History Characters / PolandballEuropeanNations

* OliveGarden

%%* VodkaDrunkenski: 'Natch.

* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: In two different ways. Is the only Latin country deep in Slavic-majority Eastern Europe, and is the only Orthodox Christian among his other Latin brothers.

* [[IJustWantToBeSpecial I Just Want To Be Nordic]]

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: His current decisions and EU obsessions are played off Angela Merkel's RealLife policies.

* NeverLiveItDown: In-universe. His infamous surrender in World War II, as well as his losses afterwards are this to him.

* NeverLiveItDown: In-universe. Nazi Germany and the Second World War are forever a big black mark on him, causing constant complications ranging from awkward dinner conversations to downright paranoia on those he had previously conquered.

* MinionWithAnFInEvil: To Nazi Germany.

* IHatePastMe: In contrast to other countries who miss their glory days (Norway with his viking days, France with the Napoleon reign, Russia with the Soviet Union, etc.) he is more than happy with his current self, and loathes his past selves to the pulp. ESPECIALLY Nazi Germany.
* ManBehindTheMan: Similar to how Angela Merkel in RealLife is seen as the leader of the EU, Germany is pretty much pushing EU's agenda. Little does EU know that West Germany's reunification with his brother, East Germany, has caused him to obsess over creating a new reich through debts.

* TakeOverTheWorld: This was the [[PlanetOfHats mantra]] of his past 3 reich incarnations. Reuniting with StateSec obsessed East Germany in comics has caused him to develop a new need to do so once more, this time with the EU and debts rather than armies.

* IHatePastMe: In contrast to other countries who miss their glory days (Norway with his viking days, France with the Napoleon reign, etc.) he is more than happy with his current self, and loathes his past selves (especially Nazi Germany) to the pulp.

* ButtMonkey: Far, far too often. Other countries, especially Germany and Russia, find it easy to take advantage of his simpleton nature.
* CatchPhrase: "[[ForeignCussWord Kurwa]]"!

!!North Cyprus
* ImaginaryFriend: To Turkey.

* NotSoImaginaryFriend: He's the only one that can see Northern Cyprus.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Nations of Western Europe]]

!!Belgium
[[quoteright:281:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/belgium.png]]
[[caption-width-right:281:Just him on a normal day, when he is not obsessing over hands.]]
* AbusiveParents: Suffice to say, he... Isn't a very good father to his colonies. Essentially all of his sons have harbored resentment for him, and they have experienced genocides at points of their life.
** Is little Congo alright, though? [[http://i.imgur.com/fEzrfsp.png See for yourself]].
* ButtMonkey: He is mocked as being "not a real nation".
* CollectorOfTheStrange[=/=]CreepySouvenir: Collects chopped-off hands, a holdover from the days of [[BadBoss ruling]] over Belgian Congo.
* CurbStompBattle: WWI and WWII turned him into a warzone without his permission.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Netherlands.
* KarmaHoudini: No one ever seems to bring up his atrocious colonial past, which spares him from any sort of reputation as TheDreaded whereas other countries like Germany have been ostracized for crimes that they apologized for or are no where near as bad.
* NeutralityBacklash: He tried to be neutral during both world wars, but he still gets invaded by Germany in both times.
* RetiredMonster: He's a civilised, kind-hearted, typical Western European. Just don't ask him what he used to get up to in his African colony.
* SplitPersonality: May be subject to this due to the high tension between his Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia.
* TrademarkFavouriteFood: Waffles and chocolate.
* TokenEvilTeammate: This takes some doing in a work when ComedicSociopathy is the norm, although this trait only appears in portrayals of modern-day Belgium for the purposes of punchlines.

!!France
->''"Shouldn't you be working?"''
->''"No. I am strike. Such injustice."''

[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/france.png]]
[[caption-width-right:310:Vive la France!]]


