Description
Book SynopsisIn this second edition of
The Rise of Western Power, Jonathan Daly retains the broad sweep of his introduction to the history of Western civilization as well as introducing new material into every chapter, enhancing the book's global coverage and engaging with the latest historical debates. The West''s history is one of extraordinary success: no other region, empire, culture, or civilization has left so powerful a mark upon the world. Daly charts the West's achievementsrepresentative government, the free enterprise system, modern science, and the rule of lawas well as its misdeeds: two World Wars, the Holocaust, imperialistic domination, and the Atlantic slave trade. Taking us through a series of revolutions, he explores the contributions of other cultures and civilizations to the West's emergence, weaving in historical, geographical, and cultural factors. The new edition also contains more material on themes such as the environment and gender, and additional coverage of India,
Trade ReviewJonathan Daly’s new odyssey of the rise of the West represents a renewed effort to map up the internal conditions that have made the West so special in the world history. The author’s panorama view which covers the whole spectrum of the factors in favour of the West can be boiled down to a single term: ‘revolutions’, either in human mind or in social institutions and they came one after another tirelessly since the previously misunderstood ‘Dark Ages’. In this context, lucks and chances played much less important role, if at all. The author’s narrative therefore spells out the secret of the rise of the West in a highly consistent and coherent fashion. Curious reader may of course ask where the drive for so many revolutions in the West has come from. This will be the author’s next project, hopefully. * Kent Deng, Professor of Economic History, London School of Economics, UK *
How did Western Europe, which was once less developed than the Muslim world and China, become scientific and economic leader of the world? Jonathan Daly's comprehensive and incisive book effectively analyzes not only the rise of Western arts, philosophy, printing, navigation, science, political institutions, and technology, but also Western vices such as colonization, slavery, and wars. * Ahmet T. Kuru, Professor of Political Science, San Diego State University, USA *
Table of ContentsPrologue: Why the West? 1. Innovation in World Civilization 2. Medieval Transformations 3. Papal Revolution 4. Military Revolutions 5. Discovery of the World 6. Explosion of the Printed Word 7. The Reformation 8. Scientific Revolutions 9. Commercial Revolutions 10. Political Revolutions 11. Industrial Revolution 12. Technological Revolution 13. Crises of the West 14. Social Revolutions Conclusion: A New Type of Society Notes Annotated Bibliography Index
