Western Civilizations - Essay Example

Essay and short questions about western civilization Part Essay History illustrates transition from ancient civilizations to western civilization.Early civilization however formed the basis of western civilization whose major characteristics mirror properties of early civilization. This paper explores elements of early civilization that laid the foundation of western civilization. Some of the major features of the western civilization are organized governance, advanced technology, and specialization of labor.

While these factors have been refined to efficiency, they are significantly traceable to ancient civilizations. The high level of organized governance that is the major feature of the western civilization can for example be traced to the Greek civilization whose governance was based on political aspects. This politics developed to form an essential foundation of the western democratic based governance systems. The same effect emanated from the ancient Roman civilization. Intellectual capacity into development of technology is another aspect of the early civilization that formed foundations of western civilization.

Observed, for example in the Greek civilization, intellectual potentials in conjunction with artistic abilities was the foundation of crude technologies that have been refined and modified for application in the western civilization’ high level of technological applications. Examples are the instruments that facilitated agrarian revolution. Specialization and division of labor are other characteristics of the western civilization that developed from crude concepts of ancient civilizations.

The Egyptians’ civilization for instance observed specialization in roles by gender that designed specific roles to females and males. Though western civilization does not rely on gender, it has established specialization and division of labor based on individuals’ capacities and needs in work environments. The western civilization is therefore an evolution from the ancient civilizations. It incorporated characteristics of various ancient civilizations such as political governance, technology, and specialization, and refined them to higher levels of efficiency (Spielvogel, p. xiv). Part 2 Development of early civilization The early civilization developed because of advancements in agricultural practices.

Its development majorly occurred between 3000 B.C. and 1000 B.C. along riverbanks with fertile soils. Examples are river Nile, river Euphrates, river Tigris, and river India (Spielvogel, p. 7). Characteristics that made Alexander a great general Alexander had outstanding military features. He was for example tactical and could effectively organize his army based on the battleground’s topographic factors. He was also able to mobilize his troops and to push them to maximize their potentials.

Similarly, he retained his interest in his forces. He was always keen on his troops’ needs and environments (Spielvogel, p. 103, 104). Three major turning points in early Hebrew civilization The three major turning points in early Hebrew history are recognition of God as a sovereign being, realization of moral freedom and realization of political freedom. Recognition of God’s sovereignty for instance led to self-awareness. It also established a distinct culture from the rest of the world.

Moral freedom also freed the Hebrews from moral agents. Similarly, political philosophies shaped the society’s governance (Perry, et al, p. xx). Roman and Greek cultures The opinion that Roman culture was not original but a copy of the Greek culture is valid. This is because the Romans’ interaction with the Greek assimilated the Romans and they adopted laws and culture from Greeks. This resulted in a cultural transition. As a result, the roman culture is a copy of the Greek culture (Perry, et al, p. xxiii). Works cited Perry, Marvin, et al.

Western civilization: Ideas, politics, and society: From the 1600. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print. Spielvogel, Jackson. Western civilization. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.