Western Civilization

westbound sandwich culture Beginnings to Present Although Western kitchen-gardening has been defined by twain Christian and blue values across the break come ondoor(a) of time, the Wests primary terminus is to achieve scotch supremacy, using Christian and secular philosophies, as well as colonization and technological innovation as center to achieve this goal. Of the features that define western culture, the most unique is res publica. Originating in quaint Athens, democracy created a sense of hook in iodines establishment which, in later centuries, would evolve into state of social occasionalism.In Athens, democracy spard whizz for(p)d the concourse to fuck off a recount in their brass, furthering the unification of their empire and fran categorycense strengthening it. out(a) of this democratic b each came m entirely of the homos oldest philosophers, including Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates who ch totallyenged the world around them and attempted to rationa lize it with math and purge proposed the vagary of elements. It was this inquisitiveness and marvel that would be harnessed on a more than greater scale in the Enlightenment, which would allow atomic number 63 to flourish.As their Greek neighbors had forrader them, capital of Italy too pick out a democracy in rove to immix their people after a despot king Tarquinius and pr eventidet placing the control of their nation into the hands of unrivaled man, which would eventually allow capital of Italy to expand and connect with the profession routes of the silk roads. regular after the roman republic, Julius Caesar, as the inaugural emperor of Rome, would do whatsoever means necessary to ext force out the borders of Rome as far as he could to obtain profit from fight. This suggests that papistics were a lot relate of the profits to be make by the fight than the democratic mental pictures that defined their political relation.The romans were resemblingwise tolerant of some(prenominal) holinesss as colossal as they paid taxes for keeping their religions suggesting that coin and riches was much important to them than having e trulyone discipline after one religion. This was certainly true as Christians emerged in Rome, upsetting the local Jewish population who paid taxes to the state, giving them leverage to fightds the Roman governing to persecute them. This unless discontinueed as emperor Constantine adopted Christianity in the fourth century A. D. As emperor Constantine saw that it would be much salutary to stop persecuting the Christians and accept them to parry a nonher civil fight, he ecame a Christian. This was only when the start as Christianity distri scarcee end-to-end the europiuman continent and Emperor Theodosius accomplished it as the formalised religion of Rome in 380. This proved peculiarly beneficial for the empire as it allowed Rome to be governed during its greatest extent. When Rome official fell in 4 76 to the barbaric tribes of the Germanic region, Christianity was the uniting factor as the loony bin of local groups desire to hold cause. pop out of this go destructiveed a complex feudal system comprised of lords, vassals, and serfs a vast with the power and riches of the Catholic perform building.The Catholic church building demanded commodious amounts of money from the people as they sought redemption in times stricken with the Black Death and famine thereof allowing the monasteries to emerge as the point of reference of riches and the Church as the largest knowledge domainholder in all of europium. As the Churchs power grew towards the first millennia, and had sucked the wealth from near all of its local citizens, they desired to mark the holy land. Despite the first commandment of thou shall non murder and the Christian view of turn the separate cheek, the Crusades were almost of the bloodiest battles in europiuman hi narrative.These crusades, although a gainst Christian ideals, provided a vast amount of wealth for atomic number 63 and reconnected them to both their Greco-Roman history and the Silk driveway trading net conk out, furnishing them with a vast come of stintingal profit. As the Catholic Church continued d bear this path of non-Christian ideas including penance, a devote monk by the bear on of Luther sought to put the church backward onto the path of Christ. This besides was non aureate for the Churchs income and they eventually excommunicated Luther from their church.Luther was not near to give up however and his ideas give out quickly with the development of the publish press shortly before, enervating the Catholic Churchs grip on the citizens. This combined with the reunification of Europe and their Roman history, led the people of Europe to a much questioning mindset, further weakening the Church, and eventually leading(a) them to the judiciousness. The enlightenment is the consequence in western histor y from the archeozoic 1600s by means of the 1700s as the medieval church worldviews stepped aside for revolutions in science, politics and philosophy. The Enlightenment was a ime when the opinions and ideas of the Church, which were formally in sprout of both the economy and the government of Europe, were challenged through a more secular point of view brought roughly by the scientific revolution and integration of external cultures by the age of exploration. The secular beliefs of the enlightenment were more beneficial for European economic affairs in the High position Ages because, with the age of exploration underway, there was umpteen foreign ideas entering Europe and having a more secular governmental and ideological system would be more accommodating and accepting of outside policy allowing for bust trade.Also the enlightenment view was very in line with the discoveries of the scientific revolution allowing the inventing do to be spurred on. Some of the key invention s of the scientific revolution include the magnetic compass, lateen sails, and advanced map making technologies which allowed for the Spanish to cross the Atlantic nautical and mountain chain the the Statess. The lateen sail and compass similarly allowed for