History is full of ups and downs, twists and turns that ultimately shaped the modern world we live in today; its foundation laid throughout history. The events of the past; good, bad, and indifferent could have adversely affected our modern society had they different outcomes or ceased to happen at all. There are countless historical events that are significant in their own right, but I have chosen to discuss five of the most significant historical events in Western Civilization occurring pre-1689. The Greco-Persian Wars, the Conflict of the Orders, the Punic Wars, the Gallic Wars, and the Black Plague had crucial influence over today’s economic, political, and social structures.
The Greco-Persian Wars (499-449 BCE) was a conflict between the Achaemenid Empire of Persia and the Greek city states, which began when Cyrus the Great
…show more content…
The war started because of conflicting interests between the two, especially the expanding Roman Republic. At the end of the war, thousands of lives were lost, Rome ascended into power, conquering Carthage and becoming the most powerful state in the Mediterranean. During one point of the Second War, or the Hannibalic War, Carthage nearly brought Rome to her knees. With reinforcement from their Gallic allies, Carthage defeated the Roman army in the Battles of Trebia, Trasimene, and Cannae. Had Rome not defeated Carthage, the history Western civilization would be drastically altered, shaping a very different world than the one we live in today. It is said “All roads lead to Rome”. There is a lot of truth to this quote because Rome, with all its power and glory, paved the road for our modern society; it allowed Christianity to spread and flourish, the basis for democracy, and served as melting pot of cultures and customs.Rome can be considered one of the greatest influences on Western civilization, leaving us with priceless gifts that we will always
The Persian War stemmed from the Ionian Revolt which began in 499 BC. The Ionians became a part of the Persian Empire in 546 BC, but after many years desired to break away from this forced bond. Therefore, the Ionians sought help from the mainland Greeks. The Athenians and Eretrians responded by sending ships, but eventually became more involved. "What began as a relatively minor involvement in the revolt became more serious when the Athenian and Eretrian forces aided in a surprise attack on Sardis, during which the city was set afire" (Demand 1996, 184). Although the Ionian revolt was ultimately unsuccessful, it sparked the anger of Darius, the King of Persia, that the Athenians dared to interfere with his vast empire. Herodotus writes he was so angry that he "ordered one of his servants to say to him three times every day before dinner, 'Sire, remember the Athenians" (Hdt. 5.105.2). Whether Darius really said this is questionable, but it is clear that either to exact venge...
Soon the second Punic War began because Carthage was infuriated with their treatment and torments from the Empire of Rome. This war was even worse than the first, and it shook Rome to its core. The first World War began with an accumulation of many causes, but one of the more influential problems was land hunger or imperialism. When Germany lost, it had the same treatment from the world that Carthage got from Rome. In the same case, the Second World War began because of the humiliation given to Germany with the peace treaty.
There are many cumulative events that have influenced Western Civilization reflective in today’s modern world, but the most impactful was the French Revolution. Western Civilization has many historic milestones building to the world as we know it, but none set such broad themes that are felt in our everyday life. Many of these themes have become so ingrained into the way we live that we can’t understand a world without them. For this reason, the effects of the French Revolution molded the westernized world more so than any other event. I consider the French Revolution the catalyst to how our world is shaped today. It’s ideas and events continue to echo through our lives century after century.
The greatest conflict Darius the Great had to face was the war against the Ionian Greeks. They had democracy and it proved to be very successful for them. Also, the Greek city-states in Lydia had become part of the empire in 546 B.C.E, and they rose in rebellion in 499 B.C.E. Greek settlers had come to the region several hundred years before, and they wanted their independence from Persian rule. At the time, Greece was made up of independent city-states scattered across the Aegean sea. Citizens of Athens and other city states supported their fellow Greeks. Darius defeated the rebels, and then turned to attack Greece itself. The Greeks destroyed the residential areas of Sardis, the capital in western Turkey, and Darius’ brother Artaphernes stood
The Roman Republic was an ancient territory known for its people, people that would fight for passion, unity, and for the prosperity of their country. Carthage, in historic times, was known for its great rulers, especially of the likes of Hannibal. Both of these countries had a mindset on expansion. Both were the worst of rivals. And during the time of the Punic Wars, Carthage was on the brink of becoming the equal to Rome. In fact, during much of the war, it can be argued that Carthage was already stronger than the likes of Rome. Both powers had their strengths. They both had their weaknesses. All in all, this led to Rome becoming a naval power, and eventually taking the best
A great issue can be defined in many ways; one way is how it effects people and how many people it effects. Of course it is based on the fact that it is great; and it wouldn’t be great unless people were affected by it. Then the question is what is an issue, and what makes an issue. First of all, every issue has to have more then one side, and each side has their own point of view. This point of view is usually very ethnocentric as well. Secondly, every point of view is seen with a different perspective, which no one else can see. It all depends on who the source is and what makes up their background. Every human has been socialized in some way, and these circumstances factor into the making of a great issue.
