Remaining Cultural Conflict

Emily Palmer

Global Issues

10-11-13

Word Count: 603

Remaining Cultural Conflict

The European Union attempted to unite all European countries into one union.  However, they did not account for the vast differences in culture between the countries. Now it can be said that the EU is crumbling under the strain of a debt crisis. Greece and Germany are two drastically different countries, each affected in different ways by the debt crisis. Greece was hit extremely hard, while Germany got away pretty easily. Cultural differences and prejudices from the past, World War Two specifically, are coming to the surface again. The European debt crisis has not been helped, and has been possibly hurt, by these cultural differences, especially between Greece and Germany.

The European Union was created in an attempt to prevent any future wars. It was thought that creating an economic union would make the countries so interdependent that there would be peace.  (Europa) The whole thought behind the Euro was to bring the countries closer together. But as the European debt crisis began, it was obvious that shoving all the different countries under one system would not work as expected.  Europe is a relatively small area that contains very different cultures. Each country has their own traditions and history, and many have their own languages. It stands to reason that they might not always get along.

Some of those differences stem back from World War Two. Especially with the tension arising from the crisis, certain prejudices are coming back to light. Germany emerged relatively unaffected by the debt crisis, especially compared to other countries. Because of this, reminiscence from when Germany had military power over most of Europe in WWII is becoming more prominent in Greece and other countries hit hard by the debt problems. (Mazower)  Germany’s success has reminded Greece of the period of Germany’s domination over them

It is interesting to look at why Greece was affected more than Germany. Many of these differences have their roots in the distinct cultural aspects of society. Both Greece’s and Germany’s structural cultures affected their outcome in the European Debt Crisis.

Greece’s major problem with debt stemmed from their unsustainable public spending. They had generous retirement plans, high salaries for public employees, and over using EU funds to support farmers, all in attempts to bring social peace and increase voter support (Economist). Because of this cultural attitude, Greece overspent, and because of that, went into a lot of debt. Greece was also not very careful with tax regulation, with many corporations regularly avoiding taxes. Now, Greece is one of the countries in the European Union with the highest level of debt, and has already required several bailouts in attempts to fix its economy.

Germany has done almost the exact opposite in their social spending. They have been extremely strict in their funds to government employees and social services. They have been strict with their taxes, and gain voter support in other ways. They have lower wages, lower pensions, but encourage a more capitalist system. (Economist) The payout from their strict economic structure is an increased in skilled immigrant labor, low borrowing costs, and a balanced budget. (Reisenbichler) All in all, Germany has emerged relatively unaffected by the hard blows that other countries have felt.

In the past couple weeks relations between Germany and Greece have spiraled downward. Greece is now stating that Germany owes Greece war damages left over from World War Two. Greece recently has stated that Germany owes Greece 162 billion euros from the damages Germany caused during Nazi occupation. (Evans) Tensions are rising, and it will be interesting to see the result of this in days to come.

The Economist, Germany versus Greece. Economist. 29 Apr 2010. Web. 10 Oct 2013. http://www.economist.com/blogs/charlemagne/2010/04/euro_crisis_0

Europa. How the EU Works. European Union. Web. 10 Oct 2013. <http://europa.eu/about-eu/index_en.htm>

Evans- Pritchard, Ambrose. Don’t mention the war. National Post. 24 Sept 2013. Web. 10 Oct 2013. http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/04/10/dont-mention-the-war-debt-germany-still-owes-greece-162-billion-euros-in-war-damages-explosive-secret-report-claims/

Mazower, Mark. Greeks vs Germans. News Statesman. 6 Dec 2012. Web. 10 Oct 2013. <http://www.newstatesman.com/europe/2011/12/greece-germany-war-essay-greek>

Reisenbichler, Alexander and Kimberly Morgan. How Germany Won the Euro Crisis. Foreign Affairs. 20 June 2013. Web. 10 Oct 1013. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/139520/alexander-reisenbichler-and-kimberly-j-morgan/how-germany-won-the-euro-crisis