Civilization Book Summary - Civilization Book explained in key points

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Civilization summary

Name: Civilization
Rating: 4.2 (107 reviews)
Author: Niall Ferguson

Niall Ferguson

The Six Killer Apps of Western Power

4.2 (107 ratings)

20 mins

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Culture

Table of Contents

Civilization
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Western nations have grown exponentially from relative poverty to world dominance over the past five centuries.

If you had been able to travel around the globe in the fifteenth century, you would have been more impressed with the civilizations of the Orient than with those of Europe. The societies in the East were more culturally and technologically advanced than their European counterparts. Europe was in fact a relative backwater, plagued by conflict among its many states. While China was able to mobilize its workforce to build great architectural projects like the Forbidden City, Europe was struggling with dreadful sanitation and violence.

Yet towards the end of the century, the nations of Europe had begun to grow economically and militarily. Over the next 500 years, the balance shifted overwhelmingly in favor of the West.

The development of the Western empires is one of the most obvious examples of this phenomenon. In 1500, the Western nations controlled just 10% of the world’s surface and 16% of its population. By 1900, this ratio had risen dramatically: just under two thirds of the world’s land and peoples, not to mention 79% of global economic output, were under the control of the Western empires.

Increasingly, the West’s domination stretched into other spheres. Western religion and Western science spread across the globe, with, for example, economic debate having long been dominated by the ideas of three Europeans: Adam Smith, John Maynard Keynes and Karl Marx. Even Western fashion became the widespread norm.

With this domination, living standards in the West rose compared to those elsewhere. By 1990, the average American was seventy-three times richer than the average Chinese – an extreme reversal of their fifteenth century statures.

Western nations have grown exponentially from relative poverty to world dominance over the past five centuries.

Western civilization developed six killer applications, which enabled it to dominate the rest of the world.

Historians have long theorized why a few Western nations managed to transform themselves from a position of relative poverty to world dominance. Some have argued that their imperialism, through which they subdued and exploited the rest of the world, was the key. Yet empires have existed throughout history, and many Eastern civilizations, such as the Chinese and Ottomans, had huge empires too. Hence, this and the majority of the other explanations for Western domination are too narrow and simplistic.

The truth is that Western civilization accomplished a series of six institutional developments. Institutions are crucial because they frame the values and norms in which a society operates; hence advances in those institutions carried great importance. These six developments (or, to use the language of the modern, computerized world, killer applications) propelled the West forward. The rest of the world, lacking these developments, was left behind.

A spirit of ruthless competition, developed in Europe, was vital for the development of capitalism and Western power.

Due to its geography, Europe is a fragmented continent. For much of its history, its many states were constantly at war with each other. Between 1500 and 1799, Spain was at war with foreign enemies 81% of the time, England 53% and France 52%.

Even though life was dreadful for the populations living in the war zones, this constant warring provided the launch pad for future Western dominance. Competition between states led to technological advances in military hardware as each one tried to gain the upper hand by developing new weapons and defenses.

The development of scientific principles gave the West a crucial advantage over other societies.

In the seventeenth century, European scholars were busily engaged in discovering the secrets of the natural world. This was the beginning of a scientific revolution, which saw the creations of modern disciplines such as biology, mathematics and astronomy. These developments were almost entirely European in nature.

Why?

The model of representative government based on property rights and the rule of law provides the strongest societies.

The discovery and colonization of the Americas provided a perfect experiment between two Western models of political and social organization. The British in North America and the Spanish in South and Central America developed two diametrically opposed systems.

There can be no doubt which system proved most successful. By the twentieth century, the United States had become a world superpower with a stable, democratic constitution. The nations to its south, however, suffered centuries of instability following independence.

The development of modern medicine spread Western civilization and helped raise global life expectancy.

Before the development of modern medicine, life was pretty dreadful. Life expectancy across the globe was low and most people expected to die at a relatively young age. Diseases such as plague and smallpox were rife in appalling sanitary conditions; the population of Europe, for example, had been halved by the Black Death epidemic.

Yet in eighteenth-century Europe, life expectancy started to increase. Huge improvements in public health and science led to better sanitation and developments such as vaccinations. By the twentieth century, killer diseases such as typhoid, which had plagued Europe for centuries, were almost eliminated. These developments alone helped the standards of health in the West rocket above those in other civilizations.

The formation of a consumer society radically raised the standard of living in the West.

The Industrial Revolution erupted from developments in the textile industry in eighteenth-century Britain. Due to high labor costs and the abundance of cheap coal, the early industrialists turned to technology to keep production profitable.

The results were astounding. Productivity in Britain shot up and the cost of cotton goods dived. But alongside this revolution in supply, a similar, lesser-known revolution occurred in the demand for textiles. Suddenly, people across the globe desired new, affordable clothing, and this demand fuelled the growth of the textile industry.

Protestantism helped create a work ethic that encouraged people to work hard and save money.

After the Christian Reformation, beginning in fifteenth-century Europe, the new Protestant nations that were formed grew at a faster rate than Catholic ones. Perhaps the main reason for this was the work ethic developed from the values of Protestantism. This work ethic was one of the killer apps that enabled Western civilization to grow and prosper.

Protestantism is a religion where knowledge, literacy, thrift and hard work are highly valued. These are all principles crucial to economic prosperity. In addition, Protestant communities tend to be based on trust and honesty, allowing for networks of credit and business to thrive, again propelling economic development.

Many other civilizations have tried to copy elements of Western success.

Many in the rest of the world have looked back at the centuries of Western dominance and wondered how it has been possible. Eager for success of their own, several nations have aimed to download the killer applications that enabled Western civilization to flourish.

The first nation to appreciate the need to westernize in order to grow was Japan. In the late nineteenth century, Japanese leaders attempted to completely transform their society, culture and institutions based on Western models. Out went the centuries of traditional clothing, for example. In its place came Western fashions, including a new Western dress code for civil servants and the military. This westernization also included the development of a Western style industry and consumer society, both of which greatly helped Japan catch up with the Western nations.

The future of Western dominance is uncertain, as Westerners have forgotten some of the vital killer applications.

The great divergence,which saw the West’s prosperity and power soar above the rest of the world, is slowly waning. Many fear that the dominance of Western civilization that has characterized the last five centuries is over.

The fears are largely justified. The Western economies have been hit hard by the recent financial crisis. Many are struggling with huge levels of debt and a declining confidence in their economies, while the economies in Asia, most notably that of China, continue to show staggering levels of growth.

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What is Civilization about?

There seems to be a crisis of confidence in the West. In the face of the rising power of China, and with a seeming lack of interest in its own history and civilization, many fear that the West has somehow lost it way.

Civilization aims to explain why the West grew so powerful and dominated the rest of the world. The answer lies with six killer applications, which enabled the West to overcome the rest. Yet vital questions arise: Has the West forgotten these killer apps and will this lead to its collapse?

Who should read Civilization?

Students of history and politics
Those who wonder how the West became so powerful compared to the rest of the world
Anyone who fears the collapse of Western civilization

About the Author

Niall Ferguson is one of the leading and most controversial historians of his generation. He is the author of many bestsellers on financial and political history, including The Ascent of Money, Empire and War of the World.

In addition to his academic work he has written and presented many highly successful television series based on his books, including Civilization.

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