European civilization originated at the turn of the 7th-6th centuries BC. This happened as a result of the reforms of Solon, as well as the subsequent political processes in Ancient Greece, when the very phenomenon of antiquity arose, known as the genotype of this civilization. Its foundations were the rule of law and civil society, the existence of specially developed rules, legal norms, guarantees and privileges to protect owners and the interests of citizens.
Features of civilization
The main elements of European civilization contributed to the formation of a market economy during the Middle Ages. At the same time, the Christian culture that dominated the continent was directly involved in the formation of fundamentally new meanings of human existence. First of all, they stimulated the development of human freedom and creativity.
In the eras that followedRenaissance and Enlightenment, the ancient genotype of European civilization finally manifested itself in full. He adopted a type of capitalism. The political, socio-economic, cultural life of European society was characterized by a special dynamism.
It is noteworthy that even if the social genotype of antiquity was alternative, approximately until the 14th-16th centuries there was a lot in common in the evolutionary development of the West and the East. Until that period, the cultural achievements of the East were comparable to the Western Renaissance in their significance and success. It is noteworthy that in the Muslim era, the East continued the cultural development interrupted in the Greco-Roman world, occupying a leading place in cultural terms for several centuries. It is interesting that Europe, being the heir to ancient civilization, joined it through Muslim intermediaries. In particular, Europeans first got acquainted with many ancient Greek treatises in translation from Arabic.
At the same time, the differences between East and West have become very fundamental over time. First of all, they manifested themselves in terms of the spiritual development of cultural achievements. For example, printing in local languages, which was extremely developed in Europe, provided direct access to knowledge for ordinary people. In the East, such opportunities simply did not exist.
Another thing is also important. The scientific thought of Western society was, first of all, turned forward, manifesting itself in increased attention to fundamental research, natural science, requiring a high level of theoretical thinking. In the same timein the East, science was primarily practical, not theoretical, it existed inseparably from the emotions, intuitive decisions and experiences of each individual scientist.
In the 17th century, world history began to take shape along the path of globalization and modernization. This situation continued until the 19th century. With the emergence of a direct collision of two types of civilization, the superiority of European civilization over the eastern one became clear and obvious. This was largely due to the fact that the strength of states was determined by military-political and technical and economic advantages.
The existing civilized modern approach was initially based on the recognition of the ineradicability of cultural differences and the rejection of any hierarchy of cultures, if necessary, the rejection of the values of all types of civilizations.
Distinguishing Features
European civilization is characterized by a number of important differences that define its essence. First of all, it is important that this is a civilization of intensive development, which is characterized by the ideology of individualism. In preference is the priority of the individual himself and his specific interests. At the same time, public consciousness is perceived exclusively in reality, free from religious dogma when solving practical issues.
It is interesting that, despite rationalism, in the development of European civilization, its public consciousness has always been focused on Christian values, which were considered normative and supreme. An ideal to strive for. Public morality was the sphere of undivided domination of Christianity.
As a result, Catholic Christianity has become one of the defining and key factors in the formation of Western society. On its ideological basis, science in its modern sense arose, becoming first a methodology for the knowledge of divine revelation, and then the study of the cause-and-effect relationships of the material world.
It should be emphasized that the Western type of civilization has always been characterized by Eurocentrism, as the West considered itself the pinnacle and center of the world.
Among the characteristic features of Western civilization, seven main ones can be distinguished, which as a result became the main values that ensured its development.
- Orientation on novelty, dynamism.
- Setting the individual to autonomy, individualism.
- Respect for the human person and dignity.
- Rationality.
- Respect for the concept of private property.
- The ideals of equality, freedom and tolerance that existed in society.
- Preference for democracy to all other forms of social and political structure of the state.
Characteristic
Describing European civilization, it is important to note the new that it has brought to the modern world. It is noteworthy that the countries of the West, in contrast to such closed state formations as India and China, were extremely diverse. As a result, the peoples and countries of Western civilization had their own diverse and peculiar appearance. played an important role in the development of European civilizationthe science that marked the beginning of the global history of mankind.
If we compare the countries of the West with India and China, where the concept of political freedom did not exist, for the West the idea of political freedom was one of the main conditions for existence. When rationality was known in the West, Eastern thinking, first of all, was distinguished by its consistency, which made it possible to develop formal logic, mathematics, as well as the legal foundations of the state structure.
In the history of European civilization, Western man was very different from Eastern, realizing that he is the beginning and creator of everything. The researchers note that the Western dynamics grows out of "exceptions". It is based on a constant feeling of dissatisfaction, anxiety, the desire for constant development and renewal. In the West, there has always been a political and spiritual tension that required a growing spiritual energy, when in the East the main thing was the absence of tension and the state of unity.
Initially, the Western world developed within its own internal polarity. The basis of European Western civilization was laid by the Greeks, who did it in such a way that the world was demarcated from the East, moved away from it, but constantly directed its gaze in that direction.
Ancient civilizations
It is possible to talk about the existence of the first civilizations on the territory of the European continent since the Iron Age.
About 400 BC, the La Tène culture spread its influence over vast lands, up to the Iberianpeninsulas. This is how the Celtebrian culture arose, about contacts with which the Romans left many records. The Celts were able to resist the spread of the influence of the Roman state, which sought to conquer and colonize most of southern Europe.
Another significant ancient European civilization - Etruria. The Etruscans lived in cities that united in unions. For example, the most influential Etruscan union included 12 urban communities.
Northern Europe and Britain
The first attempts to Romanize the territory of Ancient Germany were originally made by Julius Caesar. The borders of the empire were expanded only under Nero Claudius, when, finally, almost all tribes were conquered. Tiberius continued the successful colonization.