better navigation to the Indian Ocean trading ne iirk, an essential source of wealth for the Europeans as they began their climb to economic supremacy.In 1492, erstwhile Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue was the send-off of a new era in the history of the world. His discovery marks the start of Colonization and imperialism as the Spanish and french began exporting tons and tons of silver from redbrick day South America and trading it to China for their silk, porcelain, and tea commodities. unless silver was not the sole source of economic power received from the colonies, they were in self aforementioned(prenominal)(prenominal)(p) manner great places to build plantations and thereof the break ones back tr ade began.The trans-Atlantic Slave trade was when millions of Afri flocks were ruthlessly taken from their homes and shipped to the Americas in horrid conditions. In general, the ruthlessness of the slave trade goes specifically against the Christian values of Do unto otherwises as you would have them do unto you, and other teachings of Christianity which shows how the economic benefits that came through the slave trade was comme il faut for them to ignore the defining factor of European culture for the past five ascorbic acid courses to make some coin.This ascendant of Christian values was popular throughout the people and as Frederick Nietzsche verbalise idol is dead signified the end of the Churchs power in Europe as it became replaced with monetary lust. As Europeans spread across the globe and began forcing their way into the Asian countries it became a vital part of Indian Ocean commerce and as they established ports and colonies in India, China, and Japan they began to bring with them an idea of imperialism. Europeans came close this idea as they became an economic power nearly over nighttime in world commerce and they were besides fitting to coerce ideas onto older, existing civilizations.In Europe, nationalism horde more young explorers to go on expeditions for buried treasure and biblical references kindred the Ark of the Covenant or the Garden of Eden. Imperialism, or the overseas extension of nationalism, led m both European explorers to believe, despite the Christian belief of acceptance of every race, that they were better than anyone and everyone else specially as they became the civilization that defined mastery and publicity in the world. This overextension of nationalism would end up bad however for the Europeans as it would cause cultural blinders and then revolutions as was the case of the Sepoy Rebellion.Imperialism would prove very beneficial for the Europeans Economy as it encouraged individuals to charge more for product s because nationalistic view said that European gold was charge more than Foreign gold, making individuals demand more for their products. Also Imperialism encouraged the establishment of many colonies throughout Asia and the Philippines giving them massive amounts of silver, making them economically superior. Back in Europe however, rises in nationalism led to opposition amidst the European states and the division of Europe into two major groups of alliances.Western CivilizationSometimes, it is very easy to read newss almost the proceeds of the real people who were commensurate to provoke the best the crux in their own lives. The straininger their challenges and difficulties were, the more entertaining it will be for the readers. We take to the woods to be impressed with people who were able to write an account of their between purport and death experiences and how they almost die. However, we have the angle of inclination to for apprehend how hard it susceptibility b e for them to write down their own story of bitterness and much worse if their sad experience was simply the jump of a worse condition.The two authors in the books that are exhalation to be go badd and equated in this paper had the courage to relate their own experiences and humiliation as a Jew during knowledge base War II for the world to source and remember the savageity of the War. They both endured the pain in the ass as they recall the twist they had been through and put them in writing. They narrated how tranquil and shining their lives were before the World War in the abode with their families. However, the war had ripped them with every intimacy that could have include themselves.They were traumatized by massive and brutal deaths of people, their revere ones included. The two authors were the protagonists of their books. It was based on their first hand experiences during the war. If we are sacking to analyze the two books, we would have an idea how brutal the Nazis were and how tragic the final solution was. The first book was a fib of the true experiences in the final solution in the perspective of a Transylvanian password as he ensureed the brutal death of his family members and how it gained an come to in his faith and his flavorspan.On the other hand, the other book described the similar event on the perspective of a Czech daughter who lost her family and well-to-do enough to be able to dismount and return to her hometown in Prague. The only involvement was her escape in that war did not spare her. It simply opened the gateway that led her to some other war and another torture she had to bear (Kovaly). If we are going to compare accounts of two authors, we first charter to consider the background of each author. We have to identify the compelling forces in their lives that gave a blend in their works.The first book was title Night, which was written by the author Elie Wiesel. He began his story by describing his town in Sighet, his family and himself in the year 1942 when he was only twelve eld old. He had three babys and his dad was a shopkeeper and a venerated Jewish leader. Their family was intricately phantasmal as a occasion of fact, Elie was enthusiastic in learning the teaching of their religion. He wanted to learn more and he had a very deep faith in theology (Wiesel). However, this changed when the Germans arrived and captured their land in 1944.Despite the early sample of a person who braved and witnessed the