Ferguson N. Civilization: The West and the Rest

Allen Lane, 2011. — 432 p. — ISBN 978-1-84-614282-6.In Civilization: The West and the Rest, acclaimed historian Niall Ferguson argues that, beginning in the fifteenth century, the West developed six powerful new concepts that the Rest lacked: competition, science, the rule of law, modern medicine, consumerism, and the work ethic. These were the ‘killer applications’ that allowed the West to leap ahead of the Rest; opening global trade routes, exploiting new scientific knowledge, evolving representative government, more than doubling life expectancy, unleashing the industrial revolution, and hugely increasing human productivity. Civilization shows exactly how a dozen Western empires came to control three-fifths of mankind and four-fifths of the world economy. Yet now, Ferguson argues, the days of Western predominance are numbered because the Rest have finally downloaded the six killer apps the West once monopolized – while the West has literally lost faith in itself. Chronicling the rise and fall of empires alongside the clashes of civilizations, Civilization recasts world history with verve and wit. Boldly argued but also teeming with memorable characters, this is Ferguson at his very best.List of Illustrations

Preface to the UK Edition
Introduction: Rasselas’s Question
Competition
Two Rivers
The Eunuch and the Unicorn
The Spice Race
The Mediocre Kingdom
Science
The Siege
Micrographia
Osman and Fritz
Tanzimat Tours
From Istanbul to Jerusalem
Property
New Worlds
Land of the Free
American Revolutions
The Fate of the Gullahs
Medicine
Burke’s Prophecy
The Juggernaut of War
Médecins Sans Frontières
The Skulls of Shark
Island
Black Shame
Consumption
The Birth of the Consumer
Society
Turning WesternRagtime to Riches
The Jeans Genie
Pyjamas and ScarvesWorkWork Ethic and Word Ethic
Get your Kicks
The Chinese Jerusalem
Lands of Unbelief
The End of Days?
Illustrations
Conclusion: The Rivals

Index