A Concise Survey of Western Civilization: Supremacies and Diversities throughout History: 1 - Softcover

Brian Pavlac

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1538112531 ISBN 13: 9781538112533

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2019

Synopsis

This engaging text offers a concise, readable description of our common Western heritage. Providing a tightly focused narrative and interpretive structure, Brian Pavlac covers the basic historical information that all educated adults should know. His joined terms “supremacies and diversities” develop major themes of conflict and creativity throughout history. “Supremacies” centers on the use of power to dominate societies, ranging from warfare to ideologies. Supremacy, Pavlac shows, seeks stability, order, and incorporation. “Diversities” encompasses the creative impulse that produces new ideas, as well as efforts of groups of people to define themselves as “different.” Diversity creates change, opportunity, and individuality. These concepts of historical tension and change, whether applied to political, economic, technological, social, or cultural trends, offer a cohesive explanatory organization. The text is also informed by five other topical themes: technological innovation, migration and conquest, political and economic decision-making, church and state, and disputes about the meaning of life. The third edition has added new primary source projects, improved maps and illustrations to enhance the visual dimension, Written with flair, this easily accessible yet deeply knowledgeable text provides all the essentials for a course on Western civilization. Conceived as a seamless, affordable overview, not artificially boiled down from a lengthier text, it can be used as a standalone for a one-term course or combined with Volume 2 for two-term course.

About this title

About the Author

Brian A. Pavlac is professor of history at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he has served as chair of the department and a Herve A. LeBlanc Distinguished Service Professor. He is the author of Witch Hunts in the Western World: Persecution and Punishment from the Inquisition to the Salem Trials; coauthor with Elizabeth S. Lott of The Holy Roman Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia; translator of A Warrior Bishop of the 12th Century: The Deeds of Albero of Trier, by Balderich; and editor of Game of Thrones versus History: Written in Blood.

Edition details

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1538112531
• ISBN 13: 9781538112533
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 336