Western Civilization A Brief History

by Waibel, Paul R.

• ISBN13: 9781119160717
• ISBN10: 1119160715
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2020-03-04
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

A comprehensive yet concise introduction to Western Civilization, designed to interest and engage contemporary students

Western Civilization: A Brief History is a concise one-volume survey that covers the subject’s ancient origins through to the early 21^st century. Stressing social and intellectual history, rather than merely listing names and dates, this stimulating resource offers a more consistent and reader-friendly narrative than traditional textbooks. The author, with 40 years’ experience teaching college-level Western Civilization and World History courses, emphasizes topics that stimulate student interest and encourage classroom participation.

A mixture of Judeo-Christian, Greco-Roman, Germanic traditions, Western Civilization first appeared in Europe following the fall of the Roman Empire in the West. The text explores key events, figures, themes, and characteristics in the history of Western Civilization. Grouped into six parts, chapters include brief chronologies of events, maps, and illustrations. Topics include Europe in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Reformation, the rise of medieval Christianity, Darwin and the Theory of Evolution, the Industrial Revolution, imperialism, the World Wars of the 20^th century, the Cold War, and many others. Written with the needs of today’s students in mind, this textbook:

• Offers accessible and straightforward coverage of the history of Western Civilization
• Provides a consistent style of writing and organizational theme
• Includes chronological overviews of ancient Greece, Rome, and the Near East

Western Civilization: A Brief History is an ideal introductory textbook for both traditional and non-traditional programs and Western Civilization courses at universities and colleges, as well as for those in dual enrollment and home school settings.

Author Biography

PAUL R. WAIBEL is Professor of History Emeritus at Belhaven University. He has published numerous articles and reviews in scholarly journals, periodicals, reference works, and anthologies, and is author and co-author of several history texts including Twentieth-Century Europe: A Brief History and Martin Luther: A Brief Introduction to His Life and Works.

