This text is primarily concerned with enhancing the reader's study by focusing on particular themes developed within the traditional chronological framework of western civilization. Historical themes, such as Myth and Reality in the Ancient World, Church and State in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Politics, Society, and Revolution in 18th-century Europe, and New Imperialism, allow instructor and student alike to engage in an in-depth analysis of some of the most important aspects of the development of civilization. The readings contained in this volume extend from the beginning of civilization in the Ancient Near East and Egypt through the Modern Age and provide balanced coverage of periods and aspects of the history of western civilization.

From the bestselling author of The Ascent of Money and The Square and the Tower “A dazzling history of Western ideas.” —The Economist “Mr. Ferguson tells his story with characteristic verve and an eye for the felicitous phrase.” —Wall Street Journal “[W]ritten with vitality and verve . . . a tour de force.” —Boston Globe Western civilization’s rise to global dominance is the single most important historical phenomenon of the past five centuries. How did the West overtake its Eastern rivals? And has the zenith of Western power now passed? Acclaimed historian Niall Ferguson argues that beginning in the fifteenth century, the West developed six powerful new concepts, or “killer applications”—competition, science, the rule of law, modern medicine, consumerism, and the work ethic—that the Rest lacked, allowing it to surge past all other competitors. Yet now, Ferguson shows how the Rest have downloaded the killer apps the West once monopolized, while the West has literally lost faith in itself. Chronicling the rise and fall of empires alongside clashes (and fusions) of civilizations, Civilization: The West and the Rest recasts world history with force and wit. Boldly argued and teeming with memorable characters, this is Ferguson at his very best.