The Rise of the West: Western Europe's Gain of Power

The rise of the West refers to a period of time when Western Europe rose to power due to many environmental, political, and social factors. Many historians attribute the Rise of the West to the time period of 1450 to 1850. This power surge of Western Europe has been attributed to the global dominance of Western Europe and America in the 21 century. The interesting aspect regarding the Rise of the West is how Western Europe developed so differently from other parts of the world, leading it to be the superpower of the world. Over the past 50 years, the idea of the rise of the West has been closely re-examined. Prior to the 1950s, historians believed that the rise of the West occurred because it was destined to; because Europe is the best and strongest. It was luck, fate, and destiny that helped Europe and America reach where they are today. In the past 50 years, many historians begin to disagree. They do give credit to luck as being a factor in the rise of the West; however, they also credit the ideas, political climates, culture, and economics as driving forces behind the rise of the West. Three of the most widely accepted theories regarding the rise of the West are the theories stated by historians Andre Gunder Frank, David S. Landes, and R. Bin Wong. The ideas of the rise of the West are not merely only one of the three theories by Frank, Landes, or Wong; but rather a combination of all three.

Andre Gunder Frank was a historian and social economist from Germany. One of Frank’s main theories regarding the Rise of the West links the wealth in Western Europe from their explorations in the Americas and Africa prior to 1800s to how Western Europe used that wealth to become a world superpower in the mid-1800s. Frank is a deep believer...

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...ped fuel the rise of the West. Such an abundance of coal can only be credited to the location of where Europe is. Such location is based on fate and luck.

The rise of the West refers to a period of time from about 1450 to 1850 when Europe developed so differently from the rest of the world that it became a global superpower after the Industrial Revolution. The idea of the rise of the West has been re-examined over the last 50 years. Before, many historians credit fate and luck as the main reasons for the rise of the West. Recently, historians have come to view politics, economics, culture, innovation, and luck all making the rise of the West a reality. It is by studying the works of historians such as Andre Gunder Frank, David S. Landes, and R. Bin Wong, and researching the nature of Europe in the 1800s, can the true ideas of the rise of the West come into light.