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237 Western Civilization Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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Greek and Roman Civilizations’ Input to Modern World The Greek and the Roman civilizations are two of the most influential civilizations that have ever graced the face of this world and two civilizations started in the cities of Athens and Rome.
Ancient Greek Mythical Characters The story of Icarus and Daedalus is told in a Roman source, Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”; the Isle of Crete was blocked by the order of King Minos, but Daedalus wanted to return to his home, Athens.
Christianity in the Roman Empire and Its Spread Factors Towards the end of the first century, Christianity had spread in the Roman Empire to the extent that the government officials’ attention was drawn by this new religion.
Mesopotamian Civilization The history of this great land can be traced through looking at the history of different people who occupied it who included the Sumerians, the Akkadians, the Amorites, the Hitites, the Kassites, the Assyrians, and […]
Mathematics in Ancient Greek Architecture One of the pillars of the art of architecture has been mathematics, and the development of this science in Ancient Greece enabled Ancient Greek architects to create beautiful buildings.
Ancient Rome: The Birthplace of Modern Sports The popularity of sporting competition in the modern society reflects that of the ancient Roman Empire’s vision for its society. Chariot racing was one of the most popular sports in ancient Rome, it later spread […]
The Ancient Greek Tragedy “Antigone” The theme raised by Sophocles in the play is the theme of duty and family, which is still relevant to this day.
The River Nile and Its Contribution to Ancient Egyptian Civilization The source of the river remained a mystery to the early inhabitants of ancient Egypt for a considerable amount of time.
The Concept of Deduction in Ancient Greek and Egyptian Mathematics The work of the famous and great Ancient Greek mathematicians has played a vital role in permeating every aspect, section, and part of life, especially from the sector of sending the rockets into space, accounting, […]
Germanic Invasions and the Fall of the Roman Empire As a result of unbearable conditions from the Roman administration, the Visigoths revolted and conquered the Romans and killed their emperor Valens in Adrianople in the late 4th century.
Technology and Innovation: Western Civilization History The people living in the Western world were stuck in the innovation and technology that was available in the Medieval Age.
The Architecture of Ancient Greece Found in Los Angeles This paper is aimed at presenting an exploration of the reinterpretations of the stylistics period of the Ancient Greek epitomized in the architecture of the ancient Greece.
Comparison Between Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece’s Burial Rituals On the other hand, the burial rituals of the ancient Greeks in the period of 750BCE and 700BCE were affected by the age of geometry.
Socrates’ Impact on Western Civilization Socrates defined the concepts of evil and good, assuming the achievement of the goals of self-knowledge as the highest virtue. In disputes, Socrates sought to prove the practicality and reasonableness of the world and a […]
Mesopotamia and Egyptian Civilizations Comparison The social structures of Mesopotamia and Egypt were similar in the fact that they both had broad social class systems with many tiers of power.
Christianity in the Roman Empire The subjects of the Empire enjoyed a high standard of living due to the accumulated wealth and the expansionary success of the Empire.
Contributions of Mesopotamian Civilizations The former results were possible with the invention of the wheel, the chariot, and the sailboat, which allowed citizens to make the first trips in history.
Art History: Female Figures in Ancient Greek Sculpture The development of female figures in ancient Greek sculpture was noticeable during those times; each period added something new; the influence of other countries and their cultures was reflected in almost each piece of work, […]
The Role of Poets and the Place of Poetry in Ancient Greece The Muse is the giver of gifts and in this case it is the gift to create words that are melodious to the ear but at the same time the power to move the hearts […]
Slavery in the Roman Empire The elite were the rich people, and majority of the population that comprised of the common farmers, artisans, and merchants known as the plebeians occupied the low status.
Rise of the Roman Empire Romulus Augustulus who was the last emperor of the Western empire was deposed in the year 476 and this marked the end of the empire.
The Eloquent Peasant Story and Ancient Egyptian Law The characters in the story are the peasant Khun-Anup, the vassal of the high steward, Nemtynakht, the high steward Rensi, and King Nebkaure.
Urbanization Process in Mesopotamia History of the involvement of the cities in the world has different reasons that lead to the development and establishment of the towns.
Comparison of Sumerian and Egyptian Civilization The most important similarity, which also explains the prosperity of the Sumerians and Egyptians, is the territory and environment. Some similarities can be traced to the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and the Sumerians.
Mesopotamia vs. Mexica (Aztec) Civilizations The society was located in the Valley of Mexico, and its capital was Tenochtitlan, now the site of modern Mexico City. The Mexica religion was a major part of their culture and played a significant […]
Ancient Egypt’s Geographical Features and Development Thanks to the flooding of the river, the Egyptians received irrigation of the land, and it was also used for fishing and hunting. The specific situation of the country was the key to the highest […]
The Roman Empire and the Roman Republic Among the similarities is the use of the same language, Latin, and the worshipping of Gods. As for the fundamental distinction between the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire is that the republic was a […]
Religion and Society in Ancient Egypt The king sought to control the flow of resources which were collected from the provinces and peasants and channeled upward. The class division was strongly present in the mythology of Ancient Egypt and was accepted […]
Comparing and Contrasting the Confucius Ideas With Ancient Greek Thinkers As far as the body and the soul interacted, Plato also commented on the things that the soul could be influenced by the work or the actions of the body.
Ancient Greek Philosophers: A Critical Evaluation of Their Impact on Modern Thought However, according to the article, it is imperative to note that neither reason nor the quest for evidence started with the ancient Greeks, but the pre-Socratic philosophers endeavored to identify a single underlying standard that […]
Environmental Factors in the Emergence of the Egyptian Civilization Importantly, the physical composition of the land and natural resources alongside artifacts of ancient Egypt had a substantial impact on the country’s growth and development.
Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire With this insight into the fall of the Roman empire, we realize that there’s still a cultural line between ancient Rome and the contemporary world.
Suffering in the Ancient, Roman and Greek Periods It can be noted that in all cases suffering was seen as evil in some quarters of the ancient world as is seen today.
Mythology’s Role in the Ancient Greece – God Poseidon He was believed to be the creator and the controller of the sea therefore, people gave him respect and they make him to become angry. Poseidon was a god of the sea and therefore was […]
Civilization in Ancient Egypt The civilization of ancient Egypt happened at the same time Mesopotamian civilization was taking place in other areas in the nations of the Akkadians, Babylonians and the Sumerians. Indeed, religion in ancient Egypt led to […]
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire The purpose of this essay is to examine the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, including the influence of the Catholic Church and Kings in the secular and religious activities of the Europeans.
Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead It is a critical and ending part of the journey in the afterlife when the individual would arrive at the Hall of Maat and the purity of their soul is judged before entering the Kingdom […]
History: Ancient Greek Olympics Hence, the myth concerning the emergence of the Olympic Games involves Zeus. The Olympic Games owed their integrity and significance to religion.
Ancient Egypt vs. Ancient Greece In this paper, the researcher seeks to investigate the extent to which Ancient Egypt became Greek and the extent to which it remained the same during and after the rule by Ancient Greece.
BBC Ancient Greece: The Greatest Show on Earth The presenter of this video talks about the importance of theater culture to the people of ancient Athens. In the days of the ancient Greeks, the people of Athens learned the latest news from theatrical […]
Ancient Greek Culture, Philosophy and Science A few early Greek philosophers of the 6th century BCE began forming theories about the natural formations of the cosmos that went beyond the commonly held beliefs of the divine beings in the sky2.
Art History: Art and Medicine of the Ancient Egypt According to the Egyptian historian Manetho, Imhotep was the first architect who invented the technique of building with the use of a dressed stone. In ancient Egypt, the falcon represented the god Horus who was […]
World History: The Roman Empire Understanding the document first requires one to understand the historical background of the Roman Empire: the formation of the Republic and its collapse.
City States in Ancient Greece and Renaissance Italy Similarities According to Spencer the invasion by the Dorians was one reason that strengthened the growth of the city states. In Italy, the city-states authority belonged to rich and the gentries.
What Factors Contributed to the Dissolution of the Roman Empire? One of the major reasons that led to the fall of the Roman Empire was the decline in morals particularly among the emperors, nobles as well as the upper rich classes.
History of Perpetua and the Roman Empire Successes in the military operations facilitated the development of the African province and fortified the influence of the Roman Empire’s culture and religion.
History of Ancient Greek It was the accuracy and correctness of the prediction that daunted astronomers for years to come. This event hailed a new set of astronomers who tried to figure out the means to predict such future […]
The Control of Women’s Sexuality in the Roman Empire They were mostly confined to their homes, were under the authority of a male member of the family, could not work outside the house, and could not be as educated as the men.
Polytheism of Ancient Greek and Babylonians Compared Turning on to the cult and political organization the gods do participate in the political and governance structures of the societies.
Religion in Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire Religion in the Holy Roman Empire was a far contrast to the religion in ancient Rome. In the Byzantine Empire religion is the lifeblood of the whole society.
Alexander the Great: A Pioneer of Western Civilization Alexander the Great used the Roman Empire to spread Greek civilization to Europe and the rest of the world. The Greek Macedonian Empire that was established by Alexander the Great extended to many parts of […]
Pride in Ancient Greek This paper discusses the character and behavior of two Heroes in the Iliad with the aim of explaining the Geeks’ concept of pride.
Multicultural Roman Empire History Furthermore, the Romans were influenced by the Etruscans, a neighboring tribe to the northwest of Rome, who were allied with and then conquering the newly formed city-state.
Ancient Greek vs. Roman Sculpture in the Late Classical Period The left-hand drops her clothes onto the jar of water, the head is turned to the left, and the right hand is extended in front of the pudenda.
The Knitting Relic: Women, Art, and Western Civilization The lady’s actions show knitting’s role and centrality in delivering Normandy and granting success and a sense of accomplishment to the western world.
The Role of Women in Ancient Egypt Right to the property for married women and their right to private inheritance and inheritance of the community property belonging to the husband was an essential nature of the status of women in Ancient Egyptian […]
The Ancient Greek Society: Role of Religion In the cultural sense, the phrase ‘ancient Greece’ refers to the way of life of the ancient Greek people as depicted in their mode of worship, language, governance, entertainment and their understanding of the physical […]
Egyptian Civilization’s History The occupation of the Nile Valley by the Romans in 31 BC marked the beginning of change in the culture of the Egyptians.
Race in Ancient Egypt Due to race infiltration in Egypt, majority of the black people were under-educated and denied the facts that spelled out the true history of Ancient Egypt, achievements of the black population, and their original works […]
Alexander the Great: Western Civilization The spread of the Greek language to other parts of the world was due to the introduction of the Macedonian culture to the Persian Empire.
Social Behavior Patterns in Early Western Civilizations The line of Mao gave the indication of the aim of the song in one way or the other. New York: Cengage Learning, 2003.
The Great Leap Forward: Societies in Early Mesopotamia Chavalas presents the notion that one of the drawbacks behind the hunter and gatherer stage that existed prior to the development of complex and stratified societies was the lack of sufficient concentrations of native populations.
Inventions of the Ancient Romans The Romans built some of the most impressive buildings in the world, including the Pantheon and the Colosseum. Thus, the Romans were ahead of their time, and their legacy continues to shape modern engineering and […]
Cats in Ancient Egyptian Culture: Religious, Social, and Cultural Significance The Egyptians faced lions, panthers, and jungle cats in the woods. In Ancient Egypt, cats were an embodiment of the sun god.
Deduction in Ancient Greece and Egypt Mathematics and the use of formulas have played an important role in the development of the modern world. The Golden Ratio concept was used in this part of the world.
The Roman Empire and Its Fall in 476 A.D. The Byzantine Empire, which emerged in the East, claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Roman Empire, and its rulers continued to use the title of ‘Emperor.’ The Byzantine Empire maintained much of the […]
The Ancient Roman Aqueducts and Their Structure This work focuses on the principles of building aqueducts, the materials utilized in the process, the key uses, and the specifics of the repair.
The Democracies of Ancient Greece and the Roman Republic Any democracy which, at least formally, is based on the power of the majority, equality of citizens, protection of their rights and freedoms, a system of separation of powers, and electability of authorities implies a […]
Ancient Egyptians’ Origins and Ethnicity For the longest time in the period from the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century, the Caucasian theory of the origin of the ancient Egyptians dominated.
Herbal Medicine and Remedies in Ancient Egypt Additionally, the water lily, a plant belonging to the genus Nymphaea, was utilized for religious purposes and as a kind of medicine in ancient Egypt. 2005 The Art of Medicine in Ancient Egypt.
Culture of Ancient Greece in The Odyssey by Homer The Odyssey is one of the oldest and most well-known epics in the world. This can be attributed to Homer’s ability to describe the culture and life of the people of the ancient era with […]
Western Civilization: Philosophies and Sciences Western civilization is the body of art, literature, culture, and timeless concepts that originated in the eastern Mediterranean in the pre-Common Era during the 17 to 19th centuries.
Tigris and Euphrates’ Significance for Mesopotamia Now, Mesopotamia is understood mainly as a valley in the lower reaches of these rivers, and lands are added to it east of the Tigris and west of the Euphrates.
Ethnic Minorities in Ancient Egypt The main topic of the article is the study of the characteristics of various ethnic groups and social organizations in the Ancient Egyptian civilization.
How “African” Was Ancient Egypt? Some argue that the Ancient Egyptians must have been Black Africans, while others state that cannot be true, at least in terms of physical appearance, Combined with the peculiarity of Egyptian culture, from this emerges […]
The Ancient Greek Culture Impact on Western Civilization The most significant public structures in the city were gathered around the temple in the city’s center, which served as the power headquarters.
The Significance of the Colosseum to Ancient Rome: Image Commentary The image shows only what survived of the arena after the collapse of the Roman empire and the end of the games.
Alexander the Great: The First Superhero of Western Civilization Thus, despite the irrefutable victories of Alexander the Great, it is difficult to call him the first true superhero of Western civilization because of the methods to which he resorted.
The Roman Empire’s Sources of Knowledge Among the sources of ancient Rome stand out the civil conflict between Catilina and Cicero; the depiction of everyday life and cultural values in the poems of Catullus; Caesar’s work Gallic wars; Virgil’s poem Aeneid.
Silk in Ancient Rome: Annotated Bibliography In addition to the tunica, ladies wore a loose piece of clothing known as a stola to cover the remainder of their bodies. The book covers all of these women’s costumes in detail for each […]
The Dark Ages Concept in Western Civilization The meaning of the concept of the Dark Ages has long been a subject of widespread misunderstanding among people that mistakenly attribute the title to a presumed atmosphere of overwhelming darkness and social collapse.
Decline of the Roman Empire The decline of the Roman Empire in the West that began in the 5th century had multiple interconnected factors. However, the economic and military rise of Constantinople led to the crisis in Rome.
Ancient Greek Civilization: Culture and Arts To begin with, the earliest period of Greek history was the Bronze, and it is characterized by the usage and production of essential tools and the formation of two civilizations, which further contributed to the […]
History Aspects of the Roman Empire The Colosseum was a symbol of victory for Christians over pagans, and the reason behind it preserving it is because of the martyrs who died in it.
Art of Ancient Greece: The Diadoumenos Statue The marble statue of the Diadoumenos depicts an athlete with a victory armband and is a reconstruction of the original based on Roman marble spears. Polykleitos’ sculpture is a typical example of the classical period […]
Ancient History of Greek Civilization In ancient Greece, the body was the material means of constructing and transmitting social values; the body’s visual representation exemplified the moral codes of the time.
