The Great Divergence

The author, Robert B. Marks introduces the book, The Origins of the Modern World by introducing the reader to a global narrative of the origins of the modern world starting from 1400 to the present. The book presents the rise of the west as an issue of globalization of Asia, Africa, and the New World. Throughout the book, we see the connection made by the author between the environmental condition and the present economic status of a particular place. By the end of the book, readers are able to understand and reason out what created and solidified a gap between the east and the west, industrialized and non-industrialized and parts of the world that today are defined as the modern world.

The introduction of many new crops like corn, tomatoes and potatoes to Europe from the Americas previously had all but eliminated wide-spread famine in the region. These new food sources had also made Europeans healthier resulting in generally increased lifespans and more offspring generating a significant population increase in the region, thus creating more demand for the products and goods consumed by every growing society. The increased population also provided for an abundant labor pool of workers to man the factories which were to become the engines of the emerging industrial society of the west. Favorable environmental factors were important too. The availability of an abundance of ports and waterways and large coal and iron deposits fueled the early surge of the industrial revolution in the west.

During the period of 1492 to 1750, Europe experienced drastic changes during their Age of Discovery. As a result of contact and colonization, Western Europe’s economy, political, social, and military systems changed, but also maintained certain aspects that enabled them to build strong civilizations. Such changes include increased (international) trade routes, more centralized governments such as monarchies, decreased unifying influence of the Catholic Church, and increased interest in military conquest and expansion.

The past centuries saw a clear distinction between the Western civilization and the non-western culture. The western civilization composed of Greece, Romans, Byzantine Empire, and the European while the non-western civilizations included East Asia, Egypt, Persian Empire, Sassanid Empire, African Societies and Kingdoms, Incas, Mayans, Aztecs, and Mongols. For a long period, the western civilizations prevailed around the world. They influenced, lead and controlled others in various sectors such as medicine, clothing, business orientations, religion, and government. In this paper, I will be affirming my conviction that the western civilizations had unique attributes that made them more powerful than the non-western civilizations. I will also show how the western cultures were influenced by the spread of Christianity, and how the western cultures have maintained their great influence and power over the other societies even in the modern era.

The market and transportation revolution in the 19th century, subsequently caused huge changes in the economic, social, and independent markets in the United states. The market revolution boom, largely attributable to better technologies, excelling the growth of factories and mass productions. The transportation revolution was a byproduct of the expanding of railroads, canals, and shipping of the products. Of which opened an entirely new way to sell and purchase products, crops, and other goods with more than just small town communities.

Not only were economics majorly revolutionized during this time period but transportation transformed as well. Before the invention of the steam engine, goods were hauled by horse drawn carriages and the journey was a long and difficult one. Robert Fulton was the first to build a steamboat successfully. This caused for a wave of change and soon goods were hauled across the Atlantic (“Industrial Revolution”) After the rapid success of the steamboat, soon steam locomotives began to take the spotlight. The steamboat and locomotive enabled Americans to travel to different parts of the country in less tie add connected the U.S in a way that it had never been before.

China before the 1800s was very isolated. The West comes in and gains control by selling Opium to the Chinese for tea and silk. This was nowhere fair, eventually, China wanted to ban this trade that led to war. The Royal Navy’s modernized ships versus poor china’s unadvanced ships, I wonder who won. China was forced into the world of modernization. The British came in and reshaped China like it was clay, with no regard to the natives. This eventually leads to some failed rebellions. These past three examples are how western modernization helped or ruined countries, and that it isn't always black and

The drastic nature of the market revolution was a direct result of the beginning of change in the transportation system brought up by the internal improvements which were put in place to better the condition of America. This change in transportation increased the number of rail roads, roads, canals, and steam boats (Doc. 6). As shown from a comparison between document ten and nine, the development of better transportation cut down some trips by multiple days. This change not only changed the ways of trade, but they also changed the lives of the common

Lars Brownworth took the pleasure of writing the novel “Lost to the West.” Where within this he elaborates on a period of history that is seamlessly ignored in history. Courses instructing this discipline habitually over look the ‘new’ Rome deeming it insignificant. Brownworth’s dominant emphasis is too merely educate his readers on this gap in history. Which he does commendably however; his interpretations are not ineludibly bipartisan and quite candidly that leads to the book to be less successful in its purpose. These biases include: subjectively identifying other nations, glorifying his obviously favorite emperors and villain-zing his less favorite. While his approach is chronologically adequate he plagues his book by not only the previously stated biases, but creating the book too brief, and having to decide what information is substantial to retain; which he decides.

This book is a "Short History," of western empires which explain how European civilization and includes chronology of key events are influenced by the empires that was formed in it, like the Roman empire. It starts with Alexander and his Greek army and ends with the EU. Major events between these two events are empires like the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, the Catholic Church as an Empire, the Spanish Empire, British Empire, and the European Colonial influence into the 20th Century.

The Great Divergence is term used to portray the gradual shift of dominance that Europe gained by establishing itself as the most powerful world civilization by the 19th century. While a case could be made that the Great Divergence occurred because of the pre-eminence of Europe and Britain, as well as their supposed superiority in invention and innovation above anywhere else in the world, this argument is flawed. A more compelling argument would be to state that it was rather through the geographical advantages that Europe obtained that lead it into eventually becoming the most powerful civilization after 1500 A.D., as this essay will strive to demonstrate.

Sullivan, Richard E., Dennis Sherman and John B. Harrison A Short history of Western Civilization

Niall Ferguson’s thesis in his book “Civilization: The West and the Rest,” is to explain and prove why western civilization has exceeded the accomplishments of other nations throughout history up until present day. He attributes this world dominance to six “killer applications” the west had adopted and advanced beyond the means of any other civilizations. These applications were: competition, science, private property, medicine, consumption, and work.

Throughout the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, the world witnessed a global expansion as well as a compaction of people, cultures, and ideas. The need for goods, as well as the process of mercantilism to inflate economies, was instrumental in the advancement of seafaring technologies, the need to spread religion, and the eventual globalization of the slave market. The four major regions in the world, which were the stepping stones of globalization, are Africa, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, the Americas, and finally East Asia.

By defining economics as the most important aspect of the rise in power of the West, Frank also defined when the importance of global economy came to be. Many historians and economist have stated that the global economic system occurred after the Rise of the West; Frank disagrees. Frank believes that the world economy has been occurring since 1500s in the form of global trading. “A single global world economy with a worldwide division of labor and multilateral trade from 1500 onward” (pg.7). Frank’s notion that economics is the driving force behind the Rise of the West is correct in the fact that economy is a major force behind all innovations and advancements. A country cannot advance if it does not have the money to research and better its technologies, culture, and society. Frank’s notion of a single world economy is also correct in the fact that trading between Asia, Africa, and Europe does define a global economic system. What Frank lacks in his idea of the Rise of the West is his unwillingness to accepting innovative culture as a driving force behind the Rise of the West.