Westernization Of The West And The Rest

In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe it is demonstrated how the Ibo culture slowly deteriorated from their own culture. The Western ideas influenced a different impact on certain characters, this also included characters like Okonwo and his son Nwoye. Many from the Ibo culture were confused by the merge of the European people slowly but subtly trying to enforce and covert their religion upon them. The books ending explained why the book was written in the first place, which was to “break the silence” that existed from the unheard side of the colonized people. The novel explained the impact Nwoye encountered with Western ideas was a clear and positive one. Nwoye felt like he resonated, was wanted, and more suited in the new culture

Southernization and Westernization took hold of many of the Empires in Europe and Asia at that of 1400-1750 when the Early Modern World began to rise. Colonization, exploration, and the building up of empires were the main concerns during this period. This had quite the effect on the people and kingdoms that were being over taken. Exploration and colonization impacted many empires around the globe because, trade began to increase which spread ideas and goods, slavery affected empires by using them as laborers to build their colonies, and there is a competition between the empires of who can obtain colonies and rise to a higher power.

The role of the federal government in the formation of the modern West, holds to a wide range of factors. The role of the government remained small in until the beginning of the 20th century, but later in history, its reach became far more apparent and noticeable. An understanding of the foundations of settlement in the West is important to address. The basics of in these foundations, in modern urbanization, are influential to the direct role the government plays in the lands to the West. In this discussion, I will examine some of the major contributions in which federal government involvement was apparent in the West.

The Great War, or World War I, ended in 1918 with the Treaty of Paris. It marked the beginning of a new era. During the war, there was a boom in the economy and employment was easy to find. The damage the war caused on the land in Europe was catastrophic; with the trenches and heavy artillery and machinery being used to destroy each other and take cities, it is amazing that there was anything left. Many people, soldiers and civilians, died during the war. After World War I, many countries gained their independence, and many countries suffered severe economic debt due to the expensive war reparations.

Many assumptions have been made about what the ‘West’ was really like, mostly suggesting that it was some amazing time period when guys might save a damsel in distress. “Don’t you think we spend too much time mythologizing the west? I mean look at how it was. Dirty, violent, & illiterate. It wasn’t an age for heroes, that’s for sure.” (Alexie 224) This quote explains exactly how people who were alive then might have described that time period. It refers to the stereotyping of the west, and how some people glorified it as a land of heroes, but it was not. Sherman Alexie highlighted all the stereotypes, made it clear who brought them about, and discussed how the Natives were represented in the eyes of the white man. The whites believed that the

The West prior to and after the Civil War was largely unpopulated by the white man, the Indians, as a result, dominated the landscape mostly undisturbed. However, this separation came to a halt as legion of white pioneers invaded the great plains, displacing the Indians and “civilizing” the West. With tensions rising, the government attempted to make treaties that gave the Indians designated areas to live. What the government failed to realize was that there wasn’t a primary Indian hierarchy and that the people in charge of upholding these treaters were corrupt. Inability to control the nomadic people and growing anger amongst the Indian ranks lead to many bloody skirmishes between the Indians and the U.S. Army. The Indian’s had a short lived victory at the Battle of Little Big Horn, “Custer’s Last Stand.” Eventually, the U.S. Army forced the Indians to surrender and corralled them into reservations where they silently suffered for generations as the government attempted to assimilate them.

The expansion to the west was considered to be a dead topic in the world of history. However one historian published a novel bringing forward new thoughts and opinions on the subject. Since Turners thesis, published in 1893 not many historians tried to reevaluate the topic of the frontier until Gregory H. Noble. Noble currently a history professor at Georgia Tech University is a very accomplished historian in early American and environmental history. In his novel, American Frontiers: Cultural Encounters and Continental Conquest he embarks on evaluating the expansion of the west in a completely revolutionized approach. Noble was able to revitalize the subject of westward expansion through a non-Turnerian approach, which was looking at the frontier as a variety of multicultural encounters. This was entirely different compared to Turner who viewed the west as a merger between savagery and civilization. Noble appreciates and takes into consideration the encounters with women, children, Hispanics, and Native Americans. However, Noble realizes that the settlement of the west “must be understood as a story of often savage and duplicitous conquest rather than benign settlement.” This benign settlement was settled in a savage way but yet the United States government was unable to self-reflect and realize the true savages are themselves. Noble’s was one of the first historians to mention and defend the Native Americans as people not as undesirables. Although Nobles novel was

The essay fails to address several aspects of the assignment and demonstrates a lack of clear understanding of the concepts and facts. It contains serious flaws.