Ancient History of Mesopotamia and Egypt Both Mesopotamian and Egyptian rulers employed art as one of the methods to reinforce their ideology and remain in the cultural memory.
Greco-Roman Culture in Western Civilization One of such elements was Roman names, the dissemination of which may be explained by the existence of networks of exchange and the sense of identity of name bearers.
The Nefertiti Bust: Women’s Roles in Ancient Western Civilizations One of the cultural artifacts that denote the life of women in Ancient Egypt is the sculpture under the title Nefertiti Bust.
Civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt In Mesopotamia and Egypt, the first kings similarly worked alongside priests and depended on their support. The religious and agricultural development inevitably led to the intellectual and cultural progress of the countries.
The Art of Ancient Greece: The Marble Head of Athena The art of Ancient Greece played an essential role in the development of the culture and art of humankind. In Greece, the first principles of democracy in history were formed within the framework of a […]
Democracy in Ancient Greece and Today From the lecture, I discovered that the word democracy partly originates from the word demes which means the small division of the bigger sections that Athens was divided into during the ancient time.
Herodian’s “History of the Roman Empire” Since the Death of Marcus Aurelius After that, two senators, Pupienus and Balbinus, were elected as the rulers of the Roman Empire. Hence, the fall of the Roman Empire was caused by several factors that influenced both the economy and the […]
Ancient Egyptians’ Ethics of War The initial religion of ancient Egypt was to realize the Gods in the form of birds and beasts. With the beginning of agriculture, the Egyptians became more dependent on nature, so they started to revere […]
Venus de Milo, Sculpture of Ancient Greece Art The statue also depicts the story of the Judgment of Paris. The findspot of the figure of the goddess is still unknown, and it cannot be said where exactly it was found.
Mastaba of Mereruka in Ancient Egypt The Matsaba of Mereruka is a great example of the Old Kingdom tomb and its purpose of ensuring a prosperous afterlife for the buried one. The first mention of the king of the afterlife was […]
Ancient Egyptian Tomb of Mereruka at Saqqara The tomb of Mereruka at Saqqara is one of the most famous monuments, which is the tomb of the non-royal person.
The Impact of Ancient Greek Civilization and Architecture on Modern Culture The connection between ancient Greek architecture and modern culture in the United States is evident because of the presence of similar constructions and continuous use of terms that originated from that civilization.
The Catholic Church in the Roman Empire In its ethical concepts, the Roman Catholic Church developed from Stoicism, which was in great harmony with the public mood of the Roman Empire.
Christianity During the Roman Empire By leveraging the western idea of piety through the prism of equality and freedom of thought, the Christian church was able to outlive the Roman Empire and succeed as a culture-maker of the Middle Ages.
Visual Arts: Ancient Art of the Greeks Ancient art plays a significant role in helping the individuals of the current generation explain the civilizations of the ancient past. Fresco painted the Bull-leaping fresco from Knossos art to depict the civilizations of the […]
Boats and Ships in National Museum of Egyptian Civilization The visit to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization was a great addition to the themes learned in class. The observed artifacts demonstrate the peculiarities of life and culture of the Egyptian people.
Captive’s Statuettes of Ancient Egypt In particular, they were used in the rituals of protection of the land and the king, which were conducted in temples to eliminate the enemies of the king of Egypt.
The Role of Kingship in Ancient Egypt Moreover, the king was considered the incarnation of the god Horus and “the central figure in the world view of the ancient Egyptians”.
The Roman Empire: Globalization and Religious Power The Roman Empire is the first-ever experience of world globalization, the creation of a universal multinational society, in which the main directions of historical development with its ups and downs, unprecedented progress, and wild barbarism […]
Ancient Egypt: Geography and Environment Thus, the country’s main river occupies a central place in the peculiarities of the culture and development of Egypt. Being a transit region, Egypt also managed to absorb the influence of other areas and enrich […]
Methods of Prediction in Egyptian Medicine and Mesopotamian Omen Divination Mesopotamian divination, including extispicy, planetary, and weather-based predictions, made forecasts based on the nature of the deviations from the norm, such as the color of the rising moon or the direction in which lightning struck […]
Art History: The Prehistoric Aegean, Ancient Greece The relationship between curvilinear forms in Minoan art and the primary role of nature is that nature provided the curvilinear shapes and forms that formed the basis for the artwork.
Art Before History, the Ancient Near East, Egypt Under the Pharaohs 5 million years ago and was marked by the development and use of chipped stone tools Mesolithic- This is a cultural period between the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras that began around 10,000 years ago and […]
The Mindset and Ancient Greek Philosophy Metaphysics studies the nature of reality, the structure of the world, the origin of man, God, truth, matter, mind, the connection between mind, body, and free will, and the correlation between events.
Ancient Greek History: The Most Important Events of the Period Ancient Greece was home for most of the famous personalities of the ancient world. The introduction of Olympic Games was one of the most significant events in Ancient Greek History.
The Fall of the Roman Empire in the 15th Century The most significant one is the fusion of the Germanic mercenaries and fighters into the Roman troops. Leadership challenges emerged, leading to instability and the eventual fall of the empire.
Ancient Egyptian and Greece Literature The history of literature began in the Bronze Age with the invention of writing in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. In Egypt, hieroglyphs and the similarity of drawings were used for writing.
Scientific Approach to Magic in Ancient Greece 2 The dual attitude towards magic in Ancient Greece is deeply rooted in those people’s focus on knowledge and the use of the scientific method that was born during that period.
Roman Republic to Roman Empire Despite existing laws, the politics of Rome were at the time dominated by a few Roman leaders. This unstable alliance gave rise to a series of civil wars.
Ancient Civilizations in Western Europe The Celts have been reported to have been diverse. Their empire has been reported to have spanned the European continent.
Women in Ancient Greek and Roman Art The ancient Greek and Roman art, both textual and visual, are a rich source of information on the social history of women in these cultures.
The Roman Empire and Its Fall Soon after the death of Marcus Aurelius, the last of five good emperors in Rome, the empire began to crumble. According to Longo, some of the measures that Diocletian implemented included the division of the […]
The Ancient Greek and Republican Roman Architects The ancient Greek and Roman architects sought to express cultural and aesthetic perspectives guided by the adoration of classical qualities such as maturity, moderation, order, balance, and harmony.
Roman Empire Entertainment Venues The theaters were free to the public and as a result the audiences were huge in numbers and noisy at times.
Women’s Position in Ancient Rome and India Of course, in both of these civilizations, women were oppressed and limited in their rights and freedoms. Both in Ancient Rome and Ancient India, women were considered to be the centers of the household.
Ancient Greek Mythology: Deities of the Universe Hades is the eldest son of Kronos and Rhea, the god and the guardian of the Underworld, the realm of the dead.
Black Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt That was the home to the earliest culture of the black people in Africa. It is claimed in the article that the first rulers of Egypt were black.
Law and Society in Ancient Rome In the Roman law, the man is recognized as the head of the household owning the entire property under the family’s name.
Democracy Emergence in Ancient Greece and Why Plato Was Opposed to It The result of this war was the defeat of Athens by Sparta at the end of the fifth century which led to the overthrow of many democratic regimes.
The Impact of Geography on Agriculture: Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia Due to the fact that the river overrode the Ethiopian lowland, the inclined gradient of the River Nile sent the water torrent which overflowed the river banks resulting in over flooding of the river.
Medieval Europe History: Western Roman Empire The effect of this was the mobilization of tens of thousands of Europeans citizens which led to the capture of Jerusalem and the surrounding regions.
The Eastern Roman Empire Decline In historical importance, the Great Roman Empire was one of the very important chapters. There was also the cause of deforestation.
The Hetaerae Women of Ancient Greece In the Greek society, the hetaerae women consisted of women who were liberal and commanded great influence in the society. The hetaerae women were noble in one aspect of the other.
Oedipus the King and Ancient Greek Culture Oedipus consults the servant who was sent to abandon him as a child and it is revealed that he was the child of Laius and Jocasta.
Roman Civilization, Christianity, and Judaism The growth and success of Christianity came from the conversion and patronage of Constantine. The early Christians of Rome were received with contempt and suspicion.
Ancient Civilization of Rome and Athens The city of Rome and the city of Athens had great influence and authority over their neighbors and allies. The city of Athens had great influence throughout the Aegean and the influence lasted for about […]
Roman Civilization and Its Military Power The Roman Empire used the first systems of the republic to conquer a lot but for the interest of a few who included those living within the cities as well as those who were close […]
Economic Situation of the Later Roman Empire It signifies that the problem of inflation and pricing crisis were the major economic problems that were the most significant signs of economic decay of the Empire at the beginning of the fourth century.
Americas, Egypt, and Mesopotamia Between 3500-500 BCE Bentley and Ziegler examine the world as a whole and focus on the development and formation of the world’s major societies, ‘traditions’, and also interactions and connections that have always been established among societies, ‘encounters’.”Traditions […]
Ancient Rome: Augustus Caesar The main measures that he employed in the endeavor to restore religion include; regulation of private behavior, reconstruction of public monuments and public religion and creating awareness by the use of literature that discussed the […]
History Development of Western Civilization Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen is a document that consists of 17 articles that were approved on the 26th of August in 1789 by the National Assembly of France.
“The Fall of the Roman Empire” by Anthony Mann The plot of the film depicts the historical personalities, events and trends during the period 180 to 192 AD which is taken as the period during which the Roman Empire stopped growing and witnessed a […]
Western Civilization: Term Definition In the development of art and literature the period of Middle Ages is closely connected with the formation and promotion of European literature.
Origin of the Olympics in the Ancient Greek Society It exhaustively explains the importance of the Olympic Games to the Greek society in the ancient times and the significance they played in shaping the locals lives.
Ideas of Love: Western Civilizations One could hypotheses that this is an Eastern view of love, as the situation described here resembles events leading to the attainment of nirvana, a state of being that is the ultimate goal in such […]
Images of Women in Western Civilization Although it is true that the primary and predominant role of women have been to look after the children and the household, it is also necessary that they also need to indulge in primarily creative […]
The History of Roman Empire We know that the closeness of buildings and unawareness of people in the question of how to prevent people’s houses from fire is the basic reason, I think, in cases of every fire hazard in […]
Western Civilization in Which the Greeks Contributed The Greek civilization impresses by its originality and incontestability in the manners of people and in a number of philosophers who made a great impact on the further flow of scientific thought.
Western Civilization: The French Revolution 1789-99 One of the most popular theories includes the idea that the fall of the monarchy was simply a result of the fall of the social class with which it was most closely associated, that of […]
Western Civilization: The Opium Wars The affinity of millions of Chinese for opium directly affected the security of foreign interests in China. At the end of the second opium war, China was forced to ratify the Treaty of Tientsin in […]
Western Civilization to 1648: Historical Analysis The Marxists claimed that only material production made a human out of a monkey and connected all the stages of the historical development with the levels of the development of economy.
Western Humanities: Early Roman Empire and Christianity The Latin language was one of the features of the Roman culture that the church adopted. Even after the collapse of the Roman Empire, Christianity was still widely spread and the church still insisted on […]
Western Civilization: Ovid and His Works It tells the story of the Roman Empire from the earliest days to the time of Tiberius. The characters in his works are a shadow of the poet himself.
Western Civilization: Ancient Greek Theater However, the modern theater has become more commercialized and has become a potential arena of political, social, and cultural discourses, increasingly involving the masses.”Theatre, which had been dominated by the Church for centuries, and then […]
Western Civilization: The Olympic Games’ History Ancient Greeks held strict moral and ethical codes while conducting the Olympics because it was not just a competition for them; it was a glorification of the true ideals, valor, and gallantry of an athlete. […]
Ancient Rome: Historical Era This has led to widespread abuse of his power to the detriment of his country and its people as a whole.
The Ideologies of Western Civilization All along with the history of western civilizations, liberalism has come up in different ways and in Britain, it was the fight between the Catholics and Protestants, during the American Revolution and many other issues.
Life as a Soldier During the Roman Civilization The following paragraphs describe the characteristics of the Roman Civilization. This was the main entertainment of the Roman Civilization.
Western Civilizations and Near East This paper is going to consider all the major aspects of their development in order to find out the reasons for the success of some of them and the failure of others in their attempt […]
The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Ancient Egyptian Culture
Liberalism and Nationalism in Western Civilization
Western Civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Rome,Greece
The Culture of Ancient Egypt
Ubaid and Uruk: Emergence of Mesopotamian Cities
Democracy and Dictatorship in Ancient Greece and Today
Machiavelli: Modern Philosophy Against Ancient Greek
From the Fall of the Holy Roman Empire to Feudalism
Western Civilization in the Middle Ages
Ancient Civilization of Rome
Slaves and Slavery in Ancient Rome
Marcus Aurelius Fourteenth Emperor’s of the Roman Empire Life History
Arguments for Western Civilization
Modern Moral Conditions of Western Civilization Review
The Changes of the Ancient Greeks’ Conceptions of Heroism Through the Times
Modern Western Civilization: The Renaissance
Western Civilization: The First Crusade
The Culture of Ancient Greece
The Ancient Near East: Civilization of Mesopotamia and Great Flood
Family Structure and Women Status in Ancient Egypt
Ancient Greece: Relief of the Temple of Artemis
Architectural Marvels of Ancient Mesopotamia
Ancient Egypt’s Socioeconomic & Cultural Relations
Roman Civilization’ Analysis
Ancient History: Polybius on the Roman Republic
Ancient Egyptian Culture: Religion, Art, Sports
Columbus’ Discovery for Western and Native Civilizations
History of Mesopotamia and Egypt
Stylistic Features: Ancient Middle East and Roman
Stoicism Employed in Ancient Rome
Ancient Greek Sports: Boxing, Wrestling, Running
Ancient History: Periclean Athens and Augustan Rome
Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman Empire Historian
Ancient Egyptian Culture and Society
Ancient Roman Myth and Historical Facts
Persecution of Christianity in the Roman Empire Life
Public Speaking in Ancient Greece and Roman Empire
Egyptian vs. Mesopotamian Civilizations Development
The River Nile’s Importance to the Ancient Egyptians
Ancient Rome: Visigoths’ and Rome’s Conflict
Why Ancient Egypt’s Old and Middle Kingdoms Collapsed?
Ancient Indian and Roman Civilizations
Ancient Greek and Roman Myth Characters
Ancient Greek Temples Architecture
Ancient Greece Heroes: The Iliad and The Knight’s Tale
Ancient India and Greece Sculptures Comparison
Ancient Greek Philosophy: Socrates and Plato Comparison
Ancient Greek Art and Sculpture
Mummification in Ancient Egypt
Documentary “The Decline of Western Civilization”
Mesopotamian Influence on the Oman Peninsula
Bernard Lewis Views on Shaping Western Civilization
The Philosophy of Ancient Greece
Western Civilization Development
“Fall of the Roman Empire: The Military Explanation” by Arthur Ferill
History of Western Civilizations Through the Works of Einhard in His Famous Book Titled “The Life of Charlemagne”
The Euthyphro, the Apology, and the Crito Issues Impact on the Western Civilization
Ancient Societies in Mesopotamia and Ancient Societies in Africa
Dissolution of the Roman Empire
Ancient Greek Civilization History
Infanticide in Ancient Greece
Ancient Greek Democracy That Still Makes People Strive for Perfection
The Significance of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation in History of Western Civilization
The Kings of Ancient Egypt
Music in the Ancient Greece
How Did the Age of Enlightenment Influence Western Civilization
Transformation of the Ancient Greece Art
Ancient Art of Rome and Greece
Medicine in Ancient Rome
Welcome to Ancient Egypt: When Legends Were Born
Concepts of Ancient Greek Culture
Greek City State and the Roman Empire
Civilization in Mesopotamia and Egypt
The Ancient Greek Play Antigone by Sophocle
The Evolution of the Division of Labor Theory Starting From Ancient Greek Economists to the Present
The Fall of Roman Empire and the Rise of Feudalism
Ancient Greek History: Athens
The Western Roman Empire: The Significance of Its Collapse
Gods and Humans: Myths of Ancient Rome and Greece
Ancient Egypt History
Roman Civilization: Senate and Augustan Regime
Chicago (A-D)
Chicago (N-B)

