Alan Brusseau
Professor
History 101
Western Civilization
December 1, 2015 Western Civilization How the Western civilization did begin? It all started about 2 billion years ago where there was animal life in the planet. Then about 65 million years ago, a meteor struck earth and wipe out about every living life, killing about 70% of life in earth including the dinosaurs. Then years later the western civilization began in the Middle East and generally spread western in contrast to eastern civilization. During the earliest civilizations which it was influenced the development of the western culture were those of Mesopotamia. First, there was a language/ethnic group called the
One of the more popular religions that shared a role in influencing western civilization would be Christianity. Christianity is a monotheist religion that developed in a time period where polytheism was highly preferred. Although it had only a few followers in the beginning, it has made a lasting impression on civilization. One of its biggest roles was helping to end human sacrifice and slavery. Christians strongly disagreed in the degrading of human life. It was very common in the 1600’s for traditional punishments to be executed if someone had gone against you. Christianity shined a new light on the matter and gave an
“Why Western History Matters” is an essay adapted from a speech Donald Kagan delivered to the National Association of Scholars, and was reprinted in the December 28, 1994, issue of the Wall Street Journal. Throughout Kagan’s essay, he describes the essential need for the college course, Western History. He does so by examining older cultures and explaining why they were quintessential to the past and to our future development as a society. I strongly concur with Kagan’s standpoint of the necessity of history, and the realization of how exactly our flourishing society came about. History is a key constituent in determining who we are; for to determine who we are one must first know from whence they came. In the words of George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.
History is full of ups and downs, twists and turns that ultimately shaped the modern world we live in today; its foundation laid throughout history. The events of the past; good, bad, and indifferent could have adversely affected our modern society had they different outcomes or ceased to happen at all. There are countless historical events that are significant in their own right, but I have chosen to discuss five of the most significant historical events in Western Civilization occurring pre-1689. The Greco-Persian Wars, the Conflict of the Orders, the Punic Wars, the Gallic Wars, and the Black Plague had crucial influence over today’s economic, political, and social structures.
It is always important to look to the past in order to move towards the future. This was done in the formation of Western Society, and more specifically the formation of American society. The Greek culture served as a frame of reference for many aspects of Western life including government, architecture, math and the arts. Ancient Greek culture served as a very broad base for our society to be built upon.
Western Europe. But how did this western way of life come to be? Their are many different
Western culture and policies have shaped the modern world, especially the Middle East, in many ways. Since the sixteenth century, the nations of Western civilization have been the driving wheels of modernization. Globalization is simply the spread of modern institutions and ideas from one high power to the wider world. Technological innovation and economic growth along with such concepts as democracy, individualism, and the rule of law administered by an impartial judiciary, set Western societies above and beyond any possible rival. Other cultures looked to the West as a model, a threat, or some combination of both. One country that was most successful in their confrontations with Western states was Japan, who incorporated Western technologies and institutional arrangements into their own systems. This idea of mimicking the Western system can be used by other regions, such as the Middle East, to provide a foundation of government.
Rome's vast empire lasted for an amazing one thousand-year reign. Half of it referred to as the republic, and the other as the empire. However, after its fall in 5oo-a.d. Rome has still remained in existence through its strong culture, architecture, literature, and even religion (Spielvogel 175). Even after its disappearance as a nation Rome left behind a legacy that will never be forgotten. Its ideals and traditions have been immolated, and adopted for over two thousand years. Whether, it is through its language of Latin, its influence of religion, or its amazing architectural ability Rome has influenced almost every culture following its demise. The heritage of Rome has been passed down through three different channels; one is through the eastern Roman Empire; through the Roman Catholic Church, and consciously by any and every one who has been in touch with Roman Culture (Hadas 157).
There are many different ways that modern cultures in the west have been impacted and built upon, but there are two ancient cultures that were the most influential. The Greek and Roman cultures helped shape Western Civilization in many ways. Both were very important factors in the development of Western culture. The Greeks contributed through art, architecture, government, philosophy, education, and science. The Romans contributed through language, engineering, law, and government.
The Punic Wars left an impact on Western Civilization because it was a turning point for Rome. Rome used to be a tiny city-state that had no potential to become an imperial power, by the time the Punic Wars are won, Romans would have dominance over the Mediterranean power. Rome’s survival was challenged over and over again, but Rome thrived on their victories. But one by one, city-states joined Rome. This was allowing them to gain more power. Carthage was fearful of Rome and it escalated into a conflict, which led to the Punic Wars. (Frankforter & Spellman, 141) The Punic Wars are made up of three different wars. The Carthaginians lost all three wars. The cost of the first war was that the Carthaginians lost Sicily and they had to pay reparations. The cost of the
Throughout history, Western civilization has been an emerging force behind change in foreign societies. This is the concept that is discussed in the article the West Unique, Not Universal, written by Samuel Huntington. The author makes a very clear thesis sentence and uses a variety of evidence to support it. This article has a strong very convincing point. The thoughts expressed in this article can be related to a lot of events throughout history.
Reading articles and other sources on the topic, it seems that scholars associate the Western civilization with the Western culture. Some experts also associate Western Civilization with European civilization because most of the civilizations took place in Europe, particularly from the period of BC onwards. The major attributes of the Western civilizations included belief customs, ethical values, political systems, traditional customs, and certain artefacts that were unique to each civilization. Although such attributes were unique in their developments, they were classified as either foreign or indigenous based on their
A civilization is the starting point of a society. Civilizations have existed for millions of years and are the basic unit of structure for a society. Civilizations were the base of great societies such as Egypt and Rome. If not for civilizations these societies would not have flourished or even existed.
The Greek's notion of rational thought is a very strong reason why Western Civilization has become so influential in the world today. During their time, the Greeks spurred an intellectual revolution. They questioned the meanings of life and began using their minds to expand the world. According to Glenn Blackburn: "In many ways, they "discovered" the human "mind" through their philosophy and rational thought [ . . . ]"(64). Their "opening" of the mind influenced all ways of life and society. Major ideas blossomed like politics, governing laws, literature, art, history, and new inventions. Scientific thinking was groundbreaking among Greek minds. Ideas of mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and anatomy engrossed the public. This revolution of rational thought dominated society and began a transition in Western Civilization because people began using reason to explain human and natural events, rather than the gods (Blackburn, 67). Even today, rational thought is used by all of us and continues to influence society. The power of the modern mind has proved greater than any other Greek could have ever expected.
Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of a society. Social change maybe defined as” the process in which significant alterations occur in the structure and functioning of a particular social system”. It involves alteration in social structures, certainly with new social norms being established, probably also with new social values and changes in nature, social institutions, social behaviour or social relations. It refers to the notion of social progress or social cultural evolution, the philosophical idea that society moves forward by dialectical or evolutionary means. It also refers to a paradigmatic change in the socio-economic structure.
Throughout modern history no other period of human evolution has had a greater effect on the way people think than the enlightenment. The philosophers and great thinkers of the enlightenment changed the logic of the human mind for the better and propelled a period of mass advancement in all aspects of society. Western thought progressed over time to help build a more intellectual society. Modern philosophers such as Max Horkheimer and Immanuel Kant incorporated their views of Western Thought into their political writings.