A Western History Timeline

Traditionally, the history of the West has been told in textbooks as a series of events leading to the inevitable Western dominance of the world. However, some historians have moved away from the traditional depiction of the West as a frontier. Instead, they have described the West as a crossroads of cultures. The West is the intersection of cultures that were rooted in the earliest days of civilization.

In the earliest days of civilization, the Mesopotamians created a writing system. They also invented an organized religion. The people of Hellenistic civilization, which was primarily Middle Eastern, worshiped Greek gods. They lived in a hybrid culture that combined Middle Eastern religion with North African practices.

European colonists had the greatest influence on the globe during the Renaissance. Their military power, coal energy, and scientific inventions contributed to the dramatic expansion of European wealth. They also underwrote a dramatic increase in European military power.

After the Civil War, railroads to the West opened up vast areas of the region. Various groups struggled for property. The Five Civilized Tribes from southeast America were moved west of the Mississippi River. In 1818, the United States acquired northeast North Dakota. It also acquired the northeast part of North Dakota in the 1818 Treaty with Britain.

The Industrial Revolution coincided with the idea that Western Civilization was the superior form of civilization. The Industrial Revolution also contributed to the dramatic expansion of European military power. It paved the way for the European power to expand to cover most of the world by the late nineteenth century.

The British empire ruled over 25% of the earth’s surface. The British Empire was a massive political and military power. European colonists gained enormous advantages over the rest of the world. The Industrial Revolution allowed the Europeans to develop coal energy, which underwrote the dramatic expansion of European military power.

The Spanish and Portuguese empires sponsored Christopher Columbus’ explorations of the New World. However, they failed to discover India. Eventually, they settled the eastern fringes of North America. Their influence remains visible today.

The French Revolution ignited a desire for national self-determination. They were able to establish new large European states. Their influence in the West is still apparent today. In 1781, Los Angeles, California, is founded. They also establish the first mission in the New World, San Diego de Alcala. Later, Don Pedro de Peralta founds the town of Santa Fe in New Mexico.

In the early twenty-first century, the Western world saw a rise in liberal views of sexual morality. The Western world also faced terrorist attacks in the following years. The Western world also experienced the “War on Terror” and the “Stonewall Riots”.

The twentieth century saw two world wars. The first, known as the First World War, took place in Europe. It resulted in the deaths of over 10 million people. In the Second World War, the Western powers sided with Israel against Arabs. It took a century to recover from the damage caused by the Black Death.