Western Civilization Research Paper

Western Civilization from 1589 to 1914 had many specific changes that contributed to the structure of the western world before World War I. In the absolutism state sovereignty is embodied in the person of the ruler. Kings were absolute kings and were resposible to no none except god. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries absolute rulers had to respect the fundamental laws of their land. They had to control competing jurisdictions, institutions or groups that were interested in their territory. They regulated religious sects. France of Louis was the classic model of absolutism. Louis XIV, " the sun king," was a devoted Catholic who believed that god had estalblished kings as rulers on the earth. The French language and

Thousands of years ago, as mankind began to discover more elaborate discoveries in the world, people improved their lifestyle over a long period of time. Towns and villages grew immensely and before we knew it, a society had emerged. In these towns, the people normally had the same religion, culture, laws, and economy. The members in a society are what make up a civilization. When these people flourish together as a society, the civilization improves and becomes more advanced with knowledge and technology.

The five basic characteristics of early civilizations are Advanced Cities, Specialized Workers, Complex Institutions, Record Keeping, and Advanced Technologies. The first characteristic, {advanced cities}, is considered the birth place of civilizations. An advanced city is a center or trade and commerce for a large area. In these cities trade is the lifeline. Goods are traded in a place called the Bazaar. Since there was no currency at the time, people had to use a Barter system which was a way of trading goods and services without using any money.

Ancient civilizations have had profound effects of what we know as the modern world today. The primary purpose for anything that lives is to survive. Throughout history animals, plants and humans have adapted to their surroundings. All living things have changed throughout time. The thing that differs humans from rest is, humans are more cognitively advanced. Over the course of time the shape and size of the human skull has changed. The size of the human brain has increased, which has allowed humans to adapt more to their surroundings. To survive, humans were making tools for hunting and to cut with. The closer you lived to the equator the darker your skin may have been, so you could adapt to the intensity of the sun’s rays. If you lived further

Civilization: The West and the Rest, presented by Niall Ferguson, is a documentary in which Ferguson reveals what he calls the six killer applications which has helped Western civilization dominate over everyone else. These six applications are competition, science, property, medicine, consumerism, and work. Ferguson asks many questions over the course of the series as well as provides examples as to how Western civilization has surpassed other nations and empires. Ferguson’s main question in each episode is, “If we lose our monopoly over apps like these, could Western civilization be consigned to history.” This paper will analyze Ferguson’s questions and the examples he provides for the killer applications of competition, science, property, medicine, consumerism, and work, as well as his conclusions as to why the West has risen to the top, how the rest are passing up the West, as well as his conclusions to if the West can remain above the rest.

Greece is a country full of culture and tradition. This is Acropolis of Athens built in 6th

Another similarity, we share with ancient Greece is the love of sports rivalry especially the Olympic Games. In 776 B.C., the first Olympic Games begin as an achievement in art, ethical conduct and interaction of the mind in ancient Greece. Today athletes from all over the world take part in the Olympic Games. In spite of the many new events such as bicycling, skating, gymnastics, swimming, soccer and basketball, many of the earlier (ancient Greece) events such as footraces, jumping, discus and javelin throwing, boxing, and wrestling are still a part of the today games.

Greece has really took advantage of the Olympics and have used it to its advantage. If it was not for the Olympics, Greece wouldn't be as popular as it is know.

Background: Issue: Despite 500 years of complete domination over the Mediterranean and much of Europe, the Roman Western Empire quickly collapsed in the 5th century C.E. Research Question: Why did the Roman Western Empire collapse? Thesis: Likely, the most convincing explanation is that the fall of the Roman Western Empire, was largely determined by the Empire’s economic instability after repeated invasions by Barbarian tribes. Two Areas of Arguments: First, the Empire’s economy was weakened as the government was overexpanding and overspending, which also led to the rise of the Eastern Empire.

There were many issues and values stressed in Classical civilizations. The main two that were focused on were expansion and integration. In all of the Classical civilizations, leaders wanted more land to increase the amount of power, crops, and innovation they could have. Another issue they stressed was integration. Social integration was stressed in order to create gender relationships and social hierarchies, while territorial integration was stressed in order to guarantee their leader had power over all of his people through a common language, common laws, and trade. Another value that was related to the previous two, was the need to discuss central values. Socrates, Confucius, and Buddha all helped by spreading culture throughout their

Like every child, I went through the dreaded "Why?" stage— the point in a child's life when every response— to anything—was to ask why. "Why is the sky blue?" "Why do I have to go to bed? Why do I sleep?". The stage began when I first put a sentence together, according to my mother. It still has yet to end. Though I am no longer incessantly asking my exasperated mother why bananas are yellow, I still have a rampant curiosity and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. To put it simply, I want to know why things are the way they are, and I want to know about things which are new to me.

Most people know of ancient Greece for their food, Olympics, gods and goddesses. There is more to Greece than that though. Greeks loved music and dance and thought of it as a gift from the gods. In addition, the Greeks created theater.

Have you ever been to ancient Greece and seen a magnificent Greek temple or an amphitheater that was filled with spectators, watching a performance, or seen the first Olympic stadium and wondered: what is this building and what is the purpose of it? Is it important, or just a normal building in town? “Greek architecture is a very specific and influential type of design, which was based off of the post-and-lintel system.” www.historyforkids.net. In ancient Greece, temples were made to worship the gods of Olympus. “Zeus was the god of the sky and the ruler of the Olympian gods.” www.greekmythology.com. Temples such as the Parthenon, the temple of Poseidon, and the temples at the Acropolis were very essential at this time and are still are a

A reason that the emergence of the First Civilizations was a negative development for humankind was that it lead to many inequalities.

For as long as it has been a city, Athens has been a center for Greek culture and Western civilization. As the birthplace of Doric architecture, the buildings of Athens are an example of the Athenians’ intelligence and wealth. Whether it is the Acropolis, Zeus’ Temple, or the Parthenon, the buildings of ancient Athens were a monumental turning point in Classical Architecture and architecture today.