For a man who has built a career advising travelers, Rick Steves has a sterling reputation. His guidebooks and TV shows have inspired generations of Americans to explore Europe. When he speaks, people listen. That is why it was so significant when he publicly owned up to a major mistake he had made for years.
This particular error involves a single, seemingly harmless word we use to classify an entire region of the continent. For decades, this one-word label was considered a simple shorthand. However, it carries heavy baggage from a difficult past, and a large group of people has been trying to shake the label for decades. Let's find out what it is.
A Cold War Relic
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The Cold War is to blame for the confusion. The term "Eastern Europe" became popular in Western nations to refer to countries east of the Iron Curtain, those controlled by or allied with the Soviet Union. This political divide created a powerful shorthand; Western Europe was capitalist, and Eastern Europe was communist and authoritarian.
This binary was a fifty-year anomaly. Before that, the same region was widely recognized as Central Europe—or Mitteleuropa—a cultural and historical zone shaped by Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions and linked by empires like the Austro-Hungarian. After the Cold War ended, the old terms should have changed. But the term "Eastern Europe" stuck in our minds.
A Disconnect
For many people in this region, being called "Eastern European" is geographically incorrect and insulting. The term evokes the era of Soviet influence and forced separation from the rest of the continent. The label makes many people feel like second-class Europeans, and they do not appreciate being grouped with countries that are politically and culturally different.
Poland has spent decades building a market economy and establishing a liberal democracy. It is a member of the European Union and NATO, organizations it joined to align with its Western counterparts. Geographically, much of Poland sits west of other European countries. By continuing to use the outdated political term, we disrespect their efforts to move past a difficult period.
The Acknowledgment and the Shift
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To recognize this disconnect, Rick Steves’ travel brand made a significant change. It announced that it would update its guidebooks, websites, and tour itineraries to use the term "Central Europe" instead of "Eastern Europe." The decision showed a deep respect for the people and cultures of the region.