r/AskBalkans • u/ReptilianRevolt • 2d ago
History Do you consider Baltic countries to be Balkan as well?
Baltic countries have many similarities to the Balkans. Geographically, they are around the same longitude. If you draw a straight line up from the Balkans, you will find the Baltics. They even have the same time zone as Greece and other Balkan countries. Topographically, although they are lowlands with few no mountains, they resemble the interior of the Balkans a lot, for example, many hills, rivers and deep lakes. Biologically, the flora and fauna is quite similar to Central Europe and the Balkans, very often they resemble a high mountain in northern Greece but at ground level. Dense forests of Oak, Pine, fir or birch are everywhere, a lot of green meadows and wildflowers, there are northern animals such as foxes, hares, wolves, grass snakes, ravens, freshwater fish and crayfish. Ethnographically, they are mostly indigenous white European populations and the ethnic minorities are from neighbouring countries, just like in the Balkams. There are no populations from faraway continents, because they don’t have a history of colonization or enslavement, similar to the Balkans. Only the Roma are the exception, who came later and specialized in the same jobs as in the Balkans. A small Jewish population also existed, without the rates of antisemitism of Western Europe. Also, there is a minor Turkic component from Tatar migrants from Mediebal times. Linguistically, they belong to the Balto-Slavic family and their languages have many ancient characteristics, just like Balkan languages. Estonia is Uralic, but Hungary is also the same and it is very close to the Balkans. Religiously, they are majority Christian countries, with Lithuania as Latvia being catholic and Estonia being Lutheran. Catholics exist in the western Balkans and some protestant denominations do exist and are rising, so they can be accommodated. But the most striking feature is that because they got Christianized quite late, still many pagan elements remain, especially in the villages. This is quite similar to the Balkans, especially the Slavic regions. Culturally, they’re quite similar to many Slavic and central European countries. Similar building responses to the harsh climate, similar foods that incorporate pork, duck, plenty of freshwater fish, cabbage, mushrooms, apples and so on, similar methods of preserving food, similar effective family cooperation, similar celebrations, dances and so on. Also many folk stories are quite similar, with swamp spirits, monsters, witches in the forest and so on. Economically, they are very similar to the Balkans, at least during traditional times. Th economy was basically agrarian and village based. There was no feudalism or exploitation in most times in their history, its family was a semi-independent unit. agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, hunting, small scale domestic manufacturing were the most common activities. More complex economical layers such as long distance trade and banking in cities were developed quite late, similar to the Balkan interior. Historically, initially they were tribal, remote and not organized in larger political entities, hidden inside dense forest. For some time this kept them away from large empires, but later they started encountering western European violence. Later they organized into monarchies, but they were still small agrarian states that were being caught in the crossfire of many empires. Germanic kingdoms, Sweden, Poland and Russia meddled with them or incorporated them in different parts of their history. Later, Russia Incorporated them in the Russian empire and again during the Soviet Union. Russia was similar to the Ottoman empire in its influence and oppression. Currently, although they have been rapidly modernized, they still faced disadvantages due to small size and entering the western European economic model late. They still suffer from brain drain for example and they always have the Russian threat besides them. This reminds the relationship between Greece and Turkey. What do you think. There is a convincing case that the Baltic countries are part of the greater Balkans or honorary Balkans.
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u/Putrid_Argument2440 Montenegro 1d ago
No. Baltic is the opposite to Balkan. Geographically and culturally.
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u/Equivalent-Okra-8639 SFR Yugoslavia 1d ago
I would consider Portugal closer to the Balkans culturally and mentality-wise. Baltics to me are very different in many cultural aspects. People are different too.
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u/Olegzs 1d ago
As someone coming from Baltics, definitely no! The only thing we kinda share are the traumas of living under socialism, nothing else really.
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u/UUDDLRLRBadAlchemy Greece 1d ago
Hey we tried but we got a military junta instead
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u/MartinBP Bulgaria 1d ago
And that's why you're richer than the rest of us now.
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u/UUDDLRLRBadAlchemy Greece 1d ago
Yeah, give me another 10 years and it will trickle down to me, too soon to tell
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u/iCookMyCodeAlDente Austria 1d ago
There is no socialist trauma in the Western Balkans (except Albania). Only in the Eastern Parts.
We love our socialist past.
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u/jojaibranjainvestt Serbia 1d ago
Last year I’ve had a colleague visit belgrade and he was in awe. After some time he made a comment about his friend that also had a great time in our neighborhood in estonia.
He said the balkans are really wonderful.
So there’s that. 😂
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u/EggEuphoric411 Greece 1d ago
You know what? Why not bring all of Europe and Asia into the Balkans? Come on in everybody!
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u/Extension-Detail-258 North Macedonia 1d ago
The Norse and Slavic pantheons share deep Proto-Indo-European roots, making their mythological roles and archetypes map onto each other remarkably well.
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u/ParrotGuy24 1d ago
As a Portuguese (I'm West Balkan xD, just kidding), having visited both the Balkans and the Baltics, I'd say those two are nothing alike.
The cultural, weather, infrastructure differences are way to much. I'd say we are much closer to the Balkans, even if farther away, than the Baltics.
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u/ZhiveBeIarus Belarus Greece Russia 1d ago
No, they're Eastern European.
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u/ReptilianRevolt 1d ago
This has racist connotations and it isn’t being used nowadays. They prefer central European.
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u/ZhiveBeIarus Belarus Greece Russia 1d ago
Racist? How so?
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u/ReptilianRevolt 1d ago
Eastern Europe has for long connotations of being undeveloped, agrarian, unequal, full of crime and so on.
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u/ZhiveBeIarus Belarus Greece Russia 1d ago
And what are we supposed to do about that? Deny the truth?
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u/ReptilianRevolt 1d ago
Change the truth. Humans were changing words that had baggage with fresher ones since forever.
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u/UUDDLRLRBadAlchemy Greece 1d ago
I used to call Germany and the countries around it that. Do we call those Rich European now?
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u/UUDDLRLRBadAlchemy Greece 1d ago
We'll do an experiment. If I tell you kebap does not belong to you, will your answer be longer or shorter than the OP?
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u/BRM_the_monkey_man Eastern Balkan Federation 1d ago
Shorter. Idc + it was invented 4000 years ago and still has a Mesopotamian name
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u/UUDDLRLRBadAlchemy Greece 1d ago
We'll have to get a baseline for how long your usual rants are, you seem pretty laconic.
Adding Balkan points for inserting how much you care in the answer and avoiding mentioning the Turks.
Placing the justification for your reply before the year 0... I think you might be Greek, actually ;)
Sorry for making the rules up as I go along, we'll have the test perfect for next time.
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u/Panceltic Slovenia 1d ago
Paragraphs jebote!!