Editing Central Europe (section)

=== Academic ===
The main proposed regional definitions, gathered by Polish historian [[Jerzy Kłoczowski]] and others, include:<ref>[[Jerzy Kłoczowski]], Actualité des grandes traditions de la cohabitation et du dialogue des cultures en Europe du Centre-Est, in: L'héritage historique de la Res Publica de Plusieurs Nations, Lublin 2004, pp. 29–30 {{ISBN|83-85854-82-7}}</ref>

* West-Central and [[East-Central Europe]] – this conception, presented in 1950,<ref>[[Oskar Halecki]], The Limits and Divisions of European History, Sheed & Ward: London and New York 1950, chapter VII</ref> distinguishes two regions in Central Europe: the German West-Centre and the East-Centre covered by a variety of nations ''from [[Finland]] to [[Greece]]'', placed between the great empires of [[Scandinavia]], Germany, Italy and the [[Soviet Union]].
* Central Europe as a region comprising countries in [[Continental Europe|mainland Europe]] speaking [[West Germanic languages|West Germanic]] (Austria, [[Belgium]], Germany, the [[Netherlands]] and Switzerland) and [[West Slavic languages|West Slavic]] languages (the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland).<ref>[[Erich Schenk]], ''Mitteleuropa''. Düsseldorf, 1950</ref>
* Central Europe as the area of the cultural heritage of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] – Ukrainian, Belarusian and Lithuanian historians, in cooperation (since 1990) with Polish historians, insist on the importance of this concept.

[[File:Growth of Habsburg territories.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Austria-Hungary|Habsburg-ruled lands]] (divided between [[Cisleithanian]]/Austrian-administered and [[Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen|Transalthanian]]/Hungarian-administered)]]

* Central Europe as the area of the former Habsburg monarchy<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Siegel |first1=Björn |last2=Thulin |first2=Mirjam |last3=Corbett |first3=Tim |date=2023 |title=Habsburg Central Europe: Culturally Heterogeneous and Polysemous Region |url=https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/opus4-ubp/frontdoor/deliver/index/docId/64599/file/06_Czaky.pdf |journal=Intersections Between Jewish Studies and Habsburg Studies}}</ref> – a concept which is popular in large parts of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Bosnia and Herzegovina|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Bosnia-and-Herzegovina |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=britannica.com}}</ref> 
* A concept underlining the links connecting [[Belarus]], [[Moldova]] and [[Ukraine]] with Russia and treating the [[Russian Empire]] together with the whole [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] population as one entity – this position is taken by Russian historiographers.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}{{dubious|date=January 2024}}
* A concept putting the accent on links with the West,{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}{{dubious|date=January 2024}} especially from the 19th century and the grand period of liberation and formation of Nation-states, an idea that is represented by the [[South-Eastern Europe|South-Eastern]] states, which prefer the enlarged concept of the "East Centre" expressing their links with [[Western culture]].{{dubious|date=January 2024}}{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

Former University of Vienna professor Lonnie R. Johnson points out criteria to distinguish Central Europe from Western, Northern, Eastern and Southern Europe:{{sfn|Johnson|1996|p={{page needed|date=October 2023}}}}

* One criterion for defining Central Europe is the frontiers of medieval empires and kingdoms that largely correspond to the religious frontiers between [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] Western and Central Europe and [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] Eastern Europe.{{sfn|Johnson|1996|p=4}} Following that criterion, the pagans of Central Europe were converted to Catholicism, but in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, they were brought into the fold of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]].{{sfn|Johnson|1996|p=4}} 

He also thinks that Central Europe is a dynamic historical concept, not a static spatial one. For example, a fair share of [[Belarus]] and [[Right-bank Ukraine]] are in Eastern Europe today, but {{roundup|{{age|format=raw|1791|5|3}}|-1}} years ago, they were in the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]].{{sfn|Johnson|1996|p=4}} Johnson's study on Central Europe received acclaim and positive reviews in the scientific community.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/capsule-review/1997-05-01/central-europe-enemies-neighbors-friends|title=Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbors, Friends|last=Legvold|first=Robert|date=May–June 1997|magazine=[[Foreign Affairs]] |publisher=[[Council on Foreign Relations]]|access-date=20 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Politics/InternationalStudies/?view=usa&ci=9780195148251&view=usa |title=Selected as "Editor's Choice" of the History Book Club |work=[[Oxford University Press]] |access-date=20 May 2009 }}{{dead link|date=October 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> However, according to the Romanian researcher [[Maria Bucur]], the very ambitious project suffers from the weaknesses imposed by its scope (almost 1600 years of history).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=1030|title=The Myths and Memories We Teach By |last=Bucur|first=Maria|date=June 1997|publisher=[[Indiana University]]|access-date=23 December 2011}}</ref>