Mr. Crandall's History Class Blog

After reading both articles of “Did the West Define the Modern World”, I support the Yes argument made by William H. McNeill in “The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community”. This argument shows that through trade, technology, military techniques, and political structures, the West was ahead of and an example to the rest of the world in development.

An example of this is Europe’s exploration and development in the 1500s via advanced maritime technology. Using the compass, charted maps, and wind patterns (Issue 18 Page 322) were able to reach parts of Asia and Africa. Advancements in ship size and sturdy construction also helped the Europeans accomplish this.

Another example is the impact the Europeans had on other developing cultures. ” In such diverse areas as Japan, Burma, Siam, Russia, and parts of Africa, an initial interest in and occasional eagerness to accept European techniques, ideas, religion, or fashions of dresss was supplanted” (Issue 18 Page 326). There were converts to Christianity due to travelers from Europe, such as Christian populations in the Phillipines. Western politics and society also supplemented other distant cultures.

To be continued…

The No argument, “The World and the West” by Phillip D Curtain, also contains evidence showing Western dominance. In saying “European mariners revolutionized human ability to travel by sea” (Issue 18 Page 329), the author acknowledges that Westerners transformed world travel. The article recognizes Europe’s signifigant advantage in military technology and increased geographical knowledge. Exemplified by contact with India, Europeans were successful in slowly increasing their influence in a foreign country to “the point that they were de facto rulers” (Page 335).

Both arguments in the issue packet show Europe’s considerable advantage and influence over the rest of the developing world.

Did the West define the modern world? I agree with William H. McNeill, in “The Far West’s Challenge to the world, 1500-1700 A.D.” McNeill explains how the West used their navigational skills, brutality and warlikeness, political power, and technology to expand their boundries and influence other cultures.

The West’s advancement in naval knowledge, and the use of portolans allowed Europeans to sail farther (322). The Portuguese also improved ship construction, increasing the size and sturdyness (323). They sailed into distant and unknown seas with explorers such as Vasco de Gama, Columbus, and Magellan (319-packet). They, along with other explorers, broke the barrier between the West and the Americas (319). They spread their ways of life, along with diseases. Cortez and Pizarro used brutallity, attacking the Aztec and the Inca, bringing disease to their civilization (322). The Europeans also attacked the Moslems and Japenese, the samurai were no match for Europeans forceful warfare (322). The combination of European warlikeness, naval techniques, and high level to resistance of disease transformed the cultural balance of the world in a short period of time (324).

Therefore, McNeill is right in saying the West affected the world in more ways then one, with their force, confidance and technology.

Oh, and all of the page numbers are from the packet!:)

Did the West Define the Modern World?

I agree with Hayley and Savanna, believing that the West did define the modern world, or at least as we know of it today. As William H. McNeill says in his article, “The Far West’s Challenge to the World,” world history had never transformed socially so quickly as ever before (McNeill 327). Expansion of both political and economical boundaries spurred the social expansions of the world as more ideas, influences, products, and people flooded into Europe, brought in by various travelers. Because of the Protestant Reformation in Europe during the sixteenth century, it set the course for the Age of Enlightenment as more people started questioning the beliefs of the Church. Revolutions created new forms of government which are used today (Duiker 542).

Philip D. Curtain argues against the West’s impact on the modern world, saying that colonialization, as the term is often used, is characteristic of conquest (Curtain 328). Of course, Europe’s influence was spread by conquest to the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Immigration spread disease, wiping out many natives on these continents and making it easier for European conquests. Curtain believes that territorial and imperial power, which are similar to the rule over lands today, did not originate from Europe (Curtain 336). Although this is true, Europe did bring forth the new forms of government, making sure that the people had a say in political affairs. For example, the French revolution began nationalism, and identity for one’s country which is a familiar characteristic of modern countries (536).

Overall, the West’s influence created the modern world by changing and defining forms of government, society, and the economy from the “older” times, to the modern era.

Did the west define the Modern World?
After reading both articles I don’t think so. The Europeans were farther advanced than the modern world with guns, trade, and a well developed civilization. That still doesn’t mean if it weren’t for the west the modern world wouldn’t have advanced. They could have but just within a slower pace than the Europeans. As said in some of the videos we watched in class most of the civilizations the Europeans were a well developed society just not as advanced. If the Europeans had not gone to such modern civilizations like the Americas I think they eventually would of advanced over time just like modern civilzations before them. After all weren’t we all supposedly monkeys we eventually evolved over time.

I agree with the first three that yes, the west did define the modern world.

