The future of Europe - features, forecasts and interesting facts

For more than a century, the thought of Europe's future has not been abandoned by philosophers, historians, politicians and simply thinking people. Russia's internal orientation to the West adds to these reflections an element of involvement in the problem, for it is precisely European culture and values that for a long time remain the standard for the Russian idea. The future of the history of Europe, as of the whole world, today becomes a debatable field that affects a growing number of cultures and political positions.

Philosophical-historical approach

Two classical philosophical and historical works - N.Ya. Danilevsky's "Russia and Europe" and O. Spengler's "The Decline of Europe" for the first time analyzed the ways of the European world. Having determined the cyclicity in the development of culture, both researchers distinguish the European type as one of the leading on the world stage of the XIX century. O. Spengler defines European culture as a practically complete cycle of its existence. Issues of politics and economics are not leading in the concept of the philosopher. He represents culture as a living soul, which in the European type was lost by the end of the XIX century. To replace it must come another type of culture, Spengler defines it as Russian-Siberian.

Danilevsky, citing other reasons for typologizing culture, also holds the view that the European world is slowly decaying, developing a new, Russian, cultural-historical type.

Demographics and the future

Pessimistic forecasts about the future of Europe are being put forward by an ever-increasing number of analysts. One of them was Gunnar Heinzen. His work "Sons and world domination" is based on demographic data, considered in historical and modern contexts. Hainzen shows that historical upheavals occur in those areas where young people constitute a large proportion of the population (about 30% or more).

Today, such a rapid growth of the population is observed in the Arab-Muslim world, and in Europe it is extremely insignificant. The situation is aggravated by the languid desire of Europeans to create families, same-sex marriages, the general decline in the values of the family.

The author writes about the fatal mistake of Europe, which in 2015 enabled refugees to move to European countries. Migrants and their descendants will eventually form the main population of Europe (according to the Gallup Institute - 950 million people in 2052), and, therefore, will bring their religion and traditions.

National identity

The influx of migrants from the countries of the Middle East, of which a large proportion are large families, is not just a quantitative increase in the population. This is the appearance of a fundamentally different worldview, which in some cases runs counter to European culture. The foundations of this world view:

1. Islam - the religion of the majority of immigrants from the Middle East, plays a leading role, providing an expansive action. Religious views of Islam, its aspiration for mastering large new territories in connection with the sharp increase in the number of Muslim populations is a reality that Western culture is not ready for in most cases. The alternative future of Europe in this aspect is thought of as Muslim.
2. Follow the views of traditional culture. European culture today is recognized as innovative, where the roles of technology, political mechanisms and economy are dominant. However, immigrants from the Middle East adhere to the norms of traditional societies, where the place of religious, ethical, gender roles remains unchanged for centuries. Thanks to the consistent orientation to their own traditions, such a society is more stable and can "drown out" innovative processes. In other words, Europe is only a profitable economic and territorial base for Muslim culture.
3. Intellectual level. The overwhelming number of migrants from the Middle East have a low level of education, which also affects the nature of their lives in Europe. Tolerance, brought up in Europeans, is completely alien to visitors. European values and ethical norms seem to them insignificant and meaningless. They are superseded - at first implicitly, but in the future - more aggressively.

These, as well as other factors, are the reason for leveling the European identity - new generations of Europeans will be a minority on their historical lands.

Mutual relations with Russia

An important moment in predicting which Europe will be in the future in the world arena is its interaction with Russia. If the Russian identity from within Russia is perceived to be close to European, then from the outside it is often recognized as an independent culture or an eastern totalitarian state. The future of Europe in most of the works is described in complete isolation from Russia - both economically, and politically, culturally. The slow death of Europe does not mean similar processes in Russia.

The political future of Europe in some works is considered in the context of Russian-European interaction. Common Christian roots, natural and human resources give grounds for this cooperation. Russia needs Europe as a source of technology and the ability to sell raw materials. Europe sees Russia as a reliable supplier of energy resources. The tandem of the two economies and, in general, the cultural and historical ways, should lead to the creation of a new cultural and historical type. This opinion is, perhaps, one of the most optimistic.

Esoteric versions

I remember the predictors and prophecies that describe the future of Europe. Vanga and Nostradamus predict climate change, civil and religious wars, diseases that will overwhelm Europe and change its life. Edgar Cayce - psychic - writes about natural disasters, large seismic activity on the territory of Western Europe, which will lead to significant changes in the way of life of Europeans, will lead to a different attitude to technology and religion.

Corresponding to the predictions and historical facts, analysts point to some similarity and justification of what was said. Esoteric versions also confirm the profound transformations that Europeans expect in the future.

To sum up ...

In recent years, the European world has changed significantly, influenced the fate of many peoples. Increased migration of the indigenous population - the Dutch, the Germans, the French are increasingly leaving for the United States, New Zealand, Australia, giving way to immigrants from the Middle East. Cozy and safe Europe is no longer aware of it, the premonition of terrorist attacks and other cataclysms causes a feeling of insecurity and insecurity. Most researchers agree that Europe is in a transitional state. What will be its outcome, largely depends on political, economic, cultural, demographic grounds.

Regardless of the forecasts and points of view, the historical development and future of other cultures and peoples will depend on the future of Europe, as it has for many centuries been the determining factor in the world cultural space.