How did the West overtake its Eastern rivals? And has the zenith of Western power now passed? Acclaimed historian Niall Ferguson argues that beginning in the fifteenth century, the West developed six powerful new concepts, or “killer applications”—competition, science, the rule of law, modern medicine, consumerism, and the work ethic—that the Rest lacked, allowing it to surge past all other competitors.
Yet now, Ferguson shows how the Rest have downloaded the killer apps the West once monopolized, while the West has literally lost faith in itself. Chronicling the rise and fall of empires alongside clashes (and fusions) of civilizations, Civilization: The West and the Rest recasts world history with force and wit. Boldly argued and teeming with memorable characters, this is Ferguson at his very best.
“[W]ritten with vitality and verve… a tour de force.”
(BOSTON GLOBE)
"A dazzling history of Western ideas."
(THE ECONOMIST)
“This
is sharp. It feels urgent. Ferguson, with a properly financially
literate mind, twists his knife with great literary brio…Ferguson ends
by suggesting the biggest threat is not China but ourselves – our
cowardice, drawn from ignorance, even stupidity, about our past. He is
right. But as he shows himself, that can be fixed.”
(THE FINANCIAL TIMES)
“The
author boldly takes on 600 years of world events… so that the history
lesson remains fresh and compelling… A richly informed, accessible
history lesson.”
(KIRKUS (starred))
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