
Civilization: The West and the Rest book by Niall Ferguson
By Niall FergusonCivilization: The West and the Rest book by Niall Ferguson
If in the year 1411 you had been able to circumnavigate the globe, you would have been most impressed by the dazzling civilizations of the Orient. The Forbidden City was under construction in Ming Beijing; in the Near East, the Ottomans were closing in on Constantinople. By contrast, England would have struck you as a miserable backwater ravaged by plague, bad sanitation and incessant war. The other quarrelsome kingdoms of Western Europe ? Aragon, Castile, France, Portugal and Scotland ? would have seemed little better. As for fifteenth-century North America, it was an anarchic wilderness compared with the realms of the Aztecs and Incas. The idea that the West would come to dominate the Rest for most of the next half millennium would have struck you as wildly fanciful. And yet it happened. What was it about the civilization of Western Europe that allowed it to trump the outwardly superior empires of the Orient? The answer, Niall Ferguson argues, was that the West developed six ?killer applications? that the Rest lacked: competition, science, democracy, medicine, consumerism and the work ethic. The key question today is whether or not the West has lost its monopoly on these six things. If so, Ferguson warns, we may be living through the end of Western ascendancy. Civilization takes readers on their own extraordinary journey around the world ? from the Grand Canal at Nanjing to the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul; from Machu Picchu in the Andes to Shark Island, Namibia; from the proud towers of Prague to the secret churches of Wenzhou. It is the story of sailboats, missiles, land deeds, vaccines, blue jeans and Chinese Bibles. It is the defining narrative of modern world history. Published By Penguin UK on 2011-03-03
Book details
- Paperback
- 611 pages
- English
- 1846142733
- 9781846142734
About Niall Ferguson
niall ferguson is one of the world's most renowned historians and author of numerous books, including the square and the tower, the ascent of money, and ci Read More about Niall Ferguson
More Books By Niall Ferguson
The Cash Nexus: Money and Power in the Modern World, 1700-2000 book by Niall Ferguson
New Book
High Financier: The Lives and Time of Siegmund Warburg book by Niall Ferguson
New Book
The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook book Niall Ferguson
New Book
The House of Rothschild #1: The House of Rothschild, Vol 1: Money's Prophets, 1798-1848 book by Niall Ferguson
New Book
The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West book by Niall Ferguson
New Book
The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World book by Niall Ferguson
New Book
People who bought this also bought
Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China?s Push for Global Power book by Howard W. French
The Power of Habit : Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business book by Charles Duhigg
New Book
Making Nonprofits Work: A Report on the Tides of Nonprofit Management Reform
Used Book
Peter F. Drucker on Nonprofits and the Public Sector book by Peter F. Drucker
New Book
Diana, William, and Harry: The Heartbreaking Story of a Princess and Mother book by James Patterson
Used Book
Mastering the Zone : The Art of Achieving Superhealth and Permanent Fat Loss
Used Book
More to be Desired than Gold: A Collection of True Stories told by Christy Wilson
Used Book
12 Disciplines of Leadership Excellence: How Leaders Achieve Sustainable High Performance book by Brian Tracy
Used Book
Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection book by Charles Duhigg
New Book
From the Holy Mountain: A Journey Among the Christians of the Middle East book by William Dalrymple
New Book
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life book by Ed Yong
New Book
Chicken Soup for the Soul: True Love: 101 Heartwarming and Humorous Stories about Dating, Romance, Love, and Marriage book by Jack Canfield
New Book
Understanding the Purpose and Power of Women: God's Design for Female Identity book by Myles Munroe
New Book
Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts book by Ryan Holiday
New Book
Never Split the Difference : Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It
New Book
Messages from Anna: Lessons in Living...Santa Claus, God and Love
Used Book
The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss (Without Being a Bitch): Valuable Lessons, Smart Suggestions, and True Stories for Succeeding as the Chick-in-Charge book by Caitlin Friedman
New Book
God's Generals: The Missionaries (Volume 5) book by Roberts Liardon
New Book
The French Connection: World's Most Crucial Narcotics Investigation book by Robin Moore
Used Book
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness book by Eric Jorgenson
New Book
The Astonishing Power of Emotions: Let Your Feelings Be Your Guide book by Esther Hicks , Jerry Hicks
New Book