HIST 205 Lecture 5: Origins of US Culture
Document Summary
Origins of western civilization - the world around 1500. The year 1500, for historians, marks the beginning of the modern world. The five centuries since have brought great changes. Terms such as globalization, interdependence, and world community now define the relationships between cultures and civilizations. Certainly, the conflicts of the 20th and 21st century support the implications of these terms. Yet there are huge disparities in the world. I(cid:374) e(cid:454)plai(cid:374)i(cid:374)g this (cid:272)o(cid:374)tradi(cid:272)tio(cid:374), historia(cid:374)s (cid:272)ite a (cid:374)u(cid:373)(cid:271)er of (cid:858)revolutions,(cid:859) pi(cid:448)otal (cid:449)orld (cid:272)ha(cid:374)gi(cid:374)g moments in the last five centuries that explain the current state of the world. As you can imagine, these revolutions have caused debate and dissension among scholars, and even civilizations. This course will present a view of the world since 1500 in an effort to explain how we arrived at this point. What makes history purposeful is how we use those facts, which are open to i(cid:374)terpretatio(cid:374). You ha(cid:448)e heard that o(cid:374)e (cid:373)a(cid:374)(cid:859)s terrorist is a(cid:374)other (cid:373)a(cid:374)(cid:859)s patriot.
