Foundations of Western Civilization II: A History of the Modern Western World

An overview of the past 500 years of European history and culture; the system of government; economic structures; science and technology; the literature, art and music.

How the physical realities of Europe and the Atlantic world shaped its destiny; geography and climate affecting patterns of population, immigration, diplomacy, war, and political and cultural divisions.

The Great Chain of Being, which assumed an ordered, hierarchical universe in which humans were placed in a particular rank by God; Europe emerging from the Middle Ages; how the concept was challenged and strained by various forces.

A revived interest in the literary and historical works of classical Greece and Rome; new ideas about the qualifications of a gentleman, the role of women and the expectations of a prince; a resulting emphasis on literacy and education.

The humanist emphasis; the rise of a new kind of ruler; expanding powers in every area of life; rulers seeking to pay for their ambitions by claiming trade routes to the Far East and the Americas.

The exploration and exploitation of Africa and Asia by the Portuguese; the exploration and exploitation of the Americas by the Spanish, French and English; how the economies, cultures, and political makeup of these regions were changed forever.