* ButtMonkey: Nowhere as bad as some of the other examples, but he often gets the short end of the stick due to [[CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys some particular]] [[NeverLiveItDown reasons]].
* CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys: PlayedWith. France is often the butt of jokes of this kind (and YMMV on whether they're justified), but it's worth the other countryballs' whiles (especially [[TheRival [=UK=]]]) to remember that TheSoCalledCoward can be formidable.
* HappilyMarried: Fem!France is portrayed married to Germany and the mother of the EU, and the relationship is stable if not always friendly.
* GloryDays: Is rather nostalgic about Napoleon's reign.
* FrenchCuisineIsHaughty: This serves as the basis for his CulturalPosturing towards Italy - he believes that French cuisine is more refined than the latter's.
* FrenchJerk: Can be rather arrogant and narcissistic sometimes.
* InsistentAppellation: Insists on calling UK "Rosbif"
* NeverLiveItDown: In-universe. His infamous surrender in World War II, as well as his losses afterwards are this to him.
* OnlySaneMan: Takes up this role when Germany isn't available.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Not eyes, but the [[spoiler: Oriflamme]]. Seen during the defense against Denmark's Vikings, the end of the Hundred Years' War, the Resistance against the Vichy and Nazis
* SmokingIsGlamorous: Presumably why he is often drawn smoking a cigarette.
* SupremeChef: Believes himself to be this and actually lives up to it.
** CordonBleughChef: ...but sometimes this isn't the case.
* RetiredBadAss: He has had [[http://i.imgur.com/fvypapU.png a lot of military victories]] in the past but almost no one remembers them now.
** CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Possesses a military about as powerful as Germany's, and after ISIS' attacks on Paris, they are going to war once more.
* {{Tsundere}}: Type A towards the UK.

!!Luxembourg
[[quoteright:278:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/luxembourg.png]]
[[caption-width-right:278:I am of relevant!]]
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Averted; in fact he more or less acts like an ''annoyed'' younger sibling to his brothers Netherlands and Belgium, often finding himself confused with their antics.
* BeingGoodSucks: Averted. Despite being very liberal to the point it nears Sweden's levels, he almost never gets the mockery that came with it. May have something to do with the fact that he can't into relevants.
* BerserkButton: Being called French, German, or Belgian.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: To both Netherlands and Belgium, as he is often drawn smaller compared to them.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: He is obsessed with becoming relevant and generally has a no-nonsense and dry attitude. Nevertheless Luxembourg is more or less as liberal and tolerant as Sweden, and he even allows immigrants to come to his country without any hesitation, which naturally drew many arguments between him and Hungary.
* IdenticalStranger: He bears a striking resemblance to Netherlands when he was still the Dutch Republic.
* [[IJustWantToBeSpecial I Just Want To Be Relevant]]
* TheNapoleon: Thinks he can into relevants. He can't.
* PerpetualFrowner: He ''[[DownplayedTrope does]]'' smile time to time, but it's still present. He is often shown as being serious and focused in comics, which results in him seldom smiling.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: He is tiny, and is often forgotten to the point he wants to become relevant so badly, but he is one of the richest countries in the world, and is often shown with a lot of money besides him.
* UnclePennybags: Has far more money than even "[[FanNickname Germoney]]".

!!Monaco
* BigGuyLittleGuy: The Little Guy to France's Big Guy.
* CoolShades: Often drawn wearing one to differentiate him from [[IdenticalStranger Indonesia and Poland]], and also to symbolize his richness.
* TheRival: With Luxembourg, competing in terms of wealth.
* UnclePennybags: He might be small, but he is very rich.

