Table of Contents

(Single volume includes Parts One to Five, Chapters 1-16; Volume I: To 1789 includes Parts One to Three, Chapters 1-10, Volume II: Since 1300 includes Parts Three to Five, Chapters 7-16) Prologue: What Is Western Civilization? PART ONE: The Ancient World: Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Civilization. 1. The Birth of Civilization in the Middle East. 2. The Greek Beginnings of Western Civilization. 3. The Roman Triumph and Fall. 4. A Conquering New Faith: Christianity. PART TWO: Medieval Civilization. 5. The Creation of Europe: Political and Social Foundations. 6. The Flowering of Medieval Culture. PART THREE: The Remaking of Europe. 7. The Transformation and Expansion of Europe. 8. The Renaissance: Upsurge of Humanism. 9. The Reformation: Division and Reform in the Church. PART FOUR: The RISE OF THE MODERN West. 10. Absolute Monarchy, Science, and Enlightenment. 11. The First Modern Revolutions. 12. Liberalism, Nationalism, and Conservatism. 13. The Impact of the Machine. PART FIVE: The West and the World in the Era of Global Civilization. 14. The West Divided: Imperialism, World War, and Competing World Orders. 15. The West Reunited: The Cold War, Decolonization, and the End of Communism. 16. The Revolution in Western Culture. 17. Western Civilization in the World of Today.

Reviews

"This is the best one-volume survey of Western history that I know of. Unlike most such texts, it is truly written on the college level. It doesn't talk down to its readers, though it subtly gives them the background they need."

"The timelines are very appealing and strikingly laid out. The overviews at the beginning of each chapter are nicely presented and do a fine job of tying the chapter's themes together. The impact of technology and science is consistently well explained, and art and music are integrated nicely."

"I believe its most obvious special strength is its organization. The clear explanations of both political/diplomatic and cultural/intellectual developments woven into the narrative structure used makes the text readable and accessible for students."

"I think this book is very readable and well organized. It has many important organizational advantages. It attempts to take a balanced view of various cultural and religious issues. I am very impressed with the overall quality of the text book. I will recommend that the rest of the committee look at this as an alternative to the Perry book."

"This text is set apart from comparable competing texts by the sophistication of its narrative. Most comparable texts water down the content and simplify the vocabulary. This text presents a quality narrative that matches that of much longer texts."