Part 5 Western Expansion & Globalization

I just finished a nineteen week Western Civilization course last month so the chapters were familiar to

me. I like the way Strayer explains things, the way he ties things together. Strayer points out how

history textbooks have often reflected a Europe-centered outlook in a sometimes blatant manner. I

was skeptical myself before I started this course. I wondered why on earth did I need to study the

"history of the world?" I always felt that Western culture always was most important, and needed the

most time devoted to study. After attending this class for six weeks, I realize the importance for

studying all the other subjects in the book. It has been interesting learning of the migration of early

humans, making their way to America via the Bering Land Bridge, and possibly, The Kelp Highway.

I would have never given much of the things I have been reading about over the past few weeks, had

I not been enrolled in this class. I know that it can be a lot to cover, but I find that it is a good read. It

is interesting how Strayer refers to the time period between 1750 and 1914 "the long nineteenth

century." He is again making his own division for histories timeline. Strayer  makes it a point to let

the reader know that Europe's great success during this time period was not responsible by Europe all

 on its own. A series of different factors were involved. If I  could only remember a few things that I

have learned about all the things that happened during this time period, on top of my list would be the

notion of nationalism. Nationalism was the driving force behind all the revolutions and changes

during this time. The ideas derived from European Enlightenment was spreading everywhere quickly

with the help of ocean travel in the form of newspapers, books, and pamphlets. The main idea behind

these publications was the notion that human political and  social arrangements could be engineered,

and improved, by human action. New ideas of liberty, equality, free trade, religious tolerance,

republicanism, and human rationality were in the air. It was an exciting and dangerous time to live. I

find it not surprising to learn that the American Revolution did not grow out of tensions between the

colonies, but that it grew out of the greed of the British government. Im glad it happened because it

produced a document that the whole rest of the world admires, the Declaration of Independence. The

"right to revolution," inspired revolutionaries and nationalists around the world. The importance of

the U.S. Constitution, with its Bill of Rights, cannot be overlooked either. It was one of the first

sustained efforts to put the political ideas of the Enlightenment in to practice and that document, and

the ideas that it embraced, echoed in the political upheavals of the century that followed.