Western alienation is defined as a “political ideology” or regional discontent, this is rooted with the dissatisfaction of western provinces in the federal government by representation. This essay will examine the causes of western alienation in Canada by examining 3 main causes: Inter-state federalism, the senate and the importance of Quebec emerging in late 1900's. Governments in Canada have developed relations between themselves, involving government and legislation. Inter government relations resemble international diplomacy( meetings with prime minister, provincial premiers, staff and flags). Conducted by government and politicians who have to be sure of the fact that what they do in inter government relations

Native American Women and American women shared interests in home, family, children and domestic matters which led them to form empathetic relationships; American Indians were often hired as nurses for the children of women on the trail. Riley highlights that apparently American Indians were hired as house companions to aid with washing, childcare and drawing water. This enabled mutual trust and bonds between travellers and American Indians. Riley states that a woman who headed westward with trepidation and dread regarding Native American could, and often did, become sympathetic support of those very Indians. There is little primary evidence for these actions. White Americans viewed themselves as the “harbingers of civilisation and women were thus advise to view the American Indians as such potential subjects”. Furthermore Riley stated that “women were encouraged to perceived Indians as uncivilised, morally deficient and primitive”. Women did not follow this Indian stereotype blindly their growing independence and their own relationships with Native Americans influence perceptions. Riley furthers that Frederick Jackson Turner explains that the liberation of the west, was similarly the liberation of Anglo American women. Both of those stereotypes have been disproved, women worked alongside men and American Indians for the development of the future through settlement and through the raising of their children.

The Western world originated in Europe with Christianity but quickly spread across the whole western side of the world including many races and religions. The west is said to value widespread employment, free thought, equality, assimilation for human rights, and democracy. The European culture grew with an all inclusive ethos and strived to influence other cultures around the world.

In Samuel P. Huntington’s article “The West: Unique, Not Universal,” he addresses his audience with a very controversial question: Is Western Culture universal or unique? Huntington elaborately opens up this question with research and examples to explain and persuade readers that the West will never be a universal culture for all, but rather a unique culture that will be accepted by those who appreciate it. For decades now, historians and scholars have debated with one another to determine who is right and wrong. However, from a handful of articles from different scholars, Samuel Huntington’s statement that the West is unique rather than universal is supported and even further elaborated on by these particular sources. A common understanding between all the sources, that must be noted, is that a civilization’s culture is not comprised of material goods but rather their culmination of their religion(s), values, language(s) and traditions. While although there are scholars out their that negate the West is unique, a large amount of scholars still argue and strengthen Huntington’s argument that the West has unique and exclusive characteristics that make them distinctive and rare.

Western culture and policies have shaped the modern world, especially the Middle East, in many ways. Since the sixteenth century, the nations of Western civilization have been the driving wheels of modernization. Globalization is simply the spread of modern institutions and ideas from one high power to the wider world. Technological innovation and economic growth along with such concepts as democracy, individualism, and the rule of law administered by an impartial judiciary, set Western societies above and beyond any possible rival. Other cultures looked to the West as a model, a threat, or some combination of both. One country that was most successful in their confrontations with Western states was Japan, who incorporated Western

Even now, most nations have adopted westernization as a means of remaining on the global circuit. As Suzuki points out in his study on Japan and China, Japan has tried to conform to the so called “standard of civilization” so that it can be accepted in the western international society, whereas China has only selectively adopted some western elements to gain strength for the protection of its own culture against western impact (as cited in Buzan, 2010, p. 8).

A. J. Polyzoides, an honorary senior lecturer at Birmingham University, states: “The western world has adopted and developed their discoveries throughout the centuries.” (Polyzoides 1). As the Hellenistic society shifted away from the Classical ideals of perfectionism and idolization of the elites and gods in sculpture, artists began to be fixated on illustrating imperfection of a variety of individuals faced with the ruthless authenticity of their emotional struggles. Whereas, Classical architecture focused on dedicating massive structures to the gods to emphasize their divinity, but Hellenistic architecture used advanced technology to exemplify Alexander the Great’s magnificence. Thus, differences in the architecture can be seen in the sophisticated town of Alexandria with structures such as the lighthouse that show how Alexander the Great influenced town planning that was centralized on the creation of a superior city, likewise, The Altar at Pergamon expresses the loss of focus on the divine through unique sculptural techniques. Change can also be seen in the sculptures of The Boxer and The Old Market Woman as they are depicted to be imperfectly individualistic and in emotional distress.