"In this wonderful book, Thomas Patterson effectively dethrones the concept of 'civilization' as an abstract good, transcending human society." --Martin Bernal Drawing on his extensive knowledge of early societies, Thomas C. Patterson shows how class, sexism, and racism have been integral to the appearance of "civilized" societies in Western Europe. He lays out clearly and simply how civilization, with its designs of "civilizing" and "being civilized," has been closely tied to the rise of capitalism in Western Europe and the development of social classes.

"In this wonderful book, Thomas Patterson effectively dethrones the concept of 'civilization' as an abstract good, transcending human society." --Martin Bernal Drawing on his extensive knowledge of early societies, Thomas C. Patterson shows how class, sexism, and racism have been integral to the appearance of "civilized" societies in Western Europe. He lays out clearly and simply how civilization, with its designs of "civilizing" and "being civilized," has been closely tied to the rise of capitalism in Western Europe and the development of social classes.

""In this wonderful book, Thomas Patterson effectively dethrones the concept of 'civilization' as an abstract good, transcending human society."" --Martin Bernal Drawing on his extensive knowledge of early societies, Thomas C. Patterson shows how class, sexism, and racism have been integral to the appearance of ""civilized"" societies in Western Europe. He lays out clearly and simply how civilization, with its designs of ""civilizing"" and ""being civilized, "" has been closely tied to the rise of capitalism in Western Europe and the development of social classes

The Encyclopedia of the Modern World delves into the period from 1750 to the present, providing special attention to social, economic, cultural and political topics applicable to the time. The breadth of knowledge offered within this multivolume set is astounding, with features spanning articles on countries, regions, and ethnic groups; themes involving social history, demography, family life, politics, economics, religion, thought, education, science and technology, and culture; events such as major wars; and extensive coverage of the United States. Detailed articles cover not only the major facts but the interpretations as well and are written for readers who are not specialists in the particular area. Enriched with over 800 halftones and 50 maps, this reference work is essential for any scholar, general reader, collector or curator interested in this rich and varied time in history. Through its fluent global coverage The Encyclopedia of Modern World provides information about and interpretation of major developments across particular regionsboth salient events and regional perspectives on common themes such as politics, demography, social class, and gender. Readers can explore topics that have global implications, such as migration, childhood, and foods, topics that can be viewed through a combination of global patterns and key comparisons. Entries also shed light on standard geographic and ethnic units, such as Scandinavia, Korea, or the Gypsies, in the modern period. The Encyclopedia presents unprecedented coverage of global processes and institutions themselves including the International Red Cross, and the League of Nations. - Publisher.

"Aspects of Western Civilization "challenges students with basic questions regarding historical development, human nature, moral action, and practical necessity. This collection of diverse primary sources incorporates a wide variety of issues and is organized around seven major themes, including Revolution and Historical Transition, Imperialism, Social and Spiritual Values, the Varieties of Truth, the Institution and the Individual, the Power Structure, and Women in History.