“Das alte Europa” was selected by the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache as the “Wort des Jahres” (Word of the Year) in 2003.
Das alte Europa (“old Europe”) was a phrase used by Donald Rumsfeld in reference to the countries France and Germany who were against the war in Iraq at the time.
Today it can refer to Western Europe to distinguish it from the Central or Eastern European countries.
The phrase was also used by Karl Marx to refer a Europe with a ruling elite – as was the case in most countries in the 19th Century.
To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:
(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)
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