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Best Western Civilization Topic Ideas

Madness and Civilization
How The Romans Contributed to Western Civilization
Pieces From Dine Women‘s Life
The Cradle of Western Civilization
Changes in Human Civilization
Great Issues in Western Civilization
The Art Of Roman Civilization
Civilization in a Global Economy
Western Civilization
Civilization in Brave New World
Western Art History
The Maya Civilization
The Birthplace Of Western Civilization
The Western Roman Empire
The Ancient Kingdoms That Contributed To The Development Of Western Civilization
The Rise Of Western Civilization And Christianity
The Scourge of Indian Civilization
The Development of Civilization
Western and American Culture vs. Chinese Culture
Historical Events Of Western Civilization
Civilization Of The Roman Empire
How The Geographic Features of Egypt Impacted Civilization Development
The Growth of Civilization
Reformation in Western Europe
Economic Development of Western Civilization
Roman Medicine: Western Civilization
Exploring The Influence Of Education on Civilization
The Traditions of Chinese and Western Cultures
The Dawn Of Civilization
Russian Prince Peter The Great
The Collapse Of Western Civilization
The Ancient Civilization of Pueblo
The Meiji Revolution
Origin Of The Egyptian Civilization
What role did technology play in the Civilization of the Western part of the world?
Civilizations in Ancient Times
Civilization In Egypt
The Influence Of Roman Culture on Western Civilization
How is Western Civilization beneficial to the world at large?
Early Western Civilization
The Classical Mediterranean Civilization Of Rome
The Impact Of The European Civilization On America
Similarities Between Chinese And Vietnamese Culture
The Stages Of Stages Of The Greek Civilization
The Significance Of Western Civilization
Perpetuating Perceptions Of Western Beauty
How Did The Media Influence Western Civilization?
Modern Western Views On Race
Law in Russian and Western Culture
How Western Imperialism Impacted China and Japan
How the Russian Revolution Impacted Western Civilization
How did Western Civilization affect the world?
Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece
Ancient Egyptian Civilization
How Technology Impacted Civilization
Role Model of the West
Ancient Chinese Civilization
How The Athenian Contributed To Modern Western Society
Civilization And The Jews 1984
The Expansion Of Western Civilization
The Roles That Crusades Played In the Civilization of Europe
What Roles Did Rational Thought Play In Western Civilization?
Asian Culture And Western Culture
The Evolution of Civilization
The Beginnings Of Western Civilization
The Role Of the Catholic Church In Building Western Civilization
The problems of Western Civilization
How Ancient Rome Contributed To Western Civilization
Plato’s Influence on Western Civilization
The Role Of Greeks in Shaping Western Civilization
How Education Impacted Colonization
The US And Western Ideas
The Great Civilization and Empires
Identification Of Islamic Civilization
The Origins Of Western Civilization
How Religion Influenced Western Civilization
Western Culture And Indian Culture
Distribution of Civilization: Music in the West
Characteristics Of A Single Civilization
Ancient Egypt And The Minoan Civilization
Ancient Civilization
The Development of Western Culture and Europe
Mayan Civilization and Culture
Development of the Western World
Constructive Colonialism in Europe
The Qualities Of Western Civilization
How The Roman Empire Contributed To The Western Civilization
Ancient Western Civilization
How Emperor Augustus Caesar Contributed To The Western Civilization

Interesting Western civilization topics

What would modern history be like if WWII had never happened?
Anglo-Saxon settlement and its importance in the history of England.
The significance of the Etruscans in ancient Western Civilization.
The invention of dictionaries, their evolution, and their importance for human communication.
What influence did Socrates’ works have on his time, and how are they significant today?

Argumentative topics on Western Civilization

Present-day Western views on gender and race.
How significant was the role of religion in the development of the Western world?
Ancient Athens and its influence on modern Western society.
The Catholic church played a crucial role in building Western Civilization.
The battle of Thermopylae was an event that marked the birth of Western Civilization.

Good Western Civilization Paper Topics

What caused the Roman Empire to collapse?
What were the reasons and significance of Antoni Gaudi’s works in architecture?
Peculiarities of the educational system in Western culture.
The role of Greece in shaping Western Civilization.
The most prominent artist of the Renaissance (your choice).
Evolution of a particular technology
Civilization in Modern Society compared to Western Civilization

Western Civilization Research Topics for College Students

The role of agriculture in the growing of ancient civilizations into larger populations.
The importance of the Rosetta Stone as an ultimate ancient key.
The key reasons behind the rise of Christianity.
The reasons for building Stonehenge and its possible functions.
How did the discovery of the New World influence European countries?
Western Wars and Conquest
Western Artists Influence on Art World Wide
Current Western Civilization
Education in Western Civilization
Fashion in Western Civilization
Technology and the Advancements Throughout Time
Downfalls of Different Empires
Philosophers and Great Leaders
Music Through Time

Good term paper topics on Western Civilization

What would things be like today if Adolf Hitler was still alive?
Why was the Sphinx built?
How did Socrates influence his world and the future?
How did agriculture allow civilizations to grow into larger populations?
The ancient key: Rosetta Stone
Discovering the mystery of Stonehenge
What is the educational system like in Western Civilization?
How did the discovery of the New World influence Europeans?
Discuss the rise of Christianity
What caused Rome to fall?

Get Help from the Experts with your Western Civilization Essay Topics Paper

Western Civilization was a time of great growth.

In the 17th century, Europeans traded with China and Japan for silk, spices, porcelain wares, and other goods worldwide.

The 18th century saw Europe’s Age of Enlightenment, which led to new ideas in politics and society.

It’s important to know how these changes have influenced our lives today as we approach these topics’ research on Western Civilization.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the major themes of western civilization.

The key topics of Western Civilization include the:

Renaissance
Reformation
Emergence of capitalism
Establishment of the nation-state
French Revolution,
Liberalism, and
Modern colonialism.

What do you learn in Western Civilization?

Western Civilization’s influence is global, defining American and North American cultures, among others. The study of Western Civilization helps students develop important skills like critical thinking, analysis, and strong communication.

What are examples of Western Civilization?

The civilizations of Classical Greece and Ancient Rome are considered examples of western Civilization and seminal periods in Western history. A few cultural contributions from pre-Christian Europe’s pagan peoples, including the Celts and Germans. Also, some important religious contributions derived from Judaism and Hellenistic are included.

What are the most important moments in Western Civilization?

Birth of the Roman Empire : Technological advancements such as roads and aqueducts. Birth of a language that European intellectuals would share for centuries. As Romans converted to Christianity, as their power spread, so did Christianity. Major advancements in architecture, literature, and art.

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120 Western Civilization Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Western civilization is a rich and diverse topic that has shaped the world as we know it today. From the ancient Greeks and Romans to the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, the history of Western civilization is full of fascinating events, ideas, and people. If you're looking for essay topics to explore this vast and complex subject, here are 120 ideas and examples to get you started.

The impact of Greek mythology on Western culture
The development of democracy in ancient Athens
The role of Christianity in shaping Western civilization
The fall of the Roman Empire
The influence of the Renaissance on art and culture
The Scientific Revolution and its impact on society
The Protestant Reformation and its effects on Europe
The Enlightenment and the birth of modern philosophy
The French Revolution and its consequences
The Industrial Revolution and its impact on society
The rise of imperialism in the 19th century
The causes and consequences of World War I
The rise of fascism in Europe
The causes and consequences of World War II
The Cold War and its impact on the world
The civil rights movement in the United States
The impact of feminism on Western society
The rise of globalization and its effects on culture
The challenges of multiculturalism in Western societies
The role of technology in shaping Western civilization
The impact of social media on society
The rise of populism in Western democracies
The refugee crisis in Europe
The rise of nationalism in Western societies
The role of education in shaping Western civilization
The impact of climate change on Western societies
The rise of environmentalism in the West
The role of religion in modern Western societies
The impact of colonialism on Western culture
The legacy of slavery in Western societies
The role of women in Western history
The impact of immigration on Western societies
The rise of the welfare state in Western democracies
The role of the media in shaping public opinion
The impact of war on Western societies
The role of the United Nations in promoting peace and security
The impact of the European Union on member states
The rise of populism in Eastern Europe
The challenges of Brexit for the United Kingdom
The impact of the Eurozone crisis on European economies
The role of NATO in promoting security in Europe
The rise of authoritarianism in Western democracies
The impact of terrorism on Western societies
The role of the United States in shaping Western civilization
The impact of American culture on the world
The role of Hollywood in shaping popular culture
The influence of Silicon Valley on technology
The impact of the Civil Rights Movement on American society
The legacy of the Vietnam War in the United States
The role of the Supreme Court in shaping American law
The impact of the internet on American society
The rise of social media in politics
The role of religion in American history
The impact of immigration on American society
The challenges of race relations in the United States
The role of education in shaping American society
The impact of climate change on the United States
The rise of environmentalism in America
The impact of war on American society

These essay topics cover a wide range of subjects within Western civilization, providing ample opportunities for exploration and analysis. Whether you're interested in history, politics, culture, or society, there is sure to be a topic that piques your interest. So dive in, do some research, and start writing about the fascinating world of Western civilization.

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Western Civilization Essay Topics

Western civilization refers to the modern-day culture of North America and Western Europe. Although students are expected to study the history of Western civilization, the majority of them find it hard to enjoy. The history of Western Civilization isn’t boring or hard to learn, but, unfortunately, most schools don’t teach it in an interesting manner. However, students can decide to spend some time to explore some interesting aspects of Western civilization personally. Essay is one of the best ways to explore different aspects of Western civilization since essay writing involves reading, researching, and other profitable activities. Before students can truly enjoy essay writing, they need a captivating topic. We know that most students will need a little bit of help with essay topics, and we’ve decided to help them out. We’ve taken our time to gather the best Western civilization essay topics, and we’ve listed them below. You will find these topics as you read on. Check them out and use them for essays. All the Western civilization essay topics ideas that you find here are easy enough for students to use, so be confident that you’ll easily get what to write about them.

Asian Culture And Western Culture
Great Issues in Western Civilization
The US And Western Ideas
Ancient Chinese Civilization
Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece
Ancient Western Civilization
Changes in Human Civilization
Characteristics Of A Single Civilization
Civilization In Egypt
Modern Western Views On Race
Early Western Civilization
Ancient Egyptian Civilization
Constructive Colonialism in Europe
The Birthplace Of Western Civilization
How Ancient Rome Contributed To Western Civilization
Civilization Of The Roman Empire
Ancient Egypt And The Minoan Civilization
The Scourge of Indian Civilization
Western and American Culture vs. Chinese Culture
How The Romans Contributed to Western Civilization
Ancient Civilization
Civilization in Brave New World
Distribution of Civilization: Music in the West
Civilization in a Global Economy
Economic Development of Western Civilization
Civilization And The Jews 1984
How Education Impacted Colonization
The Role Of Greeks in Shaping Western Civilization
Origin Of The Egyptian Civilization
Reformation in Western Europe
Role Model of the West
Russian Prince Peter The Great
Roman Medicine: Western Civilization
Pieces From Dine Women‘s Life
How Religion Influenced Western Civilization
Plato’s Influence on Western Civilization
Perpetuating Perceptions Of Western Beauty
Development of the Western World
How did Western civilization affect the world?
The Cradle of Western Civilization
The Development of Civilization
The Meiji Revolution
The Roles That Crusades Played In the Civilization of Europe
How is Western civilization beneficial to the world at large?
The Dawn Of Civilization
Identification Of Islamic Civilization
How Emperor Augustus Caesar Contributed To The Western Civilization
The Stages Of Stages Of The Greek Civilization
The Expansion Of Western Civilization
How Western Imperialism Impacted China and Japan
The Development of Western Culture and Europe
The Growth of Civilization
Historical Events Of Western Civilization
The Impact Of The European Civilization On America
The Role Of Catholic Church In Building Western Civilization
The problems of Western civilization
Madness and Civilization
How the Russian Revolution Impacted Western Civilization
The Influence Of Roman Culture on Western Civilization
Law in Russian and Western Culture
How The Geographic Features of Egypt Impacted Civilization Development
The Collapse Of Western Civilization
What role did technology play in the civilization of the Western part of the world?
How Technology Impacted Civilization
Western Culture And Indian Culture
How The Athenian Contributed To Modern Western Society
Similarities Between Chinese And Vietnamese Culture
What Roles Did Rational Thought Play In Western Civilization?
How Did The Media Influence Western Civilization?
The Maya Civilization
The Traditions of Chinese and Western Cultures
The Origins Of Western Civilization
The Western Roman Empire
Western Art History
The Rise Of Western Civilization And Christianity
Civilizations in Ancient Times
The Beginnings Of Western Civilization
The Art Of Roman Civilization
The Ancient Civilization of Pueblo
The Classical Mediterranean Civilization Of Rome
How The Roman Empire Contributed To The Western Civilization
The Great Civilization and Empires
Western Civilization
The Significance Of Western Civilization
Exploring The Influence Of Education on Civilization
Mayan Civilization and Culture
The Ancient Kingdoms That Contributed To The Development Of Western Civilization
The Qualities Of Western Civilization
The Evolution of Civilization

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History and Characteristics of Western Civilization

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Analysis of Indigenous Fashion in Western Civilization

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The Effects of Westernization

The similarities and differences of art in the classical and hellenistic periods, western civilizations crusades, review on the eastern europe history, the wasted feelings of happiness and success in western countries, how did romans influence western civilization, relevant topics.

