Western Civilizations [antikvár]

T X HIS BOOK was published originally in 1941 and revised in 1947, 1949, and 1954. Since the last revision much has occurred to bring into sharper focus the dramatic events of the modern world. We are now able to see more clearly the revolutionary trends of our times. To describe and assess the significance of such developments as the decline of Western Europe, the ascendancy of the Soviet Union and the United States, the power struggle between East and West, the nationalist revolt against imperialism, and the awesome achievements in the fields of atomic and thermonuclear energy, a new edition of Western Civilizations becomes necessary. But the present revision is not a mere enlargement of its predecessors. The entire book has been reset. Much new material has been added, but much of the old has been eliminated, and rewriting has been done throughout. Nota- ble changes include: a reduction of the material on philosophy, espe- cially on the less important thinkers; an increase of political history, particularly of the medieval and early modern; a reorganization and enlargement of many chapters; a complete revision of reading lists and their transfer from the end of the book to the concluding page of each chapter; and a thorough study and correction of the maps, with the addition of several new ones. The entire problem of illus- trative materials has been re-examined with results which should add immeasurably to their value in the book. With the exception of the color plates, which it is hoped will awaken a new interest in the artistic accomplishments of the past and the present, all photographs, engravings, and drawings are reproduced on pages of the text as close as possible to the subjects they illustrate. The purpose of this book is to present a compact survey of man's struggles, ideals, and achievements from ancient times to the present. Because of limitations of space, however, the record has had to be confined primarily to western Asia, northern Africa, Europe, and the