Europe vs. the United States of America Essay

Executive summary The time of the masses when individuals were forced to all think alike has colossal set. The contemporary period makes significant efforts to encourage individuality and diversity of opinions among society members. This generally leads to major differences in vivificationstyle, regarding fundamentally all moments of live from the act of universe born up until the death. Currently, these differences argon most obvious between the countries of the Middle East, which promote a rather delicate human rights policy, and the rest of the globe that has severe rules regarding civil rights. withal the differences between the countries of the Middle East and the rest of the world seem to be most pertinent at the time, there are also numerous elements that generate diversity between countries that promote similar civil rights as well as similar social, political and scotch policies. A relevant example of such differences is obvious in the relationship between two great contemporary powers the unite States of America and atomic number 63 represented by the europiuman Union. The run short decades take hold supported the U.S. as the irrefutable global leader in economics, finance, politics and military equipments and capabilities. However, history teaches us that atomic number 63 is not to be neglected. The old continent has always been able to rise above its enemies and, today, some specialists believe that it might be just a matter of time until Europe regains supremacy. It is too soon to tell whether Washington and Brussels will head down the resembling road Rome and Constantinople toward geopolitical rivalry but the prototype signs are certainly present.1 Economic differences The are numerous features of the economy that differentiate Europe from the United States, the most relevant of which being the historical detailor, the status of their currencies, the citizens life styles determined by the levels of productivity, the unemployment rate, the formation and supported growth of the European Union or the administration of small and medium-size companies.The historical factor The historical factor basically refers to the two world wars Europe was involved in and which brought about dramatic consequences upon the society as a whole and its individuals. Economically destroyed after the starting World War, Europe sought aid from the United States, which soon became their main creditor in all domains from education and medical care system to politics. In the geezerhood 1920 the worlds economy registered impressive growths in two Europe and the United States. Such impressive was the growth that it boasted up all economic activities and legion manufacturers towards overproduction.The overproducing of goods and services, combined with the already existent shortages generated the crash of the New York Stock Market. This led the United States, and automatically its debtors, into the great economic crisis of 19291933, kn own as the Great Depression. tour recovering from the depression, the American countries focused most of their finances onto supporting their own economy, leaving the European countries without their main creditor.The currencies Highly relevant to the economic sectors of U.S. and Europe are their currencies. Up until January 1999, when the EURO was introduced, the U.S. dollar was the second strongest currency of the world (following the GBP, Great Britain Pound).Today, the American dollar is only the third strongest currency in the world, being preceded by GBP and EURO. However the strength of the U.S. currency has decreased, the USD continues to remain the safest currency. Proof of this stand the statistics of the global Monetary Fund. The statistics reveal that from 1999 to 2006, the accumulation of USD has only decreased from 70.9% to 65.7%,2 the currency still detaining majority.Productivity another(prenominal) significant difference that balances power towards the United Stat es focuses on the industrial and production sectors. However there are several countries in Europe that register increase levels of life standard, the overall European standard of living is inferior to the U.S. For instance, productivity in the three big European countries, Germany, France and Italy, stopped catching up with the United States productivity in the early 90s, and then lost ground in the recent slowdowns and the U.S. speed-up.3Unemployment A direct consequence of the decreased productivity rate is the change magnitude number of unemployed citizens in the European countries, compared to a rather stable and controlled unemployment rate in the U.S. Besides productivity, Edmund Phelps believes that responsible for the large unemployment rate is the demographic factor. As such, the continuous increase in the European birth rate generates an overpopulation of the continent, an overpopulation that Europe is unprepared to support and hire.The European Union The European Union was established in the year 1992 and its main objective is to improve the general features of the continent in order to make it highly competitive on the international market, and reach a high level of economical, financial and political development. However up until today Europe is still inferior to the United States, the European Union has contributed significantly to the strengthen of Europes international position. The United States already feels pressured by the euro and the growing strength of Europes economy and its top corporations. The EUs geopolitical ambition is still limited, but there are clear signs of wind in the sails.4 A highly relevant example of the European strengthening position is statistically represented by the financial reports on American and European investments. More and more iconic symbols of the American economy and life style have been auctioned and bought by European investors. For instance, among dozens of