Roman Britain developed after the conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar. He undertook two campaigns in British lands. As a result, systematic attempts at conquest continued until 43 AD. Until Britain became one of the outlying provinces of the Roman Empire. At the same time, the north was practically not affected. Among the local population, which was dissatisfied with this state of affairs, uprisings regularly rose.
Greece
Greece is commonly called the cradle of European civilization. It is a country with a great heritage and centuries of history.
Initially Hellenistic civilization began as a community of city-states, the most influential of which were Sparta and Athens. They had a variety of control options,philosophy, culture, politics, science, sports, music and theatre.
They founded many colonies on the shores of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, in southern Italy and Sicily. It is believed that the cradle of European civilization originates precisely in Ancient Greece.
The situation changed dramatically in the 4th century BC, when, due to internecine conflicts, these colonies became the prey of the Macedonian king Philip II. His son Alexander the Great spread Greek culture to the territory of Egypt, Persia and India.
Roman civilization
The fate of European civilization was largely predetermined by the Roman state, which began to actively expand from the territory of Italy. Due to its military power, as well as the inability of most enemies to put up a decent resistance, only Carthage was able to throw the most serious challenge, but as a result, they were defeated, which was the beginning of Roman hegemony.
First, Ancient Rome was ruled by kings, then became a senatorial republic, and at the end of the 1st century BC - an empire.
Its center was located on the Mediterranean Sea, the northern border was marked by the Danube and Rhine rivers. The empire reached its maximum expansion under Trajan, including Romania, Roman Britain and Mesopotamia. It brought with it effective centralized government and peace, but in the 3rd century its social and economic status was undermined by a series of civil wars.
Constantine I and Diocletian were able to slow down the decay processes by dividing the empire into East and West. While Diocletian was persecuting Christians, Constantine officially announced an end to the persecution of Christians in 313, setting the stage for a future Christian empire.
Middle Ages
The development of medieval European civilization is divided into several stages. The division of Europe into two parts intensified after the final fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. It was conquered by the Germanic tribes. But the Eastern Roman Empire lasted for another millennium, later it was called the Byzantine.
In the 7th-8th centuries, the expansion of Islamic culture began, which increased the differences between Mediterranean civilizations. A new order in a world without cities created feudalism, replacing the centralized Roman administration based on a highly organized army.
After the split of the Christian Church in the middle of the 11th century, the Catholic Church became the leading force in Western Europe. At the same time, the first signs of the rebirth of medieval European civilization began to appear. Trade, which became the basis of the cultural and economic growth of independent cities, led to the emergence of such powerful city-states as Florence and Venice.
At the same time, nation-states begin to form in England, France, Portugal and Spain.
At the same time, Europe has repeatedly had to deal with serious disasters, one of which was the bubonic plague. The most serious outbreak occurred in the middle of the XIV century, destroying up to a thirdresidents.
Renaissance
The culture of European civilization was largely formed in the Renaissance. From the XIV-XV centuries, the migration of the educated population of Byzantium took place, the fall of Constantinople in 1453 led to the fact that the countries of the Roman Catholic Church realized that Europe had become the only Christian continent, it was pagan ancient culture that became their property.
An important distinguishing feature of this time was the secular nature of culture, as well as its anthropocentrism. First of all, there was an increased interest in human activities. There was also interest in ancient culture, when its revival actually began.
The great geographical discoveries of the XV-XVII centuries were directly related to the process of primitive accumulation of capital in Europe. The development of trade routes led to the robbery of new open lands, large-scale colonization began, which became the basis of capitalism. The formation of the world market has begun.
The active development of mechanical engineering and shipbuilding has led to the emergence of the ability to travel considerable distances on ships. After the improvement of navigation instruments, it became possible to determine the position of a ship on the high seas with high accuracy.
Initially, Europeans knew only one way to India - through the Mediterranean Sea. But it was captured by the Seljuk Turks, who took high duties from European merchants. Then there was a need to find a new way toIndia, which led to the discovery of the American continent.
The Age of Enlightenment was of great importance, becoming a logical continuation of the humanism of the XIV-XV centuries. French educational literature, whose common feature is the dominance of rationalism, is gaining pan-European significance.
The 19th century passed under the flag of the Great French Revolution, which radically changed the relationship between power and society in many countries. From that time on, Russia began to play an important role in European civilization.
Recent history
The newest history of the continent began with the devastating for many peoples of the First World War. It formed the crisis of autocracy in Russia, which resulted in two revolutions in 1917. The Provisional Government, which came to power, was unable to cope with the devastation and chaos in the country. As a result, they were overthrown by the Bolshevik government led by Lenin.
The next important stage in the recent history of Europe is the emergence of fascism. The ideology of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini embodies the ideas of a corporate state as opposed to parliamentary democracy.
In 1933, the National Socialist Workers' Party, headed by Adolf Hitler, came to power in Germany, and began to ignore the clauses of the Treaty of Versailles, according to which Germany was significantly limited in the military sphere. Hitler's government begins to pursue an aggressive policy that results in the Second World War. The attempt to change the world order in Europe is failing. Germany is defeated, and Europe is actually divided into the capitalist and socialist camps.
The second half of the 20th century is under the banner of the Cold War, which is accompanied by a nuclear arms race. Meanwhile, Europe itself is taking the first step towards the creation of the European Union. The first six states in 1951 announce the formation of the European Coal and Steel Community, which becomes the first prototype of the EU, the union that today defines the essence of European civilization.
