The Rise of the West

The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community (ISBN 0-226-56141-0) (Chicago, 1963 [1991]) is a popular work by Canadian historian William H. McNeill. It won the National Book Award for history in 1964 The Rise of the West explores human history in terms of the effect of different world civilizations on one another. McNeill assumes "decent familiarity with Western history," which allows describing "underrated" matters. The footnotes teem ... more

The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community (ISBN 0-226-56141-0) (Chicago, 1963 [1991]) is a popular work by Canadian historian William H. McNeill. It won the National Book Award for history in 1964 The Rise of the West explores human history in terms of the effect of different world civilizations on one another. McNeill assumes "decent familiarity with Western history," which allows describing "underrated" matters. The footnotes teem with specialized studies that support the bold strokes in the text. Development is thematic within periods rather than entirely chronological. The book is in three parts of approximately equal length. Part I begins with evolutionary prehistory and the breakthrough to civilization in Mesopotamia. This is followed by the era of Middle Eastern dominance and the formation of peripheral civilizations in India, Greece, and China to 500 B.C. Part II discusses the Eurasian cultural balance to 1500 A.D., including the expansion of Hellenism, the... less