Prisoners of Geography: Western Europe and Russia Although technology is increasingly advancing and shaping the way our world works, the bottom line for the human geography of a region is its physical geography. Prisoners of Geography, a book written by Tim Marshall, takes this idea and further applies it to the various regions of the world. The book discusses the diverse environmental features in the world’s regions and their impacts, which can both resemble and differ from impacts in other regions. Such relationships are clearly seen with Western Europe and Russia. Western Europe and Russia are affected similarly by flatlands, because in both cases, flatlands have led to the possibility of being attacked easily. These two worlds regions
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These impacts, whether similar or different, have impacted both regions in many levels, including on political, cultural, and agricultural standpoints.
One of these levels, the political standpoint, has been most affected by the flatlands in both Western Europe and Russia. Despite the fact that these regions take up different spaces on the Earth, they both faced attack and invasion due to the flatland physical geography features, meaning they were impacted similarly. In Western Europe, specifically Germany, “the flatlands of the North European Plain gave [Germany] two reasons to be fearful: to the west the Germans saw their long-unified and powerful neighbor France, and to the east the giant Russian Bear. Their ultimate fear was of a simultaneous attack by both powers across the flatland of the corridor” (103). Due to the flat terrain of the North European Plain, a state such as Russia or France can easily command an army into a neighboring state such as Germany and attack it, because there are no physical obstructions in the form of mountains or bodies of water that would need to be crossed. The flatness of the land means that there are no demarcated or …show more content…
While the physical landscape of the world varies, commonalities and contrasts between regions can be found. The case of Russia and Western Europe is no different. The invasion-prone landscapes formed by flatlands and ethnic divisions formed by mountainous regions are characteristics shared by both; however, Russia’s climate leaves it largely unable to perform agriculture, while Western Europe’s climate lets agriculture thrive. These similarities and differences, along with others, are all clues to how our world really works, and they all point to a single orchestrator in the unique operations of mankind: the physical
These impacts, whether similar or different, have impacted both regions in many levels, including on political, cultural, and agricultural standpoints.
One of these levels, the political standpoint, has been most affected by the flatlands in both Western Europe and Russia. Despite the fact that these regions take up different spaces on the Earth, they both faced attack and invasion due to the flatland physical geography features, meaning they were impacted similarly. In Western Europe, specifically Germany, “the flatlands of the North European Plain gave [Germany] two reasons to be fearful: to the west the Germans saw their long-unified and powerful neighbor France, and to the east the giant Russian Bear. Their ultimate fear was of a simultaneous attack by both powers across the flatland of the corridor” (103). Due to the flat terrain of the North European Plain, a state such as Russia or France can easily command an army into a neighboring state such as Germany and attack it, because there are no physical obstructions in the form of mountains or bodies of water that would need to be crossed. The flatness of the land means that there are no demarcated or …show more content…
While the physical landscape of the world varies, commonalities and contrasts between regions can be found. The case of Russia and Western Europe is no different. The invasion-prone landscapes formed by flatlands and ethnic divisions formed by mountainous regions are characteristics shared by both; however, Russia’s climate leaves it largely unable to perform agriculture, while Western Europe’s climate lets agriculture thrive. These similarities and differences, along with others, are all clues to how our world really works, and they all point to a single orchestrator in the unique operations of mankind: the physical