!!Netherlands
[[quoteright:158:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/netherlands.png]]
[[caption-width-right:158:How can he be so high, while such a low country?]]
* BewareTheNiceOnes: While he is mostly harmless, he does have his dangerous moments when he is provoked, as shown in [[http://i.imgur.com/s4PnAZn.png this comic]]. Also see RetiredMonster below.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: He is shown [[TheStoner smoking weed]] and getting high in most of his appearances (even sometimes showing characteristics of TheDitz due to it) and other countries often mock him because of it, but he is actually pretty wealthy and has successfully defended his clay against the ocean.
* CameBackWrong: Sometimes, he will get into an accident and then get turned into a personality-wise more aggressive country. [[http://i.imgur.com/gwEFWea.png Cases]] [[https://i.imgur.com/VZZbAIl.png in point.]]
* TheDitz: Whenever he smokes weed, this trope is zigzagged-- most of the time, he avoids showing symptoms of this trope, but at other times he just flat-out shows the characteristics of a ditz, as shown [[https://polandball.cc/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/PLu1D31.png here]].
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Belgium.
* NiceGuy: His addiction for weed aside, he has a pretty laid-back personality and is generally friendly to most countries.
* RetiredMonster: Nowhere near his neighbor Belgium's levels, but he also [[https://m.imgur.com/2WQ52Ed used to be pretty ruthless in his colonial days]], but is now more or less a harmless, albeit weed-smoking NiceGuy.
* TheStoner: Often has pinkish eyes and a bong.
* [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why Did It Have To Be Water?]]: Has major problems with water and is often shown to have a deep-seated fear for it, mostly because his clay is under the water for most of the time. It doubles as a [[BerserkButton rather touchy subject]] for him in some portrayals.
** [[http://i.imgur.com/qPnP5J8.png One particular moment]] shows him refusing to take a bath because of his fear for water.

!!Switzerland
->''"Sorry, I'm neutrality. Only zing I can do is taking care of your money."''

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/switzerland.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:The master of neutrality for centuries.]]

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Sometimes has this dynamic with Austria.
* HyperspaceArsenal: [[http://i.imgur.com/2MoPLID.png When Switzerland starts to sneeze, be sure to keep your distance.]]
* TheMedic: Frequently takes this role as a result of founding the international red cross movement.
** As opposed to [[MeatGrinderSurgery D.R. Congo]] and [[PsychoPsychologist Austria]], Switzerland is actually a ''competent'' doctor.
* NeutralityBacklash: Mostly averted, although [[https://i.imgur.com/SSCFKku.png some]] [[http://countryballs.net/_nw/37/77114052.png portrayals]] show him being extremely confused about simple questions due to his neutrality.
* NiceGuy: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. Although he can come off as cold and unemotional sometimes, he is usually very polite and reasonable. Due to his neutrality, he has a very short list of enemies and is pretty friendly towards almost everyone and in turn, virtually almost nobody hates him.
* PassThePopcorn: Enjoys watching other nations go to war from the safety of the Alps.
* PrivateMilitaryContractors: A few comics reference his pre-World War I past, during which he was a mercenary-- and an extremely talented one at that.
* TheStoic: Usually doesn't show any strong emotions, due to him having no strong feelings towards either sides.
* TeamSwitzerland: His defining characteristic.
** Often portrayed as a referee because of this.
* WalkingArmoury: He may be neutral but he has a shitload of weapons to protect him should anybody try to invade.
* {{Workaholic}}: At least on Germany's level. In some comics, he actually ''surpasses'' Germany in this regard!

!!Germany
->''"Wörk, wörk."''

[[quoteright:279:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/germany_4.png]]
[[caption-width-right:279:Look at his expression and you will know why he works for life.]]

