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"On Point"
MINSK, 5 October (BelTA) - A direct parallel can be drawn between the current situation in Europe and the events of the 16th century, historian Yevgeny Spitsyn said during his latest appearance on the V Teme [On Point] project on BelTA’s YouTube channel.
“It seems to me that those very insightful authors (there are literally only a handful of them) are right who believe there is a direct parallel between the current situation, particularly in Europe, and the events of the 16th century, when Charles V sat on the throne of the Holy Roman Empire and his son Philip II ruled in Spain. This was a kind of form of a medieval European Union. And Spain, as a subsidiary of this ‘EU’ stretching from Lisbon to Vienna, tried to play an independent role. Moreover, it waged various wars, received colossal income, including from its overseas possessions. Yet, it spent far more resources on wars with its adversaries than it received,” Yevgeny Spitsyn said.
The historian emphasized that a direct parallel with what Europe is doing now is visible here. “Indeed, it has enormous resources. But potentially, if it actually risks going to war, it would have to spend much more resources to wage a real war. And they do not have these means,” Yevgeny Spitsyn said.
“They are puffing themselves up, intimidating Russia. But in reality, they lack the means, that's the first point. And secondly, they don't have the forces that could actually fight us. That's why they are still betting on the Bandera followers,” the historian added.
He also drew attention to another important circumstance. “Back then, ahead of the Dutch Revolution, the very financial empire that the Spanish king had built essentially collapsed. And this pan-European, or indeed, one could already say global empire, this financial empire, was located in Antwerp. Antwerp was the center of the financial world at that time. And overnight, it was precisely Philip who destroyed this global financial center. And Antwerp turned into an ordinary backwater town. Meanwhile, financial centers emerged in other European cities, including London,” noted Yevgeny Spitsyn, adding that this was when the history of the City of London began. “And drawing parallels, one can say that an interest in the destruction of the European Union exists not only among the Americans but also among the British. And in this sense, they are racing against each other,” the historian concluded.
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