중부유럽: 그 지리적, 역사적 범위

Central Europe: The Geographical and Historical Dimensions of the Region

In this brief review of the concept and geography of Central Europe, the author attempts to explain the history and extend of this region against the background of the great division of our continent, from ancient times onward. 1. In the period of the earliest great division of Europe into the Greco-Roman part ("Imperium") and the "Barbaricum", the territory that would later be called Central Europe did not constitute a separate entity. It lay on the border of the two parts of a divided Europe, mostly within the "Barbaricum", but directly adjoining the borders of the Imperium. 2. At the beginning of the medieval period, Central Europe was not a part of "Christian Europe". It was integrated into Christian Europe only when Christianity expanded into the territory of "Pagan Europe"(the former "Barbaricum"). However, the "Christian Europe" of those days was not homogeneous. From the tenth century onward, the territoy of Central Europe lay within the western European cultural and religious zone. It continued to constitute the most eastern outskirts of that zone, and thus had a peripheral nature. The boundary of the divided Europe of medieval Europe ran along the eastern borders of Poland and Hungary. 3. From the dawn of the modern era, a new division based on socio-economics differences was added to the former division. Here, the boundary between western and eastern Europe lay elsewhere. The river Elbe now divided Europe. This new divisions of Europe did not eliminate the previous division on the basis of cultural and religious differences. Both these divisions showed great persistence and in effect have lasted until today. 4. In this situation we are inclined to regard the region between the eastern border of the ee characterized as a region belonging to Western Europe in a cultural sense and to Eastern Europe in an economic sense. 5. When the term "Central Europe" came into common use at the beginning of the twentieth century, it was understood as referring above all to the German-speaking countries in Central Europe (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Switzerland). Such a delineation of "Central Europe" resulted above all from the current political division of Europe. The location of the borderline between central and eastern Europe followed the extent of the states of Germany and Austria-Hungary on the one side, and of Russia on the other. In my opinion, the elements that justify the the inclusion of the German-speaking countries in Central Europe are, first, the situation of the German-spaking regions east of the Elbe in the European economic zone. This applies to Austia as well. Second, the great majority of the land constituting the core of the German state between the Rhine and the Elbe has no ancien Roman tradition and, as opposed to the other countries of western Europe, belonged then to the "Barbaricum". It was also incorporated into "Christian Europe" much later. In this situation, the German-speaking countries can be treated as part of "Christian Europe" while respecting their particularity. This justifies our use of the term east-central Europe to include the region of Poland, Bohemia, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, and Slovenia. 6. There remains the matter of the territory lying to the east of Poland, which was long connected with Poland in a political sense and therefore also fell under a strong western-European cultural influence while continuing indisputably to lie within the eastern-European cultural zone. However, it is proper to treat this region, which extends to the Dnieper and beyond, as a specific European region that has many characteristics in common with both eastern and central Europe.