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''The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community'' is a book by Canadian and University of Chicago historian William Hardy McNeill, first published in 1963 and enlarged with a retrospective preface in 1991 (University of Chicago Press, 1992). Its first edition won the U.S. National Book Award in History and Biography in 1964〔 ("National Book Awards – 1964" ). National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2012-03-17.〕 and it was named one of the 100 Best Nonfiction Books of the 20th century by the Modern Library.〔("100 Best Nonfiction" ). Modern Library (Board). Random House. 1999.〕 ==Description== ''The Rise of the West'' explores human history in terms of the effect of different world civilizations on one another. McNeill assumes "decent familiarity with Western history," which allows describing "underrated" matters. The footnotes teem with specialized studies that support the bold strokes in the text. Development is thematic within periods rather than entirely chronological. The book is in three parts of approximately equal length.〔Enlarged edition, pp. v and vii-xii.〕 Part I (pp. 1–246) begins with evolutionary prehistory and the breakthrough to civilization in Mesopotamia. This is followed by the era of Middle Eastern dominance and the formation of peripheral civilizations in India, Greece, and China to 500 B.C. Part II (pp. 247–562) discusses the Eurasian cultural balance to 1500 A.D., including the expansion of Hellenism, the closure of the Eurasian ecumene, the development of major religions, the barbarian onslaught, resurgence of the Middle East, and the Steppe conquerors. McNeill proposes that the basic engine of world history during this period is the temporary primacy of different regions of the ecumene, with a rough parity re-established as innovations spread to other centers of civilization. The sequence is Hellenistic / Indian / Islamic / Chinese and Mongol. Generally the eras are structured in terms of the internal history of the dominant region, followed by the history of the rest of the world with a focus on how they reacted to the diffusing techniques and ideas of the dominant region.〔Enlarged edition, pp. 247-53.〕 Part III (pp. 563–803) examines the era of Western dominance. From 1500 to 1750 this is represented by the challenge of Western Europe to the world in a period of exploitation and colonization and the changing balance of the ecumene in the Islamic world, the Far East, and Africa: before 1750, Western superiority is similar in scope to the primacy previously enjoyed by other regions. The book describes the "tottering balance" of older orders within Europe, European expansion and acculturation in outliers, including the Americas. The rise of the West on a cosmopolitan scale from 1750 to 1950 is described as to continued territorial expansion, industrialism, the democratic revolution, and intellectual aspects. This period marks a discontinuity: the global influence of the West expands beyond all historical parallels.〔Enlarged edition, pp. 565-68.〕 The many plates, maps, and charts each should offer "its own limited yet coherent insight into the history of the human community" whereas their combination and the text "is designed to multiply the meaning of any one taken by itself."〔Enlarged edition, pp. v-vi.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Rise of the West」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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