Development of the Western - Research Paper Example

The geographical meaning of the Western implies contrasting Europe with the linked cultures and civilizations of the East. The East comprises of the Middle East and North Africa, Southeast Asia and Far East (Broadberry & Gupta, 2005). Currently, the Western world is a region of the earth constituting Europe, countries of European colonial origin, and European ancestral populations in Oceania and the Americas. The main traditions that have influenced the development of Western culture and economy over time include Renaissance, Age of Enlightenment, colonialism, Protestant Reformation and the industrial revolution.

Greco-Roman culture comprises of countries and geographical regions that were culturally influenced by the language, culture, government, and regions of the ancient Greeks and Romans. These regions were forced to embrace a mixture of the cultures because the Greeks and Romans were their rulers, masters, and teachers. The Greek and Romans began to mix after the Romans began to rule over the mainland Greece. The ruling spurred several conflicts that caused the Greeks and Romans to meet on the battlefields many times.

The first encounter stretches as far back as during the 291 B.C (Merriman, 2010). The primary objective of most nations during the time was to expand their empires; the Romans maintained their dominance as far as expansion was concerned. The Greeks and Macedonians attacked the Roman Empire, causing a series of three wars. The Romans won the war and established a protectorate province in Greece, making Greece one of the Roman provinces. Greek culture was welcome by the Romans since it became part of the Roman Empire.

Greek and Latin were accepted as the languages of the Greco-Roman era; Greek became the language of learning with Latin being the language of ruling the empire.