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Japanese Culture
American Culture
Western Culture
African American Culture
Art History
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Navigating Historical Debates: History Argumentative Essay Topics

Dipping your toes into the vast ocean of history is an adventure. Each dive deep into its depths brings a new perspective, a fresh understanding, or a challenging contradiction. As a student of history, you don’t just learn about the past; you argue, debate, and discuss it. That’s where “history argumentative essay topics” come in, giving you the perfect platform to exhibit your persuasive skills while furthering your historical understanding.

Table of content

The Importance of Studying History

History isn’t just a record of ancient days; it’s a vibrant tapestry woven with countless threads, each representing a story, an era, a civilization, or an individual. Understanding history empowers us to make sense of our present, forecast future patterns, and appreciate humanity’s collective journey. Delving into argumentative essays adds depth to this exploration, honing your critical thinking, research understanding, and writing prowess.

The Art of Writing an Argumentative History Essay

In a history argumentative essay, your task goes beyond presenting facts. It would help to form an opinion, defend it with strong evidence, and persuade your reader to view history through your lens. Such essays often explore controversial issues, diverse interpretations, or underrepresented perspectives, making them thrilling.

Remember, an effective argumentative essay balances rigor with creativity. Your arguments should be based on solid research, but your writing style should maintain the reader’s interest. Short sentences, active voice, and transitional words will help ensure your essay is clear, concise, and captivating.

History Argumentative Essay Topics: Your Guide to an Engaging Argument

Picking the right history argumentative essay topics is crucial. Your topic should spark your curiosity, offer ample sources for research, and pose a challenge that motivates you to explore, argue, and persuade. The past is brimming with potential argumentative essay topics, from historical events and famous figures to social movements and cultural trends.

Here are a collection of history argumentative essay topics spanning different eras, regions, and themes to get you started. Use them as they are, or let them inspire you to develop your own.

The Crusades: Religious Devotion or Political Expediency?
Was the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Justifiable?
The Impact of Colonialism: Development or Exploitation?
The Role of Women in World War II: Homefront or Battlefield?
The American Civil War: Slavery or States’ Rights?
The French Revolution: Fight for Liberty or Reign of Terror?
The Renaissance: A Cultural Rebirth or a Period of Conflict?
Martin Luther King Jr. vs. Malcolm X: Who Had a Greater Impact on the Civil Rights Movement?
The Age of Exploration: Discovery or Destruction?
The Industrial Revolution: Progress or Plight?
The Fall of the Roman Empire: Invaders or Internal Decay?
Was the Cold War Inevitable Post-World War II?
Christopher Columbus: Hero or Villain?
The Impact of the Protestant Reformation: Unity or Division?
The Age of Imperialism: Prosperity or Oppression?
The Vietnam War: A Necessary Stand or a Futile Endeavor?
The American Revolution: Liberty or Economic Motives?
The Russian Revolution: People’s Uprising or Bolshevik Coup?
The Enlightenment: Philosophical Breakthrough or Social Disruption?
The Emancipation Proclamation: Sincere or Strategic?
The Role of Propaganda in Nazi Germany
Was Alexander the Great Really Great?
The Partition of India: Religious Freedom or Colonial Divide-and-Rule?
Did the Suffragette Movement Achieve Its Goals?
The Cuban Missile Crisis: Near-Apocalypse or Diplomatic Triumph?
The Influence of the Printing Press: Information Revolution or Religious Turmoil?
The Crusades: A Pathway to Enlightenment or a Dark Age Misstep?
The Atomic Age: A New Era or a Dangerous Precedent?
The Impact of the Ming Dynasty on China’s Global Presence
The American Westward Expansion: Manifest Destiny or Brutal Displacement?
The British Raj in India: Beneficial or Destructive?
The War of 1812: Forgotten War or Critical Conflict?
The Cultural Revolution in China: Necessary Purge or Disastrous Policy?
Slavery: The True Cause of the American Civil War?
The Role of Espionage in the Cold War
The Contributions of Nikola Tesla: Overlooked or Overrated?
The Great Depression: Natural Economic Cycle or Result of Poor Policy?
Was the League of Nations Doomed to Fail?
The Impact of Napoleon’s Reign on Europe
The Salem Witch Trials: Mass Hysteria or Religious Extremism?
The Influence of the Ottoman Empire on Modern Middle East
Did the Treaty of Versailles Cause World War II?
The Role of the Catholic Church in Medieval Europe
Manifest Destiny: Expansionism or Cultural Imperialism?
The Impact of Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire
The Spanish Inquisition: Religious Persecution or Political Power Play?
The Influence of the Harlem Renaissance on African American Culture
The Ethics of Using Atomic Bombs in WWII
The Role of Britain in the Creation of Israel
The Egyptian Revolution of 2011: A Springboard for Democracy?
The Effect of the Gold Rush on California’s Development
The Role of Social Media in the Arab Spring
The Implications of the Scramble for Africa
The Battle of Stalingrad: Turning Point in World War II?
The Meiji Restoration: Western Influence or Japanese Initiative?
The Role of Women in the French Revolution
The Impact of the Black Death on European Society
The Effect of the Viking Raids on European History
The Fall of the Berlin Wall: Inevitable or Surprising?
The Contributions of the Ancient Greeks to Modern Society
The Influence of the Catholic Church on the European Age of Discovery
The Impact of Gunpowder on Medieval Warfare
The Influence of the Spanish Civil War on WWII
The Causes and Consequences of the Thirty Years’ War
The Role of the Railroad in the Expansion of the United States
The Significance of the Magna Carta in the Modern Legal System
The Impact of the Silk Road on the Exchange of Cultures
The Role of the Mafia in Prohibition
The Effect of Charlemagne’s Reign on Europe
The Implications of the Columbian Exchange
The Influence of the Persian Empire on the Modern Middle East
The Impact of Marco Polo’s Travels on Europe
The Effect of the French Revolution on European Politics
The Influence of the Great Schism on Christianity
The Impact of the Space Race on the Cold War
The Legacy of the Aztec Empire
The Effect of the Transatlantic Slave Trade on Africa
The Role of the Knights Templar in the Crusades
The Influence of Gutenberg’s Printing Press on the Reformation
The Impact of the Han Dynasty on China
The Causes and Effects of the Boxer Rebellion
The Significance of the Pax Romana
The Influence of Confucianism on East Asian Cultures
The Impact of the Opium Wars on China
The Role of the French Foreign Legion in Colonial France
The Effect of the Suez Crisis on the Middle East
The Influence of the Renaissance on Modern Art
The Impact of the Zulu Nation on South Africa
The Causes and Consequences of the Irish Potato Famine
The Role of the Samurai in Feudal Japan
The Effect of the Hundred Years’ War on England and France
The Influence of the Roman Republic on Modern Democracies
The Impact of the US Constitution on the French Revolution
The Role of the Huns in the Fall of the Roman Empire
The Causes and Effects of the Haitian Revolution
The Influence of the Enlightenment on the US Constitution
The Impact of the Homestead Act on the American West
The Effect of the Plague of Justinian on the Byzantine Empire
The Role of the Medici Family in the Italian Renaissance

Remember, the goal is not just to recount history but to form an argument and defend it persuasively. Use reliable sources like scholarly articles, credible news outlets, and respected history websites for your research ( History.com , JSTOR , Fordham University’s Internet History Sourcebooks Project , etc.).

Conclusion: Your Historical Argument Awaits

Choosing from these argumentative history essay topics is just the beginning. You can turn your chosen topic into a compelling essay with thorough research, careful planning, and passionate writing. As you debate the past, you’re not just learning history but contributing to its discussion. Let these argumentative essay topics be your first step toward a thrilling historical discourse.

📎 Related Articles

1. Hot Topic History: A Journey Through Pivotal Moments 2. Engaging 8th Grade Research Paper Topics for Budding Historians 3. Dive Deep into Western Civilization Research Paper Topics 4. Navigating Through the Labyrinth of Ancient History Topics 5. Stirring the Pot: Controversial Topics in History for Research Paper

Western Civilization - List of Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

An essay on Western civilization can explore the history, culture, and legacy of Western societies. It can discuss the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome, the Enlightenment era, significant historical events, and the impact of Western values on politics, philosophy, and modern global society. A substantial compilation of free essay instances related to Western Civilization you can find at Papersowl. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Greek and Roman Affects on Western Civilization

After discussing Greek and Roman architecture and engineering in class, I wanted to garner a deeper understanding of just how much of an affect these two cultures had on modern Western Civilizations. For instance, what else have these magnificent cultures contributed to to other aspects of society. This paper will discuss the similarities and differences between the Greeks and Romans, as well as its influence on Western Civilizations that haven't already been discussed in our class. While both Roman and […]

Ancient Greek Contributions to Western Civilization

Greece has made invaluable contributions to worldwide civilization. Greece has vastly influenced, Western Civilization, culture, and even our way of thought. It has been written that Greece is the birthplace of western civilization. One of Greece's invaluable influences of Western Civilization is the arts. The ancient Greeks were well-known for their temples, art work, and sculptures. In fact, Greece introduced sculpturing into architecture, as evidenced in their columns, be it what is still used today, Dorian, Ionic and Corinthian design […]

Was World War 2 a Good War: Unraveling the Complex Tapestry of Morality and Change

The phrase "Good War" regularly appears when discussing how complicated World War II was. This term has many different meanings, and while it is evident that it caused unimaginable misery, agony, and loss, there were unquestionable components of the struggle that brought about constructive change. Suffering and loss were undeniable aspects of the conflict that led to positive change. Let's delve into the arguments surrounding characterization. The notion of World War II as the "Good War" has been cemented in […]

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Christianity’s Impact on Western Civilization

What do people look for in religion? Do they seek guidance, belief, reason, or help? All of those traces can be found in one form or another in the Judeo-Christian religion. From the followers attempting to flee prosecution to now being a major religion throughout the world with billions of followers, Christianity has extended its roots to the modern world. It hardly needs stating that Christianity has influenced the Western World through literature by influencing culture, history, laws, and morals […]

Catholicism and Western Civilization

Western society and civilization is an important part of history today as well as the impacts of religion at the time of the Roman Empire. The most crucial religion that apperared within the western society was cathloticism. The church was a way of teachings with many concepts including schooling, culture and the focus of God. The church had its good and bad influences on the people. The most influential part of western society was not only God but the peoples […]

An Analysis of True and False in Western Civilization

The question of the definition of true and false has for centuries of western civilization baffled the greatest of philosophers. The question being not just simply the definition of True and false, but rather where one can draw the line which delineates/segregates the two. In order to extrapolate an answer for this question an investigation into at least two areas of knowledge must be conducted for contrasting purposes. For this particular essay these areas are Mathematics and Psychology. The difference […]

An Analysis of the Positive and Negative Aspects of Idealism in the Western Civilization

Everyone has ideals. From the most insignificant aspect in our life, such as the perfect meal, to the most important, perhaps the perfect family, we all have ideals. As a result, we must all be idealists, although some are more extreme idealists than others, as evidenced by the actions of Dr. Martin Luther King, and by contrast, at the opposite end of the spectrum, Adolf Hitler. The ideal of the former, was one of a better society in which coloured […]

The Problem of Slavery in Western Civilization

Slavery was a common practice in Western Civilization, and it was seen as an ordinary part of every day life. While slavery was a large part of Western Civilization, slave practices go against how God calls us to treat others. This is because slavery promoted cheap labor frequently under unfair conditions, no protection from abuse and mistreatment, and not all slaves were treated with respect and love. Slave practices within the Roman and Hebrew civilizations did differ yet both practices […]

The Contribution of Ancient Greece to the Western Civilization

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Importance of the Middle Ages in the Growth of the Western Civilization

It has been asked if it is fair to consider the Middle Ages as the Dark Ages or was it only a continuation of trends that were long underway by the time the Renaissance occurred. Can we say there was no true political expansion? Would we be accurate in saying there were no new thoughts or ideas? Did our ancestors truly halt all thought and spiritual growth to wait for the Renaissance? should think not! Although there may have been […]

An Introduction to the Analysis and History of Western Civilization

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An Analysis of the Differences in the Culture of Eastern and Western Civilization

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Western Civilization

This article offers a brief survey of Western civilization from early modern times (15th-16th centuries) onwards.

Western civilization arose in Europe, and then spread across the world. As it grew geographically scope, it became an increasingly dominant strand in world history – to the extent that the histories of every civilization and region of the world was impacted by it in a profound way.

The Roots of Western civilization

Early Modern Europe

The age of revolutions, towards the modern world, a global civilization, the roots of western civilization.

For the purposes of this article, the “West” is that civilization which grew up in western Europe after the end of the Roman Empire .

Its roots lay in the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome (which themselves built on foundations laid in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia ). It took shape in medieval Europe , with its Christian religion, feudal society, dispersed power-structures and growing economic dynamism. It was in the modern era that Western civilization took flight, however. It spread from Europe to the North and South America , Australasia and much of the rest of the world; it achieved a level of economic power which far surpassed that of any other civilization; it developed the habit of systematic scientific and technological advance; and it evolved a unique set of personal freedoms which gave its culture an utterly different flavor to anything that had come before.