Table of Contents

Preface xiii

Acknowledgements xv

Part I Ancient and Classical Civilization: An Overview 1

1 The Cradle of Civilization 3

Birth of Civilization 5

Egypt 9

Hebrews 15

Hebrew Contribution to Western Civilization 17

Later Empires 19

References 20

2 The Ancient Greeks and Their World 21

Minoan Civilization 22

Mycenaean Civilization 23

The Dark Ages (c. 1100–800 bc) 25

The Archaic Age (c. 800–480 bc) 25

Sparta and Athens 27

Persian Wars (492–449 bc) 29

The Classical Age (c. 480–338 bc) 30

The Hellenistic Age (323–31 bc) 32

Greek Society 33

Women in Greek Society 33

Slaves in Greek Society 34

Sex in Greek Society 34

Greek Philosophy 35

The Greek Legacy 38

References 39

3 The Roman World 41

Early Republic 42

Early Conquest Under the Republic 44

Roman Expansion in the East 46

Decline of the Republic 47

Pax Romana 50

Roman Cultural Life 53

The Rise of Christianity 54

Decline of the Empire 56

References 60

Part II Europe in the Middle Ages: An Overview 61

4 The Birth of Europe 63

Early Germanic Kingdoms 64

Disintegration of the Carolingian Empire 70

New Invasions 70

Feudalism 72

Feudal System 73

Manorial System 74

Europe’s Neighbors 76

Rise of Islam 78

References 79

5 Dawn of the Age of Faith 81

Rise of the Papacy 82

Rise of Monasticism 84

Feudalism and the Church 85

Church Renewal 86

Crusades 88

Feudal Monarchies 92

England 93

France 96

Holy Roman Empire 96

References 100

6 The High Middle Ages, 1000–1300 101

Faith and Reason 102

Medieval Synthesis 108

Medieval Model of the Universe 109

Medieval Art and Literature 111

Late Middle Ages, 1300–1500 112

Famine 112

Plague 113

Hundred Years’ War, 1337–1453 115

References 118

Part III Birth of Modern Europe: An Overview 119

7 The Renaissance and Reformation 121

Renaissance Italy 121

Renaissance Humanism 125

Leading Italian Humanists 127

Northern Renaissance 130

Leading Christian Humanists 131

Renaissance Art and Culture 132

Protestant Reformation 133

Background133

Mainline and Radical Reformation 136

Martin Luther 136

Huldrich Zwingli 137

John Calvin 137

Reformation in England 138

Catholic Reformation 139

Conflicts among the Protestant Reformers 140

Assessment 141

References 142

8 New Horizons 143

Rise of the Nation‐States 144

Spain 144

France 145

England 147

Holy Roman Empire 150

Exploration and Discovery 151

Scientific Revolution 154

From Copernicus to Newton 156

Bacon and Descartes 159

Significance of the Scientific Revolution 161

References 162

9 Age of Enlightenment and Revolution 163

Enlightenment 164

Enlightenment Political Theory 166

Social Contract Theorists 167

Thomas Hobbes 167

John Locke 168

Jean‐Jacques Rousseau 169

Montesquieu 170

Enlightened Despotism 170

French Revolution and Napoleon 171

Background 171

Moderate Phase, 1789–1791 173

Radical Phase, 1792–1794 175

End of the Terror and Return of the Moderates, 1794–1799 176

Napoleonic Period, 1799–1815 177

Enlightened Despot 178

Empire 180

References 183

Part IV Nineteenth Century: An Overview 185

10 Europe’s Great Powers in the Nineteenth Century 187

Vienna Congress 188

Concert System 190

Latin America, Britain, and the United States 192

Greek War for Independence 192

Decembrist Revolt 193

Revolutions of 1830–1832 194

Revolutions of 1848 195

France 196

Germany 198

Austria 199

Rome 200

Why the Revolutions Failed 201

Unification of Italy and Germany 202

Italy 202

Germany 203

Paris Commune 206

References 207

11 Industrial Revolution 209

Origins 210

A Second Industrial Revolution 214

Free Trade 215

Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Society 216

Child Labor 217

Women 219

Urbanization 220

Responses to Industrialization 221

Early Reform Efforts 223

Marxism and the Working Class 225

Marxism’s Appeal 227

Orthodoxy and Revision 228

Socialism in Britain 229

Anarchism 229

References 230

12 Nineteenth-Century Intellect and Culture 231

Romanticism 232

Romantic Revolt and Immanuel Kant’s Idealism 235

A Second Scientific Revolution 236

Darwin and Evolution 237

Reaction to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution 240

Christian Response to Darwin 241

Social Darwinism 242

Positivism 243

Realism and Naturalism 244

Revolt Against Reason 245

Friedrich Nietzsche 246

Bergson, Sorel, Freud, and Einstein 247

References 249

13 Nineteenth‐Century Imperialism 251

New Imperialism 253

Motives 253

Colonial Empires 258

Scramble for Africa 258

India 261

China 263

Japan 266

Southeast Asia 269

American Empire 270

References 273

Part V The Crisis of Western Civilization: An Overview 275

14 The Great War: 1914–1918 277

Prelude to the Great War 278

Explosion in the Balkans 280

1914 281

War in the Trenches 282

Modern Weapons of War 285

1915 286

Sausage Machine: 1916 287

Home Front 289

War around the World 291

Year of Decision: 1917 292

End of the War: 1918 295

References 296

15 Peace and Disillusionment 297

Paris Peace Conference: 1919 298

League of Nations 303

Disillusionment 305

Culture 306

Art 307

Literature 310

Popular Culture 311

Social Impact 313

References 314

16 A Failed Peace: 1919–1939 317

Recovery and Prosperity 318

Great Britain 319

France 322

Weimar Germany 323

United States 326

Soviet Russia 330

Italy 332

The Great Depression 333

American Connection 333

Hitler’s Rise to Power 336

References 337

17 A Second Great War 339

Road to War in Europe 340

Totalitarianism 341

Hitler and the Appeasers: 1933–1939 342

Blitzkrieg 345

Road to War in the Pacific 349

Turning of the Tide 352

Banality of Evil 355

Holocaust 356

No Room 358

References 359

Part VI The End of Europe: An Overview 361

18 Cold War and Recovery: 1945–1962 363

Origins of the Cold War 364

1946 367

Containment 368

Cold War in Asia 371

China 371

Vietnam 373

Europe 375

To the Brink of Nuclear War 376

Postwar Recovery 378

Rise of Christian Democracy 380

Building the Welfare State 381

Postwar America 382

References 383

19 Cold War: 1962–1991 385

The Space Race 386

Globalizing the Cold War 387

Vietnam War 391

Turbulent 1960s 395

Paris: 1968 397

The Prague Spring: 1968 398

Economic Slump 399

Recovery 401

Revolution of 1989 and End of the Russian Revolution of 1917 401

References 406

20 A New World Order 409

Visions of a New World Order 410

War in the Balkans 413

Terrorism and War 414

Afghanistan 415

Iraq 416

Arab Spring 417

World Migration 417

The Search for Meaning in a Multicultural World 419

Culture 422

Popular Culture 424

2000–2019 425

Worldwide Internet 425

Probing the Limits of Space 426

Human Genome Project 427

Western Civilization and the World 428

References 428

Index 431