Exam Question in Response to Norman Davies's Vanished kingdom book.

This is an 800 or more word essay prompt exam:

Background: Surveys of European history seem inevitably to focus on Britain, France and Germany (and perhaps occasionally Italy, Russia/USSR, etc.), with the rest of Europe only making occasional cameo appearances-this course on Europe Studies has probably been no exception. Eastern Europe in particular seems to suffer. Norman Davies’s Vanished Kingdoms, on the other hand, makes a compelling case for integrating the histories of “half-forgotten Europe” into a a broader picture of the continent’s past, with particular attention given, esp. in (relatively) recent centuries, to Easter Europe.

Question: Does the idea of Europe Studies (or even European history) make sense, or is Europe better understood as a collection of subcultures (protestant and Catholic, northern, Alpine, and Mediterranean, east and west, rich and poor, Slavic, Germanic, and Latin, EU/non-EU, etc.) with individual histories?

Responses must consider at least three separate chapters of Norman Davies’s Vanished Kingdoms, and must address whether unique and longstanding Slavic traditions in eastern Europe (or, more recently, the intense influence of the USSR) undercut the European identity of any states or regions.

Successful responses will employ clear definitions, analytical comparisons, and specific evidence (lectures, primary sources, Davies, etc.).