Ap World History Dbq

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According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, culture is, “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group, or the characteristic features of everyday existence shared by people in a place or time.” Culture links individual people with common traditions and morals, incorporating fundamental aspects of society such as holidays, meals, and the mode of dress. It is intrinsic in the very identity of humans. Throughout history, the West unexpectedly rose to power rather than the flourishing empires of Asia. It is my belief that these traits and customs associated with culture are the underlying reason for the rise of the West. In Europe there were many nations in close proximity to each other. These …show more content…

In chapter fourteen Landes states that the pillars of western science were autonomy, method, and routinization. These terms indicate the split between state and secular, the scientific method, and the community of language and learning. (Landes pp. 201-205) Marks clearly states that he does not believe there is a link between this scientific revolution and the later industrial revolution in Britain. Instead, historical contingency, accident, and conjecture are Mark’s main focus. (Marks pp. 118, 12-13) Perhaps it is a byproduct of my culture, but I cannot simply accept that history was at the mercy of accident and contingency. While Britain did have access to colonies, coal, and cotton, so did other nations. India led the textile industry and exported cotton calicoes before the industrial revolution, and Spain was notable for their control of colonies in South America. (Marks p. 98) (HWS pp. 476-477) Additionally, Britain had the resources, but that did not guarantee the successful utilization of them to pioneer a path towards industrial methods. It seems that this ability to industrialize was possible because of the scientific revolution. Marks argues that technology developed during the industrial revolution was not invented by true scientists. (Marks p. 117) However, the scientific revolution encouraged the usage of the scientific method, or “empiricism,” and applying experimentation rather than simply …show more content…

The presentation of the six killer applications (competition, the scientific revolution, property rights, medicine, the consumer society, and the work ethic) as institutions relating to culture was presented in a clear, concise, and logical manner. (Ferguson p. 12) Ferguson is also an excellent writer; his book was brimming with rhetoric and style, making the chapters a bit dramatic, but kept the text from boring the reader. This is exemplified plainly in chapter one through his section titles “The Eunuch and the Unicorn” and “The Mediocre Kingdom”. (Ferguson pp. 26, 44) One of these titles is more playful and the other foreboding and disheartening, yet they add to the tone and style of the

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