Synopses & Reviews
This survey text presents the Western intellectual tradition within a chronology of political history. Known for its accessible writing style, Western Civilization appeals to students and instructors alike for its brevity, clarity, and careful selection of content. New technology resources, including Houghton Mifflin's Eduspace course management system, make learning more engaging and instruction more efficient.In the Eighth Edition, several new pedagogical features support students throughout the term. Chapter-opening focus questions direct students to important themes, while a glossary reinforces key terms and concepts. New icons in the text direct students to online resources such as maps, primary sources, and practice test questions. In addition, the new edition retains many popular features, including comparative timelines, full-color maps with physical geography essays, and primary source excerpts.
Synopsis
This text presents the Western intellectual tradition within a chronology of political history. Its accessible writing style appeals to students and instructors because of its brevity, simplicity of presentation, selective choice of content, and clear explanations.
Comparative timelines appear at the end of each text part to show the relationship between the political and intellectual history of the West. A full-color map with an essay on physical geography appears at the beginning of each volume to help students orient themselves to European geography. Primary source excerpts integrated throughout the narrative show students the materials that historians work with every day.
About the Author
Marvin Perry is a retired Professor of History at Baruch College, City University of New York. He has published several successful Cengage Learning texts, including WESTERN CIVILIZATION: A BRIEF HISTORY; SOURCES OF THE WESTERN TRADITION, the leading Western Civilization reader; AN INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF MODERN EUROPE; WESTERN CIVILIZATION: IDEAS, POLITICS, AND SOCIETY (senior author and general editor); SOURCES OF EUROPEAN HISTORY SINCE 1900 (senior editor); and HUMANITIES IN THE WESTERN TRADITION (senior author and general editor). Dr. Perry?s scholarly work focuses on the history of ideas.Myrna Chase teaches at Baruch College, City University of New York, and is a specialist in 19th-century France and England. In 1980, she published Eli Halevy: An Intellectual Biography. She contributes the chapters on the Industrial Revolution, the Industrial West, and Imperialism.James R. Jacob is a retired professor of history at the John Jay School of Criminal Justice, CUNY. His publications include Robert Boyle and the English Revolution (1978) and Henry Stubbe: Radical Protestantism and the Early Enlightenment (1983). He contributes the chapters on the Renaissance and European Expansion.Margaret C. Jacob is a well-known scholar in early modern European history. She currently teaches in the history department at UCLA. Her publications include The Newtonians and the English Revolution (1978) and The Radical Enlightenment: Pantheists, Freemasons, and the Scientific Revolution (1987). Along with James R. Jacob, Dr. Jacob edited The Origins of Anglo-American Radicalism (1983). She contributes the chapters on the Reformation, the National State, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment.
Table of Contents
I. The Ancient World: Foundation of the West to A.D. 500 1. The Ancient Near East: The First Civilizations The Rise to Civilization Mesopotamian Civilization Egyptian Civilization Empire Builders The Religious Orientation of the Near East 2. The Hebrews: A New View of God and the Individual Outline of Hebrew History God: One, Sovereign, Transcendent, Good The Individual and Moral Autonomy The Covenant and the Law The Hebrew Idea of History The Prophets The Legacy of the Ancient Jews 3. The Greek City-State: Democratic Politics Early Aegean Civilizations The Rise of Hellenic Civilization Evolution of the City-State Athenian Greatness The Decline of the City-States The Dilemma of Greek Politics 4. Greek Thought: From Myth to Reason Philosophy Art Poetry and Drama History The Greek Achievement: Reason, Freedom, Humanism 5. The Hellenistic