A Concise Survey of Western Civilization: Supremacies and Diversities throughout History Volume 1

About this book

This lively text offers a brief readable description of our common Western heritage as it began in the first human societies and developed in ancient Greece and Rome then through the Middle Ages. Providing a tightly focused narrative and interpretive structure Brian A. Pavlac covers the basic historical information that all educated adults should know. His joined terms supremacies and diversities develop major themes of conflict and creativity throughout history. Supremacies centers on the use of power to dominate societies ranging from warfare to ideologies. Supremacy seeks stability order and incorporation. Diversities encompasses the creative impulse that produces new ideas as well as the efforts of groups of people to define themselves as different. Diversity creates change opportunity and individuality. These themes of historical tension and changewhether applied to political economic technological social or cultural trendsoffer a bridging explanatory organization. The text is also informed by five topical themes: technological innovation migration and conquest political and economic decision making church and state and disputes about the meaning of life. Throughout judicious basic principles present summaries of historical realities and primary source projects offer students the chance to evaluate differing points of view about the past. Written with flair this easily accessible yet deeply knowledgeable text provides all the essentials for courses on Western Civilization.