They made important advances in science, technology, weapons, and politics. They colonized new lands because with their naval advances, they could sail farther. They also made advances in warfare that changed how people fought. They introduced new weopons that overpowered any others.

The scientific advancements made by the west re-shaped peoples ideas of the world and how things happened. This knowledge spread to other places throughout the world.

The world as we know it today would not be the same without everything that came from the west during that period.

Did the West Define the Modern World?
After reading both articles I agree that the west did define the modern world through technology, weapons, religion, and science.

As Europeans’ knowledge of the seas grew their technolgy improved. The Europeans began to use the compass and wind patterns to help navigate their explorations. They also used the maps. Their advanced knowledge of the sea allowed them to expand their trade. The transoceanic channel of communication allowed the Europeans to transfer crops, gold, silver, and diseases to other countries.

Ideas and techniques were passed through the sea lanes and allowed many Europeans to convert many others in the world. Religion and cultures was spreading quickly through trade and sea lanes. Also, science changed the way people looked at things in the world. New innovations of weapons were passed on to other countries. The European ships were always being improved and larger ships were being made with large cannons on board.

Diseases like smallpox, measels, yellow fever and malaria killed millions. The diseases weakened opponents of Europeans helping them conquer empires such as the Incas, Aztecs. The diseases affected many other countries like Africa and India. Many other diseases were passed on and killed many more people.

The West defined the Modern World through the spread of diseases, technology, weapons, and science.

I would have to also say yes i agree with professor William H. McNeill that the west did influence the modern world.
For one thing supremacy at sea and advanced products such as the introduction of the compass in the thirteenth century, gave the west more opportunity to advance further, along with the use of portolans which allowed navigation beyond sight of land to become a regular practice. Portolans maintained fairly accuarte scales of distance but later were made even greater when Prince Henry brought some of the best mathmaticians to measure latiitude of newly discover places along the african coast (322).
The new methods allowed the Portuguese to make usuable charts of the atlantic coasts. This allowed sea captains sail beyond sight of land for weeks or months at a time something they were not able to do before.
The Portuguese also improved ship construction, increasing the size and sturdyness. They used deliberate equipment and increased speed along with worthiness to the ships. Their ships could deliver a heavy broadside and their Moslem enimies could not begin to match (323). They sailed into distant and unknown seas with explorers such as Vasco de Gama, Columbus, and Magellan.
Their third weapon was disease which was important. Diseases like smallpox and measels became lethal epidemics among Amerindian people. These people hadnt accquired immunity to such diseases. Millions died from these European diseases (323).

Europe’s improvements transformed the medieval frame of Western civilization into a new more powerful organization of society.

At no previous time in history had the pace of social transformation been so rapid (327).

Ughh… I’m a bit rusty… I haven’t put a response on the blog in a long time.
Okay, I know we aren’t supposed to flip-flop back and forth between one side and the other, but with this one… I feel I have to.
I don’t think that the West necessarily “defined” the modern world, but it did have a lot of impact on the rest of the world. What I think, is that the the Renaissance/Enlightenment/and various cultural revolutions, happened in Europe(because of their “geographic luck”) leading to their eventual “modernization”. Now, their “modernization” allowed them to travel around easier, meaning they came into contact with the other civilizations on Earth. So, the ideas the Europeans got, by way of modernization, got passed around to other areas, leading to those areas subsequent modernization. And we, people studying this, got the (wrong)impression that this means that the West is the coolest thing since sliced bread. Which was probably “invented” during the Industrial Revolution which led to the very idea of Western Dominance!

Did the West define the Modern World? I would have to agree with Willian H. McNeill when he says the west did define the modern world. Through their colonial process and superior military technology, western europe was able to set up trading posts and push their influence of religon and economics which, can still be seen today. Large civlizations such as the ones of the Maya down in Mexico that could have easliy been the ones to shape the modern world were reduced to nothing but a small farming village of its former self. In other places such as Russia and the Americas in the 1700’s, western europe began to push thier political domince in these areas which lead to an upheavel in the Americas causing a revolution, eventually leading to today with America as one of if not the only remaining super power in existince. So yes the west did help deifne the modern world.

Did the west define the modern world
im going to say that yes the west did because the west with its superior technology preety muchconquered the world at one point. They colonized the entire western hemisphere, Australia and parts of africa. Another reason that I would say the west defined the modern world is when I was reading this article it reminded me of back in the day of like 2nd grade when ever we learned about any history we mostly learned about the west and then ourselves. maybe thats because we were Britians colony and this influenced my history classes, but it could also be because as we learned this year the victours right history and the west has beenthe victor of the modern world.