The Rise of Western Power

by Jonathan Daly

The West's history is one of extraordinary success; no other region, empire, culture, or civilization has left so powerful a mark upon the world. The Rise of Western Power charts the West's achievements-representative government, the free enterprise system, modern science, and the rule of law-as well as its misdeeds-two frighteningly destructive World Wars, the Holocaust, imperialistic domination, and the Atlantic slave trade.

Adopting a global perspective, Jonathan Daly explores the contributions of other cultures and civilizations to the West's emergence. Historical, geographical, and cultural factors all unfold in the narrative. Adopting a thematic structure, the book traces the rise of Western power through a series of revolutions-social, political, technological, military, commercial, and industrial, among others. The result is a clear and engaging introduction to the history of Western civilization.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

666 pages, Paperback

First published December 19, 2013

Reviews

[Katrinka · Rating 4 out of 5]

see pani mu pea valutama, aga väga tark raamat, piisavalt põhjalik, jaotatud loogiliselt ning tekst ladus ja tärgatab huvi.

[Vivian · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this book Daly argues that the main driver of the recent extraordinary rise of the West is innovation, and aims to illustrate his points from geographical, historical, and cultural perspectives. He includes a lot of historical facts and valid arguments that are educational and insightful. So for me it was not a waste of time to read.

Nevertheless, I'm giving it 2 stars because, first of all, aimed as a dry academic textbook, it is extremely dull to read - expect to doze off every now and then. Secondly and more importantly, in the last few chapters when it comes to the era of colonialism and imperialism, Daly cherry-picks the facts to present in order to further his "innovation as main driver" conclusion, which inevitably downplays the advantages of accumulated wealth from colonies/slaveries and ignores the long lasting hindrance from imperialism to the development of non-West countries. The last chapter was almost hailing the US as a modern utopia. My eyes rolled so hard they fell out. Has anyone seen my eyes?

Honestly, I was shocked to see such a "US-centrism" world history textbook filtered through white-privilege lens published in 2021 (I read the 2nd Edition). Daly might have presented historical facts, but his lack of empathy for the suffering of humanity as a historian was truly disappointing.

[Jackson Cyril · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book best consigned to the dustbin, or the fire.