Table of Contents
Introduction: What You Don't Know about the Rise of the West 1
Part I Classical Beginnings (500 BC-AD 500)
1 Stagnant Empires and the Greek "Miracle" 9
2 Jerusalem's Rational God 33
3 The Roman Interlude 47
Part II The Not-So-Dark Ages (500-1200)
4 The Blessings of Disunity 69
5 Northern Lights over Christendom 93
6 Freedom and Capitalism 119
Part III Medieval Transformations (1200-1500)
7 Climate, Plague, and Social Change 143
8 The Pursuit of Knowledge 159
9 Industry, Trade, and Technology 181
10 Discovering the World 199
Part IV The Dawn of Modernity (1500-1750)
11 New World Conquests and Colonies 219
12 The Golden Empire 241
13 The Lutheran Reformation: Myths and Realities 263
14 Exposing Muslim Illusions 283
15 Science Comes of Age 303
Part V Modernity (1750-)
16 The Industrial Revolution 325
17 Liberty and Prosperity 339
18 Globalization and Colonialism 357
Notes 371
Bibliography 401
Index 433