A rich heritage

The mixed ancestry of Western civilization gave it a rich heritage to draw on. Greek achievements in mathematics, science, philosophy and art, and Roman developments in law, government and technology, all had a deep impact on later European civilization. The religion of Christianity, deriving from the Middle East but absorbed into the Graeco-Roman civilization, constituted one of the great pillars of the medieval and modern West. Added to these elements were major Indian , Chinese , and Arabian achievements in science and technology, transmitted to Europe via the Islamic world and the Mongol empire .

From the early 15th century, European society was transformed by a succession of revolutionary changes. Trade expanded, towns grew, printing came into use and gunpowder armies caused feudal power structures gave way to centralized monarchies. The Italian Renaissance led to new learning, and increased curiosity. During this period a distinct and rigorous way of looking at the world, which today we call “science”, emerged. This would powered unparalleled technological advance, and with it, economic growth.

At the same time, European explorers began charting the coasts of the Oceans of the world, and penetrating lands previously unknown to Europeans. Where explorers went, merchants, conquerors and settlers followed. Globe-spanning trade routes brought vast wealth back to Europe, transforming its economy and society and laying the foundations for European dominance on a world-wide scale. Even in the early phase of this overseas expansion (16th and 17th centuries), an entire continent, South America , was colonized by Europeans, and North America, the areas of the present-day United States and Canada , followed soon after (from the 17th century).

While this expansion was going on, Europe was tearing itself apart with religious conflict, as a movement known as the Reformation split the Christian world of western Europe into two hostile camps. Protestantism triumphed in most of northern Europe, while the Roman Catholic Church kept its hold of southern Europe. Protestants advocated a new, simpler style of Christianity, and its emphasis on individual spirituality opened the way to greater value being given to personal choice. This would become a defining feature of Western civilization, and amongst other things would give rise to of the secular society which we know today.

The rise of secularism was given a huge boost by the development of scientific knowledge which had been going on since the Renaissance. Such figures as Copernicus, Galileo and Isaac Newton had transformed the way Europeans thought about the universe. They had also shown that using scientific thinking and methodology was an extraordinarily powerful tool in expanding knowledge. This encouraged the rationalist thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment to scrutinize everything – religion, society, government – in a new way: causes and consequences rooted in the material world were sought, and traditionally-accepted notions of divine providence were relegated to the margins.

Since the time of the Renaissance, several European countries had been building overseas empires . Fierce rivalry developed, and European forces found themselves fighting each other across the globe, in North America and the Caribbean, and in India .

The American Revolution

By the mid-18th century the European colonies in North America had become fully functioning societies in their own right. The colonists felt a growing sense of their ability to determine their own future, and this led to the American Revolution (1775-83). By the end of this, a new country, the United States of America, had made its appearance on the world stage.

history of western civilization essay topics

The constitution by which it set to govern itself was consciously modeled on Enlightenment principles of rational government. Unlike the “enlightened despots” of continental Europe, however, and because they were used to the British system of representative parliamentary rule, the Americans set up the most democratic government in the world at that time.

The French Revolution

This example acted as a powerful stimulus to critiques of traditional forms of hereditary monarchical government back in Europe, and, combined with internal problems within France itself, led to the French Revolution breaking out in 1789. The revolution challenged the very basis of government of the hereditary monarchies of Europe, and soon the entire continent of Europe was convulsed in war. The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, one of world history’s most brilliant generals, ensured that Revolutionary France dominated much of Europe for several years, spreading more efficient and more equal government around the continent. Eventually Napoleon was defeated at the battle of Waterloo, in 1815; but Europeans had had a taste of a new kind of government, and there could be no return to more traditional ways for long.

The Industrial Revolution

A major part in Napoleon’s defeat was played by the British navy. This, along with a diplomacy based to a large extent upon paying subsidies to allies in the fight against Napoleon, did not come cheap; it would have been completely beyond the economic strength of any European power before this period. However, by this time Britain’s economy was being transformed by another kind of revolution – the Industrial Revolution.

This had been gathering pace since the mid-18th century in Britain , and had been greatly boosted by the efficient application of steam power to mechanical devices. By the end of the century, large industrial towns were growing up in the Midlands, the north of England and Scotland, in which hundreds of factories churned out vast quantities of manufactured goods.

The early 19th century saw this economic expansion continuing in Britain, and beginning to spread to North America and (particularly after the end of the Revolutionary wars) in Europe . The application of steam power to transport further stimulated this trend, with railways spreading their tentacles throughout Britain, Europe and North America. These in turn acted as a powerful boost to the expansion of the United States and Canada across the North American content, and by the mid-19th century these two countries had reached the Pacific coast.

By this time, steam ships were beginning to take over from sailing vessels on the sea routes of the world. With the introduction of refrigeration, meat and other perishables could be transported between continents, and the world was being linked by an ever denser network of trade routes.

Nationalism and democracy

Back in Europe, the legacy of the French Revolution and the wars which followed it were a yearning for greater democracy, and for greater national self-determination. Much of central Europe and the Balkans were all under large, multinational states (the Austrian, Russian and Ottoman empires ), and the many different nationalities within these states began to agitate for self-rule or independence. In Germany and Italy , meanwhile, two nationalities split amongst many small states, people agitated for the creation of unified states through which these nations could govern themselves. The political history of Europe is largely taken up with these struggles, and in the later 19th century large new European states appeared in Germany and Italy . On the eve of the World War I the Balkan states won their independence from the Ottomans.

In the same period many countries made great strides towards fully-fledged parliamentary democracy . This was true not only for continental nations, but also for Britain , with its long-standing experience of parliamentary rule. The 19th and early 20th centuries saw near-universal male suffrage being introduced, and mass-party politics taking over from the much more limited (and aristocratic) political game which had gone before.

The US Civil War and after

Across the Atlantic the expansion of the United States had led to an increasing divergence between its different regions, especially between a slave-owning plantation society in the south and a more industrial and egalitarian society on the north. The differences between these regions led to a bloody civil war (1861-5). With the North triumphant, slavery was abolished in the USA.

The civil war was followed by unprecedented industrial expansion. The late 19th century saw the rise of huge companies, led by vastly wealthy tycoons such as Andrew Carnegie, John D Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt and JP Morgan.

Changing world views

The later 19th century also saw Europe industrializing on an unprecedented scale. Towns and cities ballooned in size, the middle classes became a large and influential part of the social mix, and a vast urban working class emerged.

Revolutionary social change was accompanied by revolutionary changes in thought. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution became widely accepted, and encouraged the rise of a more secular outlook. For many people, this theory meant that the concept of God could be done away with, while others happily incorporated it into their world-view alongside with their Christian faith. But for both groups the theory meant that the development of life (including human beings) could have a rational and scientific explanation.

Sigmund Freud and others pioneered a scientific understanding of the mind and the emotions, previously, as the development of the natural world, regarded as the preserve of spiritual sphere.

Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity completely changed people’s views of the cosmos, with his explanations of the relationship between mater and energy opening up vast new vistas for discovery.

Karl Marx and others analyzed society in fundamentally new ways. This went hand in hand with calls to work towards radically new economic and social structures.

Put together, these multifarious innovations in thinking had an enormous impact on people’s view of the universe, and of man’s place within it.

The early 20th century continued the trends of the late 19th century. This was the age when the motor car began to take to the roads, when airplanes were first invented, and other innovations – radio, telephones, electric lighting – began to make an impact. Henry Ford’s development of the production line made manufacturing more efficient, boosting the rise of enormous corporations. This also began the wholesale shift towards a global economy based on oil.

Hartsook, photographer. – Library of Congress

World domination

In the military sphere, European and American armies and navies were being affected by industrialization, with machine guns, barbed wire, dreadnought battleships, torpedoes, mines and submarines making their appearance. These innovations gave Western military forces massive advantages over those of other societies, and the late 19th and early 20th centuries saw Western empires expand to cover most of the surface of the world. Western trade networks, their reach extended by the spread of railways around the globe, disrupted local economies; Christian missionary activity challenged local beliefs and traditions; local elites adopted Western-style education, clothing, architecture. Even lands which were not actually ruled directly from Europe, such as China , Thailand and Iran , were absorbed into the Western-dominated global economy, in such a way that deprived them of much of their political independence as well. The only country to successfully enter the Western world on its own terms was Japan – and indeed was soon carving out an empire of its own.

Britain ended up with the largest of these Western empires, and London was, by the end of the 19th century, the de facto financial capital of the world. This laid the foundations for the dominance of English as the lingua franca of the world.

World War One and after

During the early 20th century, however, rivalries between the European powers became increasingly intense. The nationalist movements on the continent had also not been resolved. These issues, plus imperial jostling as countries such as Germany and Italy tried to elbow their way into the group of imperialist powers, led to the outbreak of the World War One .

This horrific conflict mainly took place on European soil and resulted in more than 10 million deaths. The defeated European powers, the German, Austrian and Ottoman empires, ended the war in a state of complete collapse, and were wiped off the map by the Treaty of Versailles and other treaties which ended the war.

One other power which had started the war had also vanished. This was the Russian Empire, which had originally been part of the alliance that won the war, . The stresses of waging total war had been too much for this huge but ramshackle state, and it had fallen to Communist agitators in the Russian Revolution of 1917. The old Russian Empire had been replaced with a new entity, the Soviet Union.

The war dealt a huge blow to the economic ability of western European powers like Britain and France to sustain their overseas empires. It also changed Western culture for ever. Previous modes of culture, now associated with the lead up to the terrible carnage of the First World War, were discredited, and in their place new cultural expressions arose.

The early post-war years saw new fashions from America , such as the flappers and jazz music, become wildly popular. Modern art and architecture, based on completely new forms and ideas, replaced old styles which stretched in an unbroken tradition back, via the Renaissance, to Greece and Rome. At the same time radios, cars and the cinema widened people’s horizons, and the old parochial outlook of previous times began to weaken. In many countries, equality between the sexes received a major step up when women gained the vote for the first time

World War Two

The “Roaring Twenties” were a time of economic boom for much of the world, but underneath all this, the First World War had left the world economy in a fragile state, with many European countries deeply in debt and reliant on American loans to maintain their standard of living.

The boom times of the 1920s came to an end all too soon. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a period of economic depression around the world. Banks were broken, factories closed, millions of workers were throw out of work, middle classes families lost their savings. In Europe, this led directly to the rise of fascism, above all the coming to power of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party in Germany. This in turn led in a straight line to the outbreak of World War Two .

This was a far larger conflict than World War One had been, and involved a much greater proportion of the world. As well as Europe and North Africa, large parts of China and the Pacific became theaters of war. It also involved one of the most horrific episodes in world history, the slaughter of six million Jews in the Holocaust .

The Cold War years

The United States and the Soviet Union , the main victors of the Second World War, were the new superpowers, and they soon assumed leadership of two rival blocks of nations covering most of the globe: the USA and its allies championed free market capitalism and (at least in theory) democracy, while Russia and its satellites enforced state-controlled “communist” economies and (in practice though not in theory) authoritarian governments. This rivalry led to a new period of tension known as the Cold War .

The European nations ended Word War 2 economically ruined. The Central European countries of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and East Germany were under Soviet occupation . The western European nations were allies of the United States and members of the defensive Western alliance, NATO .

The rivalry between the superpowers was soon given a sharper edge by the ability of both sides to deploy nuclear weapons in their arsenals. This spread a pervasive fear of sudden annihilation around the entire world.

The Cold War soon spread right around the world. The post-war years saw the rapid dismantling of the worldwide empires of European nations such as Britain and France. In their place, the superpowers began to compete for influence . In this, the Soviet Union was apparent the more successful, as communist regimes became established in China, South East Asia, Africa and even the Caribbean. Other newly-independent nations took on a non-aligned stance , though many of these leaned more towards the Soviet Union and the Communist Bloc.

The Cold War years also, paradoxically, saw huge economic advance, especially for Western nations. The United States gave or lent money on a vast scale (the Marshall Plan ) to get European countries , plus Japan , back on their feet after the Second World War, so as to staunch the spread of communism. The standard of living rose dramatically in these countries, with millions of homes becoming equipped with TVs, fridges, electric cookers and other home appliances.

The Cold War led to great technological innovation, for example with advances in military aviation feeding through to mass air travel and mass tourism. A space race , born of American and Russian efforts to build arsenals of long-range nuclear missiles, ended with the Americans sending a man to the moon. It also led to the placing of numerous satellites in orbit around the world, laying the foundations for dramatic progress in civilian communications, navigation, land surveying and other uses. Military rivalry stimulated amazing advances in electronics, miniaturization and computing, laying the foundations for a revolution in automation in the workplace which began to gather pace in the 1980s, as well as the emergence of a whole new entertainments industry.

On the other hand, superpower rivalry undermined the political stability and economic welfare of many countries in the poorer parts of the world. Countries in South East Asia, especially Malaya and Indonesia, experienced long and bloody communist insurgencies, and in Africa anti-communist forces tended to keep in power minority White regimes, especially in South Africa and in the Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique. These in turn provoked uprisings which looked to the Communist Bloc for support.

Cultural and social change

Culturally, the Cold War years built on the jazz age of the inter-war period. Pop music gripped the young, with such figures as Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones seen as rebels by the older generation and heroes by the young. In the late 1960s and the 1970s the hippy movement preached a more relaxed attitude to sexual morals, aided by the widespread availability of the pill. With this came a more liberal attitude to homosexuality, and also a greater disrespect for authority and class differences. The use of recreational drugs became more mainstream. Sexual equality gained ground, especially in the work place. Divorce and family breakdown also became more common, and religious belief continued its long-standing decline. Concerns for the environment became much more widespread in the 1970s.

At this time, many European societies were being changed by the migration of millions of people of non-Western origin to their countries. Communities of peoples from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean grew up in many Western cities. These new arrivals were often greeted with suspicion, indeed downright hostility, at first, and it has taken them many years to become accepted members of their new societies. In some places this tension has never been truly dealt with.

The Cold War started coming to an end when China embraced economic liberalization from the mid-1970s, and when it became apparent that the Soviet Union could no longer afford the vast expense of its military rivalry with the West, from the mid-1980s. The entire Soviet system collapsed very suddenly at the end of the 80s and beginning of the 90s. The European Union , which had grown up in western Europe during the Cold War years and was a major exponent of the values of Western free market economics as well as Western democracy, soon expanded to take in former communist countries in central Europe.

Indeed, in the 1990s and early 2000s, Western-style democracy spread though out many countries in Africa, East Asia, South East Asia and South America. Economic expansion also took hold in many countries, and these years saw a huge drop in poverty around the world.

New threats were soon emerging, however. A frightening new disease, AIDS, began killing off millions of people in throughout the world, and especially in poorer nations. Africa was especially hard hit. Concerns about the environment increased when scientists began voicing fears that the use of carbon-based fuels was causing potentially catastrophic climate change on a global scale. The search for alternative energy forms based on renewable resources took on a new urgency.

