Western Civilization A Brief History

by Spielvogel, Jackson J.

• ISBN13: 9780495571476
• ISBN10: 0495571474
• Edition: 7th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-01-01
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

This brief, best-selling Western civilization book has helped thousands of readers learn about the world they live in by exploring the story of its past. Jack Spielvogel's engaging, chronological narrative weaves the political, economic, social, religious, intellectual, cultural, and military aspects of history into a gripping story that is as memorable as it is instructive. Each chapter offers a substantial introduction and conclusion that sparks students' imaginations by giving them a context within which to understand these disparate themes. And while the single-author narrative makes it easy for students to follow the story of Western civilization, Spielvogel has included dozens of maps and primary sources--including official documents, poems, and songs--that enliven the past while introducing students to the challenges involved in interpreting history.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

To Students of Western Civilization Studying from Primary Source Materials

The Ancient Near East: The First Civilizations

The Ancient Near East: Peoples and Empires

The Civilization of the Greeks

The Hellenistic World

The Roman Republic

The Roman Empire

Late Antiquity and the Emergence of the Medieval World

European Civilization in the Early Middle Ages, 750-1000

The Recovery and Growth of European Society in the High Middle Ages

The Rise of Kingdoms and the Growth of Church Power

The Later Middle Ages: Crisis and Disintegration in the Fourteenth Century

Recovery and Rebirth: The Renaissance

Reformation and Religious Warfare in the Sixteenth Century

Europe and the World: New Encounters, 1500-1800

State Building and the Search for Order in the Seventeenth Century

Toward a New Heaven and a New Earth: The Scientific Revolution and the Emergence of Modern Science

The Eighteenth Century: An Age of Enlightenment

The Eighteenth Century: European States, International Wars, and Social Change

A Revolution in Politics: The Era of the French Revolution and Napoleon

The Industrial Revolution and Its Impact on European Society

Reaction, Revolution, and Romanticism, 1815-1850

An Age of Nationalism and Realism, 1850-1871

Mass Society in an "Age of Progress," 1871-1894

An Age of Modernity, Anxiety, and Imperialism, 1894-1914

The Beginning of the Twentieth-Century Crisis: War and Revolution

The Futile Search for Stability: Europe between the Wars, 1919-1939

The Deepening European Crisis: World War II

Cold War and a New Western World, 1945-1965

Protest and Stagnation: The Western World, 1965-1985

After The Fall: The Western World in a Global Age (Since 1985)

Glossary

Pronunciation Guide

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