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The Emergence Of The West

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Throughout premodern history, the West held relatively idle next to their Asian and Middle Eastern counterparts. However by the middle of the nineteenth century, the West emerged as a global powerhouse. The West stood apart from their counterparts as the world’s dominant economic, military, and geopolitical powers. Their transformation didn’t happen overnight, a chronological evaluation of premodern events supported their emergence. From their plaques in late 14th century to their dominance in by the 19th century, this chronological approach tracked the economic, military and geopolitical changes of the West compared to their Asian counterparts. The chronological approach included the Renaissance, the West’s integration of gunpowder and print products, investments in the British and Dutch East India companies, and their exploration for new land. The emergence of the West began with the Renaissance in the late 14th century. WTWA mentioned “the Ming harkened back to Han Chinese traditions and the Ottomans looked to Sunni Islam to point the way forward, so European elites looked to their own traditions for guidance as they rebuilt after the devastation of the plague” (WTWA 402). All three of the global powers reverted back the cultures of their past. Although the West adhered to their counterparts’ strategy, they produced very different results. As conservative cultures, the Han Chinese and the Islamic Ottomans’ growth stagnated. Respectively, their focus on

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