Most frightening of all was the emergence of a radical Islamist movement which espoused terrorism as a weapon to spread Islam. Many Muslims saw the global dominance of what they saw as an aggressively secular Western civilization as an existential threat their religion and way of life, and some saw violence as the only proper response to this.

The hostility felt by many Muslims towards the West was sharpened by the latter’s consistent support for Israel in its struggles against Arabs. In 2001 a small group of Islamic militants mounted a spectacular attack on a major landmark in New York, killing three thousand people or more. The outraged American government declared a “War on Terror”, and soon Western forces were involved in heavy fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. As of 2005 they were still in both places. Further terrorist attacks were taking place on a regular basis, in Madrid, London, Kenya and other countries; and throughout the West a debate was taking place about how to effectively assimilate peoples of non-Western origin into their societies.

Despite these difficulties, as of 2005 the West was still by far the dominant civilization on the planet. It set the terms of global trade, and was the source of most technological innovation, scientific advance and cultural trends.

Further study:

– of Europe in modern times

– of North America in modern times

– of the World showing the gradually increasing impact of Western civilization on the world

Regional maps with references to the impact of Western civilization:

– of South America and Central America after their colonization by Europeans

– of India and South Asia after the Europeans arrived

– of Africa after the start of the Atlantic Slave Trade and other Western impacts on the continent

– of the Pacific after the arrival of Western explorers, traders, missionaries, settlers, guns and diseases

– of East Asia , from the time of the Opium Wars

– of the Middle East , from the time when the West began its impact.

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11 Critical events and periods in the history of western civilization

Western Civilization comes from thousands of years of historic events. To understand the present, you have to understand Western history. Here's a crash course!

Western civilization is the basis of much of our modern culture. As such, our society rests on thousands of years of history stretching back into antiquity. If you want to understand the modern world and make sense of current events, you have to learn a bit about the history of western civilization.

Of course, the best way to beef up your knowledge of history is to study Brainscape’s adaptive history flashcards . But if you want a quick guide for the most critical events and periods in Western history, check out our list below.

The 11 most pivotal periods in western history

1. ancient greece.

One of the smaller ancient civilizations, Greece has exerted an influence out of proportion to its size on the development of Western civilization, largely due to the intellectual accomplishments of Greek philosophers, who laid the foundation for much of modern science and governance, as well as art, mathematics, poetry, and more. Ancient Greece flourished from around 800 B.C. to 146 B.C.

2. Roman Civilization

The Roman Republic rose around 500 B.C. and lasted for about 500 years, after which the Roman Empire was established. At its height, the Roman Empire stretched across the entire Mediterranean region, laying claims from Spain to the Red Sea and from Britain to Iraq. As such, this culture, which originated in central Italy, has played a huge role in the development of Europe and western civilization as a whole in realms such as religion, law, architecture, warfare, language, and more.

3. The rise of Christianity

Although the history of Christianity is a hotly debated subject, much is known. Christianity began in the Levant (the region of modern Syria, Palestine, Israel, and Jordan) about 2,000 years ago, originally emerging as a sect of Judaism. Over the next 400 years, the religion spread across the region and become the official religion of the Roman Empire. It spread throughout Europe, North Africa, India, and other regions during the course of the Middle Ages.

4. Middle Ages

Between the 5th and 15th centuries, following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, European society entered something of a plateau—a period of cultural stagnation that lasted 1,000 years. This is the classical era of knights, kings, and damsels in distress.

Society in the middle ages was generally organized via feudalism , a custom whereby land was given from the centralized leadership of a nation (often a king) to vassals or lords, who in return agreed to tend the lands and provide soldiers and supplies to the nation in case of war. This political structure dominated European politics until the 1400s.

5. The Protestant Reformation

Within the Roman Catholic Church of 1500s Europe, corruption was rife—especially signified by the widespread sale of “indulgences.” If you had the money, you could erase your sins by paying the Church.

Based on this and many other gripes, Martin Luther began the Reformation in 1517 when he wrote The Ninety-Five Theses. This critique of the Church led directly to the conversion of much of northern Europe to Protestantism, and contributed to major conflicts such as the Thirty Years’ War.

6. The Renaissance

The end of the Middle Ages is generally defined as the beginning of the Renaissance , a cultural movement which led to artistic and cultural changes across the European continent.

The period is generally regarded as beginning in Florence, Italy, in the 14th century, where wealthy merchant-elites bankrolled the expensive pursuits of Renaissance figures. Advances during the Renaissance include development in art techniques, the invention of printing text, new theories and discoveries in astronomy and other fields of science, and the Protestant Reformation.

7. European Colonization

While colonialism has been a feature of almost every known empire and civilization, the most recent colonial era was dominated by European states. Between the late 1400s and mid-1900s, European powers built massive overseas empires by force and guile.

The largest empire was built by Britain, which at its height ruled over 25% of the world's surface . Since the Second World War, the world has seen increasing decolonization as occupied states are given—or have taken—their sovereignty back again.

8. African Slave Trade

Slavery has been present in human society since the earliest civilizations (although not in many other human societies), but perhaps the worst example of slavery in human history is the Transatlantic Slave Trade which took place between the 16th and 19th centuries.

Arguably the darkest era in the history of western civilization, European powers and the nascent American colonies bought and stole more than 12 million Africans from slave traders and communities in Western Africa. The slaves were shipped around the world to work in plantations and other hard-labor industries and to serve as personal servants. Much of the wealth of this period was built with slave labor.

9. Early America

The country we know now as the United States of America began originally as 13 British colonies on the Atlantic seaboard of North America. Originally founded in 1607 (Virginia), the colonies became economically independent through various industries, especially cotton and tobacco plantations in the South and trade in the North.

Starting in the 1760s, American colonists began to rebel against the British government, arguing that “ taxation without representation ” was not fair. This led to the American Revolutionary War , wherein the colonists defeated the British forces and founded a new nation.

10. The Industrial Revolution

Starting around 1760 in Great Britain , a revolution in the manipulation and control of energy was made. It revolved around the manipulation of steam to generate mechanical power, the development of machinery to replace human labor, increased use of water power, and the rise of intensive iron production. This mechanization led to a massive increase in productive (and destructive) capacity, and changed industry forever after.

11. Globalization

The world has been changed a great deal by globalization: the increased interconnection between the planet in terms of communication, trade, and transportation. The term generally refers to the process that began in the mid-1800s with the installation of overseas telegraph cables .

Since the beginning of globalization, the world has changed a great deal. The world’s economies are more interdependent than ever before. Advocates of increased globalization believe that it has facilitated great wealth, while critics of globalization point to sweatshops and other issues.

The fascinating history of western civilization

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World History

Western Civilization to 1600 CE
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Western Civilization 1600 CE to present

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Civilization

58 pages • 1 hour read

Civilization: The West and the Rest

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction

Key Figures

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

What are Ferguson’s “killer apps,” and how have they contributed to the rise of Western civilization after 1500? Why does the author use this type of terminology?

What role has imperialism played in the emergence of the West as a premiere civilization in the last 500 years? Do you agree with Ferguson’s assertions about the nature of imperialism?

Do the global developments since the publication of this book in 2011 support or challenge Ferguson’s assertions about the West?

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Ancient Rome

By: History.com Editors

Updated: September 22, 2023 | Original: October 14, 2009

Beginning in the eighth century B.C., Ancient Rome grew from a small town on central Italy’s Tiber River into an empire that at its peak encompassed most of continental Europe, Britain, much of western Asia, northern Africa and the Mediterranean islands. Among the many legacies of Roman dominance are the widespread use of the Romance languages (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian) derived from Latin, the modern Western alphabet and calendar and the emergence of Christianity as a major world religion.

After 450 years as a republic, Rome became an empire in the wake of Julius Caesar’s rise and fall in the first century B.C. The long and triumphant reign of its first emperor, Augustus, began a golden age of peace and prosperity; by contrast, the Roman Empire’s decline and fall by the fifth century A.D. was one of the most dramatic implosions in the history of human civilization.

Origins of Rome

As legend has it, Rome was founded in 753 B.C. by Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars, the god of war. Left to drown in a basket on the Tiber by a king of nearby Alba Longa and rescued by a she-wolf, the twins lived to defeat that king and found their own city on the river’s banks in 753 B.C. After killing his brother, Romulus became the first king of Rome, which is named for him.

A line of Sabine, Latin and Etruscan (earlier Italian civilizations) kings followed in a non-hereditary succession. There are seven legendary kings of Rome: Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Martius, Lucius Tarquinius Priscus (Tarquin the Elder), Servius Tullius and Tarquinius Superbus, or Tarquin the Proud (534-510 B.C.). While they were referred to as “Rex,” or “King” in Latin, all the kings after Romulus were elected by the senate.

Did you know? Four decades after Constantine made Christianity Rome's official religion, Emperor Julian—known as the Apostate—tried to revive the pagan cults and temples of the past, but the process was reversed after his death, and Julian was the last pagan emperor of Rome.

Rome’s era as a monarchy ended in 509 B.C. with the overthrow of its seventh king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, whom ancient historians portrayed as cruel and tyrannical, compared to his benevolent predecessors. A popular uprising was said to have arisen over the rape of a virtuous noblewoman, Lucretia, by the king’s son. Whatever the cause, Rome turned from a monarchy into a republic, a world derived from res publica , or “property of the people.”

Rome was built on seven hills, known as “the seven hills of Rome”—Esquiline Hill, Palatine Hill, Aventine Hill, Capitoline Hill, Quirinal Hill, Viminal Hill and Caelian Hill.

The Early Republic

The power of the monarch passed to two annually elected magistrates called consuls. They also served as commanders in chief of the army. The magistrates, though elected by the people, were drawn largely from the Senate, which was dominated by the patricians, or the descendants of the original senators from the time of Romulus. Politics in the early republic was marked by the long struggle between patricians and plebeians (the common people), who eventually attained some political power through years of concessions from patricians, including their own political bodies, the tribunes, which could initiate or veto legislation.

In 450 B.C., the first Roman law code was inscribed on 12 bronze tablets–known as the Twelve Tables–and publicly displayed in the Roman Forum . These laws included issues of legal procedure, civil rights and property rights and provided the basis for all future Roman civil law. By around 300 B.C., real political power in Rome was centered in the Senate, which at the time included only members of patrician and wealthy plebeian families.

Military Expansion

During the early republic, the Roman state grew exponentially in both size and power. Though the Gauls sacked and burned Rome in 390 B.C., the Romans rebounded under the leadership of the military hero Camillus, eventually gaining control of the entire Italian peninsula by 264 B.C. Rome then fought a series of wars known as the Punic Wars with Carthage, a powerful city-state in northern Africa.

The first two Punic Wars ended with Rome in full control of Sicily, the western Mediterranean and much of Spain. In the Third Punic War (149–146 B.C.), the Romans captured and destroyed the city of Carthage and sold its surviving inhabitants into slavery, making a section of northern Africa a Roman province. At the same time, Rome also spread its influence east, defeating King Philip V of Macedonia in the Macedonian Wars and turning his kingdom into another Roman province.

Rome’s military conquests led directly to its cultural growth as a society, as the Romans benefited greatly from contact with such advanced cultures as the Greeks. The first Roman literature appeared around 240 B.C., with translations of Greek classics into Latin; Romans would eventually adopt much of Greek art, philosophy and religion.

Internal Struggles in the Late Republic

Rome’s complex political institutions began to crumble under the weight of the growing empire, ushering in an era of internal turmoil and violence. The gap between rich and poor widened as wealthy landowners drove small farmers from public land, while access to government was increasingly limited to the more privileged classes. Attempts to address these social problems, such as the reform movements of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus (in 133 B.C. and 123-22 B.C., respectively) ended in the reformers’ deaths at the hands of their opponents.

Gaius Marius, a commoner whose military prowess elevated him to the position of consul (for the first of six terms) in 107 B.C., was the first of a series of warlords who would dominate Rome during the late republic. By 91 B.C., Marius was struggling against attacks by his opponents, including his fellow general Sulla, who emerged as military dictator around 82 B.C. After Sulla retired, one of his former supporters, Pompey, briefly served as consul before waging successful military campaigns against pirates in the Mediterranean and the forces of Mithridates in Asia. During this same period, Marcus Tullius Cicero , elected consul in 63 B.C., famously defeated the conspiracy of the patrician Cataline and won a reputation as one of Rome’s greatest orators.

Julius Caesar’s Rise

When the victorious Pompey returned to Rome, he formed an uneasy alliance known as the First Triumvirate with the wealthy Marcus Licinius Crassus (who suppressed a slave rebellion led by Spartacus in 71 B.C.) and another rising star in Roman politics: Gaius Julius Caesar . After earning military glory in Spain, Caesar returned to Rome to vie for the consulship in 59 B.C. From his alliance with Pompey and Crassus, Caesar received the governorship of three wealthy provinces in Gaul beginning in 58 B.C.; he then set about conquering the rest of the region for Rome.

After Pompey’s wife Julia (Caesar’s daughter) died in 54 B.C. and Crassus was killed in battle against Parthia (present-day Iran) the following year, the triumvirate was broken. With old-style Roman politics in disorder, Pompey stepped in as sole consul in 53 B.C. Caesar’s military glory in Gaul and his increasing wealth had eclipsed Pompey’s, and the latter teamed with his Senate allies to steadily undermine Caesar. In 49 B.C., Caesar and one of his legions crossed the Rubicon, a river on the border between Italy from Cisalpine Gaul. Caesar’s invasion of Italy ignited a civil war from which he emerged as dictator of Rome for life in 45 B.C.

From Caesar to Augustus

Less than a year later, Julius Caesar was murdered on the ides of March (March 15, 44 B.C.) by a group of his enemies (led by the republican nobles Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius). Consul Mark Antony and Caesar’s great-nephew and adopted heir, Octavian, joined forces to crush Brutus and Cassius and divided power in Rome with ex-consul Lepidus in what was known as the Second Triumvirate. With Octavian leading the western provinces, Antony the east, and Lepidus Africa, tensions developed by 36 B.C. and the triumvirate soon dissolved. In 31 B.C., Octavian triumped over the forces of Antony and Queen Cleopatra of Egypt (also rumored to be the onetime lover of Julius Caesar) in the Battle of Actium. In the wake of this devastating defeat, Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide.

By 29 B.C., Octavian was the sole leader of Rome and all its provinces. To avoid meeting Caesar’s fate, he made sure to make his position as absolute ruler acceptable to the public by apparently restoring the political institutions of the Roman republic while in reality retaining all real power for himself. In 27 B.C., Octavian assumed the title of Augustus , becoming the first emperor of Rome.