* TheAtoner: [[http://imgur.com/a/rpzHc All you need to know]].
* CatchPhrase: "Wörk!"
** "PAY DEBTS" to Greece at least.
* CompositeCharacter: Modern Germany has combined the [[PlanetOfHats traits]] of his previous incarnations (with the obvious exception of Nazi). He has German Empire's love for efficiency, Holy Roman Empire's love for culture and West Germany's love for austerity and UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion. Upon reuniting with East Germany, he gained a secret Bond Villain side for world domination and Prussia's need to create a new Reich.
* TheCynic: He is noticeably serious and cynical, due to his DarkAndTroubledPast.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Suffered two big mental breakdowns as both Reichtangle and Nazi Germany in both world wars, and then was split into two countries in the Cold War, which conducts [[TheCynic severe]] [[GermanicDepressives profound]] [[GermanicEfficiency impacts]] on how he acts today.
* TheDreaded: Is this to Greece, and sometimes the other heavily indebted EU members such as Spain and Portugal, since he's constantly forcing them to pay their EU debts.
* EmptyEyes: When he sports small beady white eyes, it's a visual cue that either in anschluss mode or about to turn into the Reichtangle.
* FutureMeScaresMe: Modern day Germany honestly doesn't want the Reichtangle to emerge, but he may not have a choice.
* GermanicDepressives: Mention the Holocaust and he'll start feeling guilty again. This has been exploited many times by other countries, usually Greece or Israel, to give them money. He has also been shown to not understand jokes easily.
* GermanicEfficiency: He loves to work... and is great at it. When they exiled him to Siberia to work, he didn't think much of it.
* HairTriggerTemper: Unfortunately for him, he's also the OnlySaneMan. Seeing Poland do something extremely stupid [[EnragedByIdiocy may even trigger his Reichtangle form]].
* HiddenDepths: The existence of [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Reichtangle]] imply some [[AxCrazy rather]] [[TheDreaded nasty]] [[BloodKnight traits]] within him.
* IHatePastMe: In contrast to other countries who miss their glory days (Norway with his viking days, France with the Napoleon reign, etc.) he is more than happy with his current self, and loathes his past selves (especially Nazi Germany) to the pulp.
* ManBehindTheMan: Similar to how Angela Merkel in RealLife is seen as the leader of the EU, Germany is pretty much pushing EU's agenda. Little does EU know that West Germany's reunification with his brother, East Germany, has caused him to obsess over creating a new reich through debts.
* MeanBoss: Is one due to his strict attitude towards [[{{Workaholic}} wörk]]. He is very stern towards the other EU members and can get frustrated easily when they become uncooperative.
* NeverLiveItDown: In-universe. Nazi Germany and the Second World War are forever a big black mark on him, causing constant complications ranging from awkward dinner conversations to downright paranoia on those he had previously conquered.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: His current decisions and EU obsessions are played off Angela Merkel's RealLife policies.
* OnlySaneMan: Is usually the voice of reason when everyone else refuses to listen. [[SubvertedTrope Unless he's the crazy one himself.]]
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Oh, yeah. From the Cherusci and the Franks to the Teutonic Knights and Prussia, all the way to the World Wars and the Modern Day. [[http://9gag.com/gag/aNog3N0 He's always truly been characterised by his military, and diplomacy is really only a fairly new thing to him.]] Even now, whenever Fem!France is sleeping, he takes little EU off to [[spoiler: [[http://i.imgur.com/noLsXeK.png secretly plot invasions against their enemies]]]].
** A recent portrayal inverts this, showing him as being weak in terms of military and afraid of causing another war. It's meant to mirror the RealLife country's reluctance to use its small army.
** Played straight ever since the Russian intervention in Crimea. He has the raw industrial power to rearm himself on a moment's notice, and he has already been readying his standing defenses heavily. He remembers well [[BarbarianHero where he came from]].
* RetiredMonster: He used to be known for industrial genocide and attempted domination of Europe. Now he's the EU's leader and tax collector.
* SuperOCD: He strongly believes in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnung Ordnung]] and tries his best to follow the rules as closely as possible.
* SuperpoweredEvilSide: [[http://i.imgur.com/CQOx1Tz.png Reichtangle is this to him.]] Virtually the entire world fears the day when a new German Reich will emerge.
** It recently made a return during its crushing victory over Brazil in the 2014 World Cup. In this case, though, it was not so much represented as an EvilOverlord as it was a badass ConsummateProfessional, which also describes that year's team quite well.
* TakeOverTheWorld: This was the [[PlanetOfHats mantra]] of his past 3 reich incarnations. Reuniting with StateSec obsessed East Germany in comics has caused him to develop a new need to do so once more, this time with the EU and debts rather than armies.
* UnclePennybags: Greece frequently asks him for (and gets) large amounts of money.
* {{Workaholic}}: Overlaps with GermanicEfficiency. [[WildMassGuessing Is he so good at work because he likes it so much? Or did he fall in love with working ever since he became good at it?]]

* VodkaDrunkenski: 'Natch.

** BlackComedy: See above.

** EyesAlwaysShut.

** SatelliteCharacter

* {{Fanboy}}: Is one in regards to NATO.

