it is the true font of all that is justified, rational, true and correct, when of course this blog can only be your own opinion, however justified you think that opinion might be.

If someone offers a link to a newspaper, then I can have some indication as to the tone and the bias of that article that is being linked to. Background research on a named author of a piece can also inform one of the likely bias or interest of an author.

A link to wiki or similar at least offers the prospect of an article or reference where some attempt at being impartial is made, and it is often clear in the article itself if the tone is controversial.

We have no such guidance with links to a blog by an anonymous poster, especially one who appears to favour self- promotion.

On to the topic of the OP. Its an interesting point of view, but the central idea - that one single factor, in this case religion - would be the cause of the economic problems that the Euro is facing, does not ring true. I have heard the case made before - that somehow Catholicism breeds profligacy whilst Protestantism breeds thrift, but the justification for it is almost always situational.

[Johnysid]

Khandro, this would be my point as well, there are religious divides within Germany and when you inspect the loan rates displayed in the article all the old components of the Frankish Empire/Holy Roman Empire are grouped together, including catholic France.

Anyone who has travelled widely in Europe will be aware that there is a cultural zone that ends at Slovakia in the East and a third of the way down Italy in the south.

[Johnysid]

LazyGun, enjoy the references in the link I gave.

[LazyGun]

@JohnySid - Still not answering the question eh? Figures....

[Duncer]

Gromit - I've often heard WWI referred to as "The Great War" (although I don't quite know what was "great" about it), but never The Great European War. Is this a recent thing?

[Gromit]

No it is not recent, it was close to the time of the event.

It was only when the second war started, that the first one became WWI and not the Great European War.

http://www.priory-ant...ewProd&productId=2184

[Duncer]

Intersting; I packed in history and geography after second year as I wanted to do biology, chemistry and physics so, apart from numerous history books on Northern Ireland, I have a very poor knowledge in this area. My grandfather fought in it and referred to it as The Great War or The Great Lie, as it was meant to be "The war to end all wars", but it was very difficult to get him to talk about it in any depth.