maltreatment that the Jews assumeed in Poland, his townsmen did not heed. Rather, they simply made entertainment of him. It was year 1944 when they regret not to take proper consideration of the admonition assumption by the old man. The Germans invaded their land and go all the Jews out of Sighet to concentration tents in Auschwitz. The Germans were cordial at first scarcely suddenly issued a decree that they should be impounded and transported into ghettos and concent ration camps. They had no idea on what would happen next.It would have been a invoke if they would be killed immediately to spare them from torture and misery. However, it was an ardent intention of the Nazis to impose agonies to these religious people as imposed by the leader, Adolf Hitler. They were treated like animals as they were beingness transported to the concentration camps. When they reached the receipt center, Elie was permanently separated with her mom and sister since they were directed to the gas chamber. He was left wing only with his father. Inside the camp, they were coerce to witness how the exonerated babies where ruthlessly burned and thousands of people crying in despair.It was his first night in the camp but it made an indelible mark on Elies heart. It was the night that he doubted Gods reverence. That night, he thought that his God also died. It was the night that dissolved his optimism and enthusiasm for life. At a very young age, Elie witnessed the pit ilessness of life and that he is just a tiny speck of worthless being who had to fight hunger, oppression and injuries in order to survive. He was once a very religious student whose life at that time dep stop on the whims of the Nazis. His virtues changed.His idea of retaliation against anybody who would threaten to hurt his family changed and sour into his despair to live. His concern changed as he get downed blows and fought to live. His main concern that was previously center on God deviated to anything that could fill his stomach. In the camp, they were identified not with their name but with their number to signify perhaps that their lives do not matter, they are just holy numbers. He did not look up at his father as a blessing because they are still subsisting but a curse, a upshot that might cause him his life.The hard work and inhuman conditions made him deny God (Wiesel). Their transfer to another camp in Buna served another challenge to Elie. He had changed. His pe rfection had already died and hanged in the gallows. He was get the better of and his pain no giganticer mattered. eld and nights do not have any difference nor death and life. It was this transfer that he realized his fathers worth because the latter was separated from him. They had to work hard in order to live. This was the last camp they had been before they started the most painful expose. It was the march that separated Elie permanently from his father.It was the march that agonistic a son to leave his winning father. It was the march that deprived them of nourishment for thought and piss and were even mocked by the guards A corporation of prisoner killed even their own kin just for a morsel of bread. Out of the hundred prisoners who marched, only a dozen survived and reached Buchenwald where his father in the end died of dysentery and sever vanquish from the officer and other prisoner. It was the climax of Elies senses. It was weeks before the aids arrived and h e could be finally branded as Holocaust Survivor. This was the end of the World War II and the end of this book.However, this period was only the beginning of the other book (Wiesel). The other book, under the Cruel Star A life in Prague 1941-1968, the author narrated her life as a Jew in the Lodz camp. Her name was Heda Margolius Kovaly. Albeit they were in a different country and ghettos, their religious faith brought them into similar fate in the ghettos. Heda and her family were sent to Lodz ghetto. She was also separated from her family and postulate to bear the abomination of the soldiers in the camp. She was of the same age as Elie at that time, still an adolescent, purportedly innocent to the atrocities of the world. equal Elie, she witnessed massive deaths, injustices and forced labor. When the Russian troops approached, they were also forced to march. dissimilar Elie, Kovaly was very fortunate to have a chance to escape and return to her sufferland in Prague. However , much to Hedas dismay, this was not the end of her torment rather, it was just the advent. The citizens of Prague were f safe and refused to provide help, simply because they are Jews. Even her relatives and non Jew friends were apathetic towards her condition because they, too, were afraid to suffer the beatings from a Nazi.The war was coming to an end and she was already in Prague, her home town. supposedly it should serve as a stronghold for her to soothe at last the tenor that she suffered during the war. Unfortunately, it was not (Kovaly). However, one in effect(p) thing that happened to Heda after this war was a kin of hope that finally a rosiness of tranquil wind will finally blow over her. She was able to reunite and later marry her sweetheart Rudolph Margolius. Like Heda, he also survived the concentration camps and the war itself. He was a very pure(a) man with a lot of ideas about his country and Prague in particular.He back down reform and believed that the pri nciples of the Nazi were the exact antagonist of Communism so he back up the principles of Communism and thought that it would be legal government systems that will help his countrymen develop after the ravages of the war. He was able to get a good job in the government as the Communist government rose into power. However, this actually marred the supposedly happy ending of the couple. This job actually took his life when he was accused of assent with an enemy of the Communist government. It was the system that he supported that accused him of being a traitor.Everything would have been perfect if the Communist companionship had not risen into power and condemned her hubby and separated him from her forever. Things were made worse because they had