* AnnoyingLaugh: "Xaxaxa."

* AnnoyingLaugh: The classic Frenchman laugh.
--> ''Honhonhonhonhon''

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: In a rather dark example, his musical skills and general demeanour are inspired by a Republika Srpska soldier seen playing the accordion in a [[MemeticMutation viral]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIcxqVRLEWI propaganda video]] from the 1990s. Since the anonymous accordionist is believed to be identical with [[http://www.trial-ch.org/en/ressources/trial-watch/trial-watch/profils/profile/135/action/show/controller/Profile/tab/legal-procedure.html Novislav Djajic]], who was sentenced in the Hague for fourteen killings of Muslims, this would also be an example of No War Criminals Were Harmed.

!!England
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/england_9.jpg]]
* BerserkButton: He doesn't like being called a city.
* CompositeCharacter: Cornwall and, less frequently, other countyballs make an appearance alongside or instead of the rest of England.
* FootballHooligans: Is very passionate about football and will often get violent and unruly if things don't go his way.
* TheLeader: As stated above, dominates the Union and is treated in much the same way as [=UK=], albeit with a greater tendency toward violence and swearing.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: He's terrified of Normandy.
* WorkingClassPeopleAreMorons: In comics that contrast him with the posh UK, he's generally portrayed as being rather dim.

!!Isle of Mann
* SpearCarrier: Appears exclusively for name puns, flag jokes and comics containing the entire Celtic or United Kingdom cast.

!!Northern Ireland
[[quoteright:279:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/northern_ireland_5.png]]
* AxCrazy: Downplayed as he is not as murderous as the other examples of this trope, but he is already a pretty crazy one himself.
* BerserkButton: [[http://i.imgur.com/2v7jFRm.png Flags are a very touchy subject]] for him.
** He hates being confused with his neighbour Ireland.
* TheDitz: Out of all the countryballs on this page, he's portrayed as not being the brightest.
* PokemonSpeak: Talks like this in some comics; his most repeated words are "norn iron" (parodying the thick Northern Ireland accent) and "fleg".
* OneOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: The only part of the Union who can't speak proper English, in spite of him being UK's son.
* TheUnfavourite: UK seems to resent his inclusion the most out of all his regions.

!!Scotland
[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scotland.png]]
* AntagonisticOffspring: Sometimes with UK.
* TheAlcoholic: Loves his whiskey a little too much.
* TheLancer: Complete with [[ViolentGlaswegian angsty violence]], cynicism, and a grumpy history with England.
* SitcomArchNemesis: England, although some comics portray it as a SiblingRivalry or [[VitriolicBestBuds vitriolic friendship]], both of which are fairly fashionable in the UK...
* TrademarkFavouriteFood: Haggis. [[{{Pun}} It doesn't come up often]].

!!Wales
[[quoteright:194:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wales.png]]
* AnimalMotifs: Dragons.
* BestialityIsDepraved: Sheep, of course.
* [[GratuitousForeignLanguage Gratuitous Welsh]]: Welsh is just mainstream enough to appear as one of Wales' habits without it being comprehensible to most people, although that said, an unusually large amount of writers who use it get it correct.
* TheUnintelligible: When speaking Welsh; comes close when speaking English as well, as seen by the fact that he is one of the only anglophone countryballs to use butchered grammar and spelling in some comics.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: Averted with the Rebecca Riots.

* BerserkButton: Being called an Arab.

* MixedAncestry: He has Arabic ancestry mixed with Italian, French and British.

* HunterOfHisOwnKind: He is a kebab remover despite being one himself (See CulturalPosturing), this is mostly due to emulating Skanderbeg and while he gets along fine with Kosovo and Bosnia, he '''hates''' Turkey too.

* ChurchMilitant: Because of his [[UsefulNotes/TheKnightsHospitallers past]], he is considered part of the Kebab Removal club.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miros%C5%82aw_Hermaszewski He historically DID into space]], but this is discarded for RuleOfFunny in the series.

[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/croatia.png]] [[caption-width-right:350:HRVATSKA!]]