Age of the Roman Emperors

Augustus’ rule restored morale in Rome after a century of discord and corruption and ushered in the famous pax Romana –two full centuries of peace and prosperity. He instituted various social reforms, won numerous military victories and allowed Roman literature, art, architecture and religion to flourish. Augustus ruled for 56 years, supported by his great army and by a growing cult of devotion to the emperor. When he died, the Senate elevated Augustus to the status of a god, beginning a long-running tradition of deification for popular emperors.

Augustus’ dynasty included the unpopular Tiberius (A.D. 14-37), the bloodthirsty and unstable Caligula (37-41) and Claudius (41-54), who was best remembered for his army’s conquest of Britain. The line ended with Nero (54-68), whose excesses drained the Roman treasury and led to his downfall and eventual suicide.

Four emperors took the throne in the tumultuous year after Nero’s death; the fourth, Vespasian (69-79), and his successors, Titus and Domitian, were known as the Flavians; they attempted to temper the excesses of the Roman court, restore Senate authority and promote public welfare. Titus (79-81) earned his people’s devotion with his handling of recovery efforts after the infamous eruption of Vesuvius, which destroyed the towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii .

The reign of Nerva (96-98), who was selected by the Senate to succeed Domitian, began another golden age in Roman history, during which four emperors–Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius–took the throne peacefully, succeeding one another by adoption, as opposed to hereditary succession. Trajan (98-117) expanded Rome’s borders to the greatest extent in history with victories over the kingdoms of Dacia (now northwestern Romania) and Parthia. His successor Hadrian (117-138) solidified the empire’s frontiers (famously building Hadrian's Wall in present-day England) and continued his predecessor’s work of establishing internal stability and instituting administrative reforms.

Under Antoninus Pius (138-161), Rome continued in peace and prosperity, but the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161–180) was dominated by conflict, including war against Parthia and Armenia and the invasion of Germanic tribes from the north. When Marcus fell ill and died near the battlefield at Vindobona (Vienna), he broke with the tradition of non-hereditary succession and named his 19-year-old son Commodus as his successor.

Decline and Disintegration

The decadence and incompetence of Commodus (180-192) brought the golden age of the Roman emperors to a disappointing end. His death at the hands of his own ministers sparked another period of civil war , from which Lucius Septimius Severus (193-211) emerged victorious. During the third century Rome suffered from a cycle of near-constant conflict. A total of 22 emperors took the throne, many of them meeting violent ends at the hands of the same soldiers who had propelled them to power. Meanwhile, threats from outside plagued the empire and depleted its riches, including continuing aggression from Germans and Parthians and raids by the Goths over the Aegean Sea.

The reign of Diocletian (284-305) temporarily restored peace and prosperity in Rome, but at a high cost to the unity of the empire. Diocletian divided power into the so-called tetrarchy (rule of four), sharing his title of Augustus (emperor) with Maximian. A pair of generals, Galerius and Constantius, were appointed as the assistants and chosen successors of Diocletian and Maximian; Diocletian and Galerius ruled the eastern Roman Empire, while Maximian and Constantius took power in the west.

The stability of this system suffered greatly after Diocletian and Maximian retired from office. Constantine (the son of Constantius) emerged from the ensuing power struggles as sole emperor of a reunified Rome in 324. He moved the Roman capital to the Greek city of Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople . At the Council of Nicaea in 325, Constantine made Christianity (once an obscure Jewish sect) Rome’s official religion.

Roman unity under Constantine proved illusory, and 30 years after his death the eastern and western empires were again divided. Despite its continuing battle against Persian forces, the eastern Roman Empire–later known as the Byzantine Empire –would remain largely intact for centuries to come. An entirely different story played out in the west, where the empire was wracked by internal conflict as well as threats from abroad–particularly from the Germanic tribes now established within the empire’s frontiers like the Vandals (their sack of Rome originated the phrase “vandalism”)–and was steadily losing money due to constant warfare.

Rome eventually collapsed under the weight of its own bloated empire, losing its provinces one by one: Britain around 410; Spain and northern Africa by 430. Attila and his brutal Huns invaded Gaul and Italy around 450, further shaking the foundations of the empire. In September 476, a Germanic prince named Odovacar won control of the Roman army in Italy. After deposing the last western emperor, Romulus Augustus, Odovacar’s troops proclaimed him king of Italy, bringing an ignoble end to the long, tumultuous history of ancient Rome. The fall of the Roman Empire was complete.

Roman Architecture

Roman architecture and engineering innovations have had a lasting impact on the modern world. Roman aqueducts, first developed in 312 B.C., enabled the rise of cities by transporting water to urban areas, improving public health and sanitation. Some Roman aqueducts transported water up to 60 miles from its source and the Fountain of Trevi in Rome still relies on an updated version of an original Roman aqueduct.

Roman cement and concrete are part of the reason ancient buildings like the Colosseum and Roman Forum are still standing strong today. Roman arches, or segmented arches, improved upon earlier arches to build strong bridges and buildings, evenly distributing weight throughout the structure.

Roman roads, the most advanced roads in the ancient world, enabled the Roman Empire—which was over 1.7 million square miles at the pinnacle of its power—to stay connected. They included such modern-seeming innovations as mile markers and drainage. Over 50,000 miles of road were built by 200 B.C. and several are still in use today.

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141 Ancient Civilizations Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on ancient civilizations, ✍️ ancient civilizations essay topics for college, 👍 good ancient civilizations research topics & essay examples, 🎓 most interesting ancient civilizations research titles, 💡 simple ancient civilizations essay ideas, ❓ ancient civilization essay questions.

