The Fractured Civilization

When the Great War ended in 1918, the West was broken. Religious faith, patriotism, and the belief in human progress had all been called into question by the mass carnage experienced by both sides. Shell shocked and traumatized, the West faced a world it no longer recognized: the old order had collapsed, replaced by an age of machines. The world hurtled forward on gears and crankshafts, and terrifying new ideologies arose from the wreckage of past belief. In Fracture, critically acclaimed historian Philipp Blom argues that in the aftermath of World War I, citizens of the West directed their energies inwards, launching into hedonistic, aesthetic, and intellectual adventures of self-discovery. It was a period of both bitter disillusionment and visionary progress. From Surrealism to Oswald Spengler's The Decline of the West; from Fritz Lang's Metropolis to theoretical physics, and from Art Deco to Jazz and the Charleston dance, artists, scientists, and philosophers grappled with the question of how to live and what to believe in a broken age. Morbid symptoms emerged simultaneously from the decay of World War I: progress and innovation were everywhere met with increasing racism and xenophobia. America closed its borders to European refugees and turned away from the desperate poverty caused by the Great Depression. On both sides of the Atlantic, disenchanted voters flocked to Communism and fascism, forming political parties based on violence and revenge that presaged the horror of a new World War. Vividly recreating this