emblematically American companies and prod ucts now owned by Europeans are Brooks Brothers, DKNY, Random House, Kent Cigarettes, Dove Soap, Chrysler, Birds Eye, Pennzoil, Baskin-Robbins, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.5Small and medium-size companies The same study points out that Europe is better qualified in their activity of administrating and financing their local businesses. Properly handling the small and medium-size companies is a factor of economic growth as these companies can easily become highly competitive, contribute to the economic growth of the continent or hosting area and generate available jobs. 65 percent of European jobs in 2002 were in small and medium-sized firms, compared with just 46 percent in the U.S.6 Characteristic to both small and medium size companies, as well as to large corporations is the human resource policy. Europe offers better services for its employees that the U.S. For instance, on giving birth, European female workers are a grant forty-six weeks maternity leave paid with two thirds of their salary (Sweden) or three months of maternity leave and full salary (Portugal), whereas the U.S. federal government guarantees nothing.7 affectionate differences However besides the previously presented issues there are numerous other relevant economic features that differentiate Europe from the United States of America, one has to also compute the social differences. Upon research numerous elements catch the attention, such as the cultural differences that derive from the assorted points of view on religion, education system or disgust rate.Crime rate The criminality rate adherent to Europe and U.S. is approached in most cultural analysis studies and the conclusions are basically the same America allows uttermost more criminal actions than the continent. What really strikes an old European in looking at the American way of life is the toleration of evility8 says European Felix Voirol. The innocent opinion of American Tony Judt from the New York Times states Yes, America ns put up huge billboards reading Love Thy Neighbor, but they murder and rape their neighbors at rates that would ball over any European nation.9Migration of population and work force America was globally perceived as the land of all opportunities, a land that makes dreams come true, that reckon and protects individuals and with employers that pay them fair salaries. This was the motivation of millions of Europeans who fled their countries in search of a better life provided by the American land. However, the current situation has changed in the meaning that Europe has improved their general standards of living and has accordingly increased salaries, limiting the number of migrates to the U.S.Religious differences The predominant religious culture promoted by the Americans is Puritanism. The main controversy regarding Puritanism is the fact that the Puritan doctrine preaches the purity of both the spirit and the body, but the American society seems to pay more attention to the bo dy cleanliness, in the meaning of virginity that that of the souls. A naked human body is indecent and, taken as dangerous for minors, simply censored. In contrast there are countless scenes demo people knocking themselves out, dropping to the ground bathed in blood or taking each others lives in ever more brutal way10, a state of facts that Europeans dont understand. However, what is even more different in the religion of the U.S. when compared to the religion of Europe is the limited intervention the church has upon the government. Religious freedom is more obvious in the U.S. that in Europe, continent almost entirely Christian. Shel Horowitz, editor at the spherical Travel surveil states The absence of state-sanctioned religion makes a huge difference to the cultural minorities in the U.S. As a Jew, Im not at all sure Id be comfortable living in a country where Christianity or Islam was completely intertwined with the government.11 Conclusions Along the years, renowned think ers such as Adam smith or Emanuel Kant have promoted the belief that national and international differences reside in culture and personal views of morality. The thinkers of today state that international differences reside in the diverse implementation of economical and political policies. This multitude of opinions reveals the fact that in order to best analyze the similarities and differences between countries, one need to focus on both social as well as economical features. In other words, a nation is a mixture of individuals with different backgrounds, opinions and capabilities. These individuals form up groups in accordance with their interests and the totality of these groups forms a country. To better understand the overall features of a country, as well as what are the elements that differentiate it from other nations, the researcher needs to clearly analyze the characteristics of all the groups that form the country. The analysis has to be developed from all possible poi nts of view, including economy, politics, culture, technology or finance.BibliographyEdmund S. 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Phelps, July 2006, Economic Culture and Economic Performance What Light is Shed on the Continents Problem, Venice Summer Institute, Venice International University, San Servolo, 27 pages4 Kupchan, Charles, November 11, 2003, The End Of The American Era, First edition, Vintage Publisher, 416 pages5 Tony Judt, February 10, 2005, Europe vs. America, The New York Review of Books, Volume 52, Number 2, New York City6 Ibid.7 Ibid.8 Felix Voirol, Old World vs. the New World, In defense of the European quality of Life, No. 79 Tony Judt, February 10, 2005, Europe vs. America, The New York Review of Books, Volume 52, No 2, New York10 Felix Voirol, Old World vs. the New World, In defense of the European quality of Life, No. 711 Shel Horowitz, Europe vs. the U.S., Global Travel Review