The Impact of Ancient Greek Philosophy on Modern Day Thought
The Ancient Civilizations’ Impact on the Modern World
Science and Technology in Ancient Civilizations
Comparison of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome
Influence of Mathematics in Ancient Greek Architecture
“The Tale of Sinuhe” in Ancient Egyptian Literature
The History of Indus Valley Civilization
Creation Myths of Ancient Greeks and Egyptians The paper aims to compare the creation myths of ancient Greeks and Egyptians as researchers have thoroughly studied both mythic traditions.
Philosophy of Education in Ancient Greece How to educate the young most efficiently has been one of the central philosophical issues since the Ancient Greek period.
Civilization in Mesopotamia During the Bronze Age The Bronze Age refers to a period in history, during which many cultural development occurred. It is noted as the era during which bronze and copper were used extensively to make weapons and other important tools.
Ancient Civilizations: Athenian Democracy vs Australian Democracy Athens was one of the very first known democracies. It comprises of the central city-state of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica.
Mathematics in Ancient Greek Architecture This essay will briefly discuss what changes occurred and assess the overall impact of these sciences on the architecture of ancient Greece.
Ancient Greek Sculpture: Periods and Characteristics This paper presents descriptions of archaic, classical, and Hellenistic periods of ancient Greek sculpture with their notable characteristics, examples, and analysis.
Ancient Greek Tragedies: Agamemnon, Antigone and Bacchae This paper discusses three ancient greek tragedies: the Agamemnon, Antigone and the Bacchae. All three plays have themes that reflect some of the problems we are facing in the world today.
Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Greek’s Comparison The main religious and cultural ideas portrayed by the figures outline a series of differences that represent the history of both nations in the artistic fields.
The Theme of Love in Ancient Egyptian Poetry Different cultures and eras have their own perceptions of love that they eloquently communicated through various creations of literature, including poetry, epos, and philosophical pieces.
Agriculture and Food in Ancient Greece The paper states that agricultural practices and goods from Greece extended to neighboring countries in the Mediterranean as the dominance increased.
Symbolism of Canopic Jars in Ancient Egypt The symbolism of the canopic jars inherent in the images of the gods, their associations with human organs, and their purpose in the afterlife represents a big field for research.
Role of Women in Ancient Greece Every discovery or literary work, or sculpture produced in ancient Greece is a work of men’s hands and minds.
Montesquieu’s Persian Letters as Orientalist Texts “The Persian Letters” is a collection of messages written by Montesquieu to criticize and explain various aspects of life in the 18th century.
Homicide Perception in Ancient Greece and Rome The essay considers how citizens of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome perceived homicide and the death penalty from civil, domestic, and political perspectives.
Averting Evil, Confirming Power: Babylonian Panel With Striding Lion The striding lion depicted on the Neo-Babylonian glazed brick panel from the 6th century BCE served the dual purpose of warding off perceived evils and confirming royal power.
Ancient Rome Civilization Accomplishments The accomplishments of ancient Roman civilization are exceptionally remarkable deserving much attention and praise.
Agriculture the Backbone of Ancient Egypt’s Economy In pre-industrial societies, agriculture was the backbone of most economies. This is true in ancient times and very much evident in ancient Egypt.
Ancient Egypt and the 21st Century The purpose of this paper is to discuss the paintings and architecture of Ancient Egypt as well as to analyze their influence on the culture of today.
The Ancient Sumerian History and Legacy This research paper discusses some of the legacies of Civilization among the Sumerian people highlighting how civilization has enriched modern society.
Ancient Egypt: Head of Colossal Statue of Ramesses II The head of the Colossal Statue of Ramses II is a bust of Pharaoh Ramses II, one of the most successful kings of the ancient Egyptians.
Kalokagathia Perspectives in Ancient Greece The concept of kalokagathia was highly important to Ancient Greek society. It went beyond the traditional aspects of beauty and status that are seen in modern-day society.
Role of Women in Ancient Civilizations Despite the fact that a man and a woman, according to mythology, are created as two equal principles, in practice the ancient woman was completely subordinate to a man.
Ancient Greece: The Major Time Stages Modern scholars of the discipline of history distinguish several major time stages of ancient Greece. The best-studied are the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic ones.
Social Stratification in Ancient Civilizations One of the characteristic features of the emerging civilization is social stratification or social classes. This trait represents the emergence and division of social categories.
Importance of Polis in Ancient Greek The significance of Polis resides in the structure of the ancient Greek world because Polis was a structure of community, or territory of the land.
Ancient Greek Philosophers’ Impact on Modern Thought In this paper, several examples of Ancient Greek philosopher’s contributions to modernity will be presented including the achievement of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Women in Ancient Greece in Euripides’ Play “Medea” For this essay, the focus is on how Medea is treated by the men in Athens, as seen in the Euripides’ play “Medea”, and how her reaction came from the feminist within her.
Lady Sennuwy Statue of Ancient Egyptian Culture The statue depicts Lady Sennuwy sitting on a block-like chair, very attractive, attentive, and having her left hand resting on her lap. The statue was found in a tomb at Kerma.
Ancient Greece at the Met: Bronze Man and Centaur The culture of Ancient Egypt represents one of the earliest attempts at identifying a man’s place in the grand scheme of the universe and compartmentalizing the phenomena and objects comprising the environment.
Nature of Reality from Ancient Greek Philosophers Views The paper studies ancient philosophers’ views on nature of reality. It compares ideas of Heraclitus, Empedocles, Anaximander, Protagoras, Pythagoras, Anaxagoras, Plato, Aristotle.
Comparison: Mesopotamia and Ancient Egyptian Culture The two civilizations were always ahead in terms of inventions, something that made them different from the rest of cultures at the time.
Great Sphinx of Giza in Ancient Egypt’s Culture The one statement about the Sphinx is indisputable, it is a significant part of ancient Egypt’s culture and represents the certain convictions of the nation that created it.
Comparison of the Babylonian, Mongolian, and British Empires A civilization can be defined as a human society that is shaped by technological and cultural development. It is a complex society that is composed of cities.
Babylon: Ancient Mesopotamian Civilization Babylon’s science was very advanced during King Nebuchadnezzar’s time. They already had astronomers amongst themselves.
The Role of Family in Ancient Greece For the ancient Greeks, a special place was occupied by the family and taking care of it. Thus, many people have loved ones, and the extended family plays a strong role in life.
Food and Agriculture of Ancient Greece The concepts of agriculture and cuisine both have a deep connection to Greek history, culture, development, and social trends.
Humanities from Ancient Greece Ancient Greece started with city-states’ formation, which was the critical political difference between it and other civilizations in the Ancient World.
Ancient Greek Philosophy and Worldview Ancient Greek philosophy had its own character and unique differences. Scientists are still studying how people in ancient times saw the world.
Racial Identity of Ancient Egyptians Although the racial identity of ancient Egyptians is debated by scholars, the history and culture of the inhabitants confirm that they were Africans.
World History: Women in Ancient Greece Ancient Greece is one of the most well-known civilizations in human history. It is famous for its social and political development.
Ancient Greek War and Inter-State Relations In the Ancient Greek period war and inter-state relations were a well-articulated process and can be compared to the current military logistics and combat.
Women in Ancient Greece and India: Statuses, Roles, Life The paper compares men’s and women’s statuses, roles, and lives in ancient Greece. Women were disenfranchised and restricted in their freedom.
Ancient Roman Roads and Their Influence on Modern Road Designs The author of the article Ancient Roman roads and their influence on modern road designs is Rowyn Lea. There is no reliable information about this writer.
Mesopotamia: From Sumer to Babylon This paper will provide an overview of the civilization’s development from the Sumerian Empire to the Kingdom of Babylon.
Natural Resources in Ancient Egypt This paper will describe Ancient Egypt’s available resources that allowed the population to become one of the most prosperous states in terms of harvest and cattle.
Effect of Flooding on Cultures in Egypt and Mesopotamia The effects of Tigris and Euphrates river largely impacted on the Mesopotamian culture more so with regard to its frequent and destructive floods.
The History of Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt The two ancient kingdoms, Mesopotamia and Egypt, shared many traits as much as differences. The culture includes; festivals, music, games, family life, burials, and religion.
Greek Legacy in Ancient Roman Culture Romans used the Greek philosophies and concepts to their advantage and developed one of the most powerful empires in the world.
Rosetta Stone in Ancient Egyptian Culture Rosetta Stone is famous because of its role in enabling experts to read Egyptian hieroglyphs. Aside from the hieroglyphs, the stone has demotic and Greek types of writing.
Multiplication Methods: Traditional, Ancient Egyptian, and Method of the Cups The traditional or long multiplication method is one of the most famous and widely accepted in the world. This method goes back to medieval Italian mathematics.
Ancient Greek and Roman Governments The author states that Ancient Greek and Roman governments differed organizationally but were similar in many other aspects.
Nature of Reality in Ancient Greek Philosophies Heraclitus believes that reality could be equated with fire. Empedocles holds that true reality is constant. Protagoras believes that man is the measure of everything.
Ancient Egypt: Its Culture and History Egypt is one of the countries that had a long and remarkable history. This country had an immense influence on the development of western civilization.
Hubris in Ancient Greek Tragedies One of the plays representing hubris is Hippolytus, an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides and first performed in Athens.
Women in Ancient Greece In ancient Greece, women performed three main functions – childbearing, fabric weaving, and managing household.
Researching of Ancient Greek Sophistry The loss in esteem for sophistry can be associated with the many professionals’ inclination to use rhetorical abilities to pursue unfair lawsuits and political power.
World Archaeology: Ancient Egyptian Mortuary Rituals Ancient societies depended on rituals and belief systems to communicate with the spiritual world and also to interpret their material world as well as their being.
The Role of Religion in Ancient Egyptian Life Religion was deeply integrated into Egyptian culture and society. By analyzing the documents provided, one can trace the role of Egyptian cosmology in the Egyptian way of life.
The Monumental Architecture in Ancient Greek One of the most significant cultures of the ancient world was the ancient Greek and the ancient Roman. Their territories were close to each other.
The Role of Women in Ancient Greece A woman in ancient Greece was considered property, limited by her husband and household, and a democratic society was not formed immediately.
Cuisine and Agriculture of Ancient Greece There are many reasons for modern students to investigate the development of cuisine and agriculture in Ancient Greece.
The Ancient Contiones in the Roman Republic Contiones referred to the assemblies in which influential legislators debated and presented their views to the people of Rome on policies proposed by the People’s Assembly.
Pottery and Sculpture in Ancient Greece The evolution of pottery in Ancient Greece was accompanied by changes in the decorations of items, from the Corinthian black-figure method to the red-figure technique.
Ancient Greece in Historical Texts The ancient historical texts on Minoans published by Halsall reflect some facts about their history discovered much later than these accounts had been compiled.
Ancient Greek & Roman and Medieval Philosophies The concept of happiness is central to Ancient Greek and Roman beliefs, yet at the Dawn of the Medieval period, people’s positions in society were predetermined.
Mesopotamia Assyria and the New Egyptian Kingdom The Assyrian Empire was a kingdom in Mesopotamia known as the Levant in today’s Northern Iraq. It existed from 25BC until between 612BC and 609BC after its collapse
Persian, Roman, Mongol, and Inca Empires In ancient times various political and socio-economic systems of the empires either contributed to their power and success or eventually led to the downfall of the nation.
Navy Development in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome demonstrated a separate range of factors contributing to the process of acknowledging the necessity of a strong navy.
The Concept of Truth in Christianity and Ancient Greece In the essay, the concept of truth will be discussed through the lens of two distinct faith traditions: Ancient Greece and Christianity.
The Babylonian Exile of the Israelites as Calvin’s Metaphor The suffering of Jews in Babylonian exile is a clear indication that when Christians sin against God, they will be punished.
Merchant’s Perspective of Babylon The paper presents the view of the merchant and representative of the Vaishya varna, who came from Varanasi to Babylon to trade and discover something new.
Mythology and Ancient Greco-Roman Beliefs Connected This paper aims to identify the connections between mythology and ancient Greco-Roman beliefs through the abilities, features, and lessons learned from hybrid creatures.
Political Messaging Based on Fitzgerald’s Babylon Revisited This paper examines political messaging as an efficient way of reflecting and staying connected with the people based on Fitzgerald’s Babylon Revisited.
The Art of Ancient Greece Modern civilization owes much of its development to ancient Greece. This relatively small state has made a significant contribution to the global culture.
Justice in Ancient Greece: The Liberation Bearers The essay will focus on Demosthenes’ speech, The Liberation Bearers, and the tales of the Eumenides to explicate the thesis.
Ancient Egyptian Question of Race The question of the race of Egyptians arose as a result of an increased interest in anthropology and the racial division of society about two centuries ago.
The Ancient Greek Philosophers: The Heritage in Modernity The ancient philosophy has elaborated almost all basic principles that can be found in the philosophy of modernity.
Development of the Figure in Ancient Greek Art The characteristics and ideals of art that were developed in Ancient Greece continue to play a major part in modern art.
Ancient Sexuality: Women and the Ancient Greek Symposium Greek Women played a very minor role in the affairs of Greek Society. The sexual province of women was under threat of usurpation by men in reference to the wide record of homosexuality.
Women in the Ancient Maya Civilization According to the book ‘Ancient Maya women’ by Traci Arden that the civilization put much tension on women’s social representation.
Ancient Greece: Athenian Acomplishments Ancient Greece is considered to be the phenomenon of the development of human civilization. The association that arouses when hearing the word combination “Ancient Greece” is “genius”.
Hammurabi: The King of Babylonia. Hammurabi brought together the largest society to date for his time. A series of important military conquests that gave control over many territories, groups of people,important natural resources.
Eruption at Thera and Minoan Civilization’s Downfall There can be an assumption about the fact that the volcanic event could have weakened the Minoans on Crete for assault, but this cannot be confirmed today.
“The Gilded Six-Bits” by Hurston and “Babylon Revisited” by Fitzgerald In fact, these two stories are very similar and one can draw parallels between what happened in Joe and Missy’s life and what problems Charley confronted in his.
Relationship Between Ancient Greek and Roman Architecture It is difficult to define the relationships between ancient Greek and Roman cultures. Analysis help to define that in architecture both of them have similarities and differences.
Ancient Maya Civilization’s Authority and Control Ancient Maya civilization takes an important place among Central American topics. The secrets of the Maya epoch cover the aspect of their control system and Maya elite order.
Ancient Greek Colonization and Trade One of the characteristics of the history of many ancient nations is the colonization, i.n. the establishment of new settlements in foreign lands.
Women Roles During Wartime in Ancient Greece and Rome The very unusual rights that women from Sparta possesses occurred following the reason that women were expected to complete tasks that were especially valuable to men.
The History of Mummification in Ancient Egypt Mummification is one of the most unusual rituals associated with the afterlife. There are many unique activities related to it that can attract people’s attention and spark the desire to investigate the issue.
Ancient Greece at the Met: Marble Column From the Temple of Artemis at Sardis Greek culture is considered to be one of the most influential cultures in the history of humanity. Its impact is particularly evident in architecture.
Ancient Greece in the Modern US: Digital Field Trip One of the most recognizable and evident examples of Ancient Greek influence on the modern cultural patterns is the Capitol building in Washington D.C.
Ancient Greek Tradition and Influence on Modern Art Ancient Greeks can be regarded as one of the groups which have made the most significant contributions to the development of different types of art.
Islamic Empire and Ancient Greek Philosophy Muslims collected works of such philosophers like Aristotle and Plato and translated them to make them understandable for the people of the empire.
The Art of the Ancient Mesopotamia and Aegean The art of the ancient Aegean is harmonious, exuberant, and non-threatening, while the art of Mesopotamia often contains more elements that can be seen as fearsome, militant, or political in nature.
Ancient Maya Civilization: History and Culture The collapse of the Late Classic Mayan kingdoms is attributed to many factors. But it is wrong to blame the invasion of the Europeans as the major reason for the downfall of the said kingdoms.
Magic in Ancient Greece and Rome This paper presents an examination of magic in antiquity specifically in the Greco-Roman era. The paper focuses on this specific era because it represents strong magical elements.
The Legacy of Ancient Civilizations Philosophy Ideas that are outlined in the ancient texts contain an actual information, a unique philosophy that should be taken into consideration and discussed.
Code of Hammurabi and Justice in Babylon Code of Hammurabi is one of the oldest sets of laws used in the Ancient Babylon. It is believed that Hammurabi created and enacted it.
The Ancient Greece Architecture Gallery The Ancient Greece Architecture Gallery, which is located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, presents a piece of art that expressed the main features of Ancient Greek Culture.
Ancient Greek Marble Column from Artemesium The marble column from the Temple of Artemis at Sardis showcases the most recognizable elements of ancient Greece’s architectural forms.
The Ancient Egyptians Social Lives The two books focus on the social lives of the ancient Egyptians. This paper evaluates the two books from different perspectives.
The Persian War and Athenian Progress: Ancient History This paper will analyze the Athenian progress of attaining democracy and economic variations that resulted after the Persian war.
“Enter the Babylon System: Unpacking Gun Culture from Samuel Colt to 50-Cent” a Book by Rodrigo Bascunan The authors in this book are bended on informing the society on who exactly should be blamed for the escalating gun violence.
Religious Beliefs in Egypt and Mesopotamia Polytheism was the most outstanding feature of the ancient religious belief system among the Egyptians. Several deities or gods interacted with Egyptians.
Why Did Ancient Civilizations Develop in River Valleys?
How Did Greece Differ From Other Ancient Civilizations Geographically?
What Ancient Civilization Created the First Empire in World History?
Why Do Historians Classify Sumer as Ancient Civilization?
What Ancient Civilization Invented the Phonetic Alphabet?
What Do China’s Artifacts Reveal About China’s Ancient Civilizations?
Which Ancient Civilizations Used Plants for Healing?
What Characteristics of an Advanced Civilization Did Ancient Ghana Possess?
How Long Did the Ancient Greek Civilization Last?
What Has Western Civilization Derived From the Ancient Civilizations of the Near East?
What Ancient Mesoamerican Civilization Were Known for Large Stone Monuments?
What Is the Most Ancient Civilization in Human History?
What Role Did Agriculture Play in the Emergence of Ancient Civilization?
What Ancient Civilizations Were Ruled by Dynasties?
What Were the Practical Values Offered by Astronomy to Ancient Civilizations?
How Did the Neolithic Revolution Impact Ancient Civilization?
How Did Cultural Diffusion Affect Ancient Civilizations?
What Ancient Civilization Used Oracle Bones?
What Is the Ancient Civilization That Thrived in South America?
What Materials and Tools Did Ancient Civilizations Use for Written Communication?
What Are the Significant Features the Modern and Ancient Civilizations Share in Common?
Which Ancient Civilization Most Influenced the Roman Empire?
How Many Ancient Civilizations Are There in the World?
Which Ancient Civilization Built the Great Pyramids of Giza?
The Code of Hammurabi Is Associated With Which Ancient Civilization?
Which Ancient Civilization Invented the Wheel?
Was Feudal Japan an Ancient Civilization?
Which Ancient Civilization Developed the Concept of Zero and the Decimal System?
The Ancient City of Carthage Was a Major Rival of Which Ancient Civilization?
Which Ancient Civilization Invented Paper?

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237 Western Civilization Essay Topic Ideas & Examples
Western Civilization: Philosophies and Sciences. Western civilization is the body of art, literature, culture, and timeless concepts that originated in the eastern Mediterranean in the pre-Common Era during the 17 to 19th centuries. Tigris and Euphrates' Significance for Mesopotamia.
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This work is a comprehensive analysis of the activities of the most significant Western thinkers: Freud, Darwin, and Marx. Black Death Impact on the Direction of Western Civilization. The Black Death was a catastrophic global Bubonic Pest outbreak in the mid-1300s that affected Europe and Asia.
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120 Western Civilization Essay Topic Ideas & Examples
From the ancient Greeks and Romans to the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, the history of Western civilization is full of fascinating events, ideas, and people. If you're looking for essay topics to explore this vast and complex subject, here are 120 ideas and examples to get you started. The impact of Greek mythology on Western culture.
Western Civilization Essay Topics
Western Civilization Essay Topics. Western civilization refers to the modern-day culture of North America and Western Europe. Although students are expected to study the history of Western civilization, the majority of them find it hard to enjoy. The history of Western Civilization isn't boring or hard to learn, but, unfortunately, most ...
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Western Civilization Influence. division between the Eastern, and the Western Rome which occurred in 285 A.D. After the fall of Rome, the literature, its art, history, and technology were scattered and was lost near the western part of the empire. This scattering of lost history made the formation of a new West Empire.
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A brief history of Western culture. History has no natural divisions. A woman living in Florence in the 15th century did not think of herself as a woman of the Renaissance. Historians divide history into large and small units in order to make characteristics and changes clear to themselves and to students. It's important to remember that any ...
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History of Western civilization. The School of Athens, a famous fresco by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael, with Plato and Aristotle as the central figures in the scene. Western civilization traces its roots back to Europe and the Mediterranean. It is linked to ancient Greece, the Roman Empire and Medieval Western Christendom which ...
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15 essay samples found. An essay on Western civilization can explore the history, culture, and legacy of Western societies. It can discuss the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome, the Enlightenment era, significant historical events, and the impact of Western values on politics, philosophy, and modern global society.
Western Civilization: Roots, History and Culture
The Roots of Western Civilization. For the purposes of this article, the "West" is that civilization which grew up in western Europe after the end of the Roman Empire.. Its roots lay in the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome (which themselves built on foundations laid in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia).. It took shape in medieval Europe, with its Christian religion, feudal society ...
11 Critical events and periods in the history of western civilization
Based on this and many other gripes, Martin Luther began the Reformation in 1517 when he wrote The Ninety-Five Theses. This critique of the Church led directly to the conversion of much of northern Europe to Protestantism, and contributed to major conflicts such as the Thirty Years' War. 6. The Renaissance.
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Here you will find library and internet resources for research on topics and issues in World History Western Civilization ca. 1600 to the Present An introduction to the development of the "West" from the era of Absolutism to the present. A central theme will be how a weak and fragmented western Europe became a major influence in the world, strongly id
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Western Civilization Choose from any of these essay topics on the history of western civilization's. Research Haven's database of term paper and essay topics is the home to close to 100,000 sample papers for you to choose from. For a detailed list of all of our most recent topics visit our topic categories page. England (Before 1700)
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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the history of Western civilization: . History of Western civilization - record of the development of human civilization beginning in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, and generally spreading westwards.. Ancient Greek science, philosophy, democracy, architecture, literature, and art provided a foundation embraced and ...
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Western Civilization Following the Second World War. PAGES 5 WORDS 1539. estern Civilization. Following the Second orld ar, Europe was basically destructed both structurally and economically. The Eastern part of the continent was under the grip of different governments. This went on to show that the countries were having a hard time dealing ...
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Get unlimited access to SuperSummaryfor only $0.70/week. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "Civilization" by Niall Ferguson. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Ancient Rome
The Roman Empire, founded in 27 B.C., was a vast and powerful domain that gave rise to the culture, laws, technologies and institutions that continue to define Western civilization.
141 Ancient Civilizations Essay Topics
This paper will describe Ancient Egypt's available resources that allowed the population to become one of the most prosperous states in terms of harvest and cattle. The History of Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. The two ancient kingdoms, Mesopotamia and Egypt, shared many traits as much as differences.

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11 Critical events and periods in the history of western civilization

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The fascinating history of western civilization