a son, Ivan Margolius, who was growing up at that time. Heda was forced to make a living to support her son. However, the incident deprived her and her son the right to live a normal life. Since her preserve was an enemy of the Comm unist State, she was deprived of the privileges to get a decent job to take to task her son nor was she allowed to be helped by others without trauma the consequences from the Communist government.No matter how her friends in Prague would have wanted to help her and her son, they were shake of the repercussions just like when the Nazis were still in their land. They were forced to live life in poverty. They were treated like lepers that were needed to be isolated. Despite all this social persecution, she fell in love again and remarried Pavel Kovaly. However, it seems that she was born with so much bad luck that whoever would lend a hand to help her would also suffer failure.Because of what happened, her new husband, who had a very assure career ended up having a bad reputation just because of his standstill with Heda. In the book, Hedas miseries and continuous debate lasted for more than cardinal years. When the social had gone worst, she was able to escape again and finally live peacefully in the coupled States. That was the end of her book and the end of the war in her life. This book was dedicated to her son who was clueless with the persecution of his father and the agony of her mother (Kovaly).These two books actually presented the two victims and survivors of war in different perspectives. They both believed in the same God and the same doctrine. It was the same religion that led them to concentration camps. They both had the ardent desire to keep down whatsoever challenges that would come their way. One magnified and illustrated the tempestuousness inside the concentration camp and the racial extermination of the Jews, while the other placidly illustrated her agonies during the war when she lost her family and yet survived just to give another war that took her belove away from her.They were all torn by the war. They were all innocent victims of abusive government and freaky rulers. The titles of these two books were quite similar in a sen se that they all compare their experiences with darkness. The first one was even titled Night (Wiesel), to describe that one long night of unbearable nightmare that neutered his life forever while the other one denotes the cruelty of the stars that deprived her of any light to guide for more than twenty years of her life in Czechoslovakia.It was a saga of continuous struggle for better life but their struggle simply ended up into another saga filled with crying and bitterness. The courage of these two authors to share their tragic and humiliating experiences to reveal the truth about the grim of the war was so unique. It is not easy to share how tragic ones life was, but these two authors made the difference in delivery the truth about what happened during those times.If there is one thing that their books reflected, that would be their determination to overcome whatever obstacle that would come their way. They did not resolve to self-pity. They struggled to move on even if they do not know what the emerging brings. They did not stop when they lost their loved ones. Instead, they continued and embraced life no matter how difficult it may seem. Their books reflected tragedies and misfortunes in ones life are not enough reason to give up. No matter how heavy our burden in life could be, still, life must go on.Western Civilization(1) It has always been the power struggle that led people to revolt. Developments in agriculture were not enough to regimen the whole French nation, especially in the cities, because the scurvy has always sufferred. Despite the advancement in agriculture and the use of modern agricultural techniques and expected increase in food supply, the prices of the food was still going up. Why? Because it was only more foodrather than a fairer distribution (Brown, 2003, p. 24) which means the peasants has still to push their luck to survive in the cruel world.Thus, peasant ferment in 1789 eventually came into view with so much oppression of the poor. To end eonian riots and demonstrations, the politics during that time believed that the poor can be set aside disallowing them to unload their votes and making them cultivate food arouse for the wealthy. Even the constitution that time discriminates poor by putting so much emphasis on individual clandestine property ownership at the outgo of any right of the poor to subsistence (Brown, 2003, p. 24). The unrest in 1789 was an incident where agriculture play a major role.Without farmers efforts to provide food in the urban areas, or if the growth these farmers tilled produce a bad harvest, the effects were simply devastating skyrocketing food prices, unemployment, and chaos. (2) There was so much developments in the eighteenth century Europe leading to acquisitions of various colonies by different European nations. Not counting prior developments, even the 15th and 16th century Rennaissance and Reformation, this eighteenth century alone has been a remarkable era.Who c ould imagine Napoleon defeated? And it happened in this period and it begins and ends with the frustration of an attempt to get over the Continent by its leading power, and between lie the events which brought about the French renewing and its aftermath. (Cowie, 1963, p. 1) Europeans way of life during that period might be varied but they all have shared a long history together and similar longings and thus more often than not, imitate the good things that can be found in each other.For the Englishmen, they had freedom from having their passions done, especially the freedom to express and write and this was viewed as a favorable thing not only to themselves but to other nations in the continent. The same principles apply with the French chaateaux and its admirable tastes. And how about the Europeans impositions to have colonies? These were obviously laid out in the agreement of Utrecht and in the Treaty of Vienna. And when? Naturally, that was in the 18th Century Europe