... one another until they were no more. From the Persian War to the Peloponnesian the two states had changed a lot of the years. Starting from their greatest alliance yet first moment of subtle rivalry, the Persian War. Although they were indistinctly competing against one another, without each other they could not have dominated. Then there were the two blows to the peace treaty. The first blow being the Athenian assistance in the battle between Corinth and Corycra. The second blow being the idea to burn Corinth’s town down. Although these were remarkable mistakes the Athenians saw nothing wrong with them. Lastly, was the war. In 431 B.C. the Peloponnesian War broke out between the two allies, after all they had been through, their alliance was over. War was bound to happen, although they lived in tranquility for so long, one or the other was destined to break out.
The Black Plague, perhaps one of the worst epidemics in history, swept its evil across Europe in the middle of the 14th century, killing an estimated 20 million people. This major population shift, along with other disasters occurring at the time, such as famine and an already existing economic recession, plunged Europe into a dark period of complete turmoil. Anarchy, psychological breakdowns, and the dissipation of church power were some of the results. As time passed, however, society managed to find new ground and began its long path of recovery. The plague, as catastrophic as it was to medieval Europe, had just as many positive effects that came with this recovery as it did negative effects prior. An end to feudalism, increased wages and innovation, the idea of separation of church and state, and an attention to hygiene and medicine are only some of the positive things that came after the plague. It could also be argued that the plague had a significant impact on the start of the Renaissance.
Timeline of wars/Reasons for Wars Trojan War c. 1200 BC lasted for approx. 9 years Greeks vs. people of Troy Trojan prince Paris abducted Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta. The Spartans refused to return Helen to Sparta so Menelaus persuaded his brother Agamemnon to lead an army against Troy. They fought for nine years but never were able to defeat he main city.
Ideology, Knowledge and the escalation of new ideas led to a better life and society that made positive impacts on Western Civilizations. There were many idea’s that were explored and implement into the daily lives of the people and for the most part it turned out to be a good impact. Although there were some bad ideas that caused suffering to the society at the time. They learned from what they witnessed and created something that would work better for the most part. In this essay I am going to use some primary sources that support my idea that society benefited from the new “ideas” but I will also use an example to explain how it caused a negative impact too.
The Persian Wars (499-479 BC) put the Greeks in the difficult position of having to defend their country against a vast empire with an army that greatly outnumbered
Polybius gives us three events that led to the Second Punic War, and none of these events actually involved Hannibal himself. Polybius tells us that the real reason that there was a renewal of activity between Carthage and Rome boiled down to these three factors. The first was the bitterness and anger of Hamilcar Barca at the end of the First Punic War when he was forced to surrender despite being undefeated in Sicily. The second factor, which Polybius tells us is the most important, is the Roman seizure of Sardinia, while Carthage was still reeling from the result of the Mercenary Rebellion. The final reason that Polybius gives us is the fact that the Carthaginian enterprise in Spain was so successful.
The illustration of the atrocities of war shows the increase in battles and wars of the period. This coincides with the European m...
The 14th century is ranked as one of the most distressing epochs in the history of Western culture. With the transformation of the Holy Roman Empire into a greatly destabilized elective monarchy, the transfer in political power from Germany to France and the escalation of England's power comes the end of the High Middle Ages in which Europe sank into a time of despair. Many events were responsible for this decline and loss of hope. Among them, three deserve special attention: the Great Schism, the Hundred Years War, and the Black Plague.
Beginning in 492 B.C., a series of wars erupted, appropriately entitled the Persian Wars, which lasted around thirteen years. Because of the constant battles between the Persians, led by Xerxes, and Greece, both civilization started growing weaker and weaker. When the wars ended, the Greeks were successful at defeating the Persians. However, being in a weakened state caused the Greek city- states (mainly Athens against Sparta) to fight amongst themselves in order to have more influence over the rest of the city-states. This type of war was termed the Peloponnesian War and continued from 431B.C. to 404 B.C. (History of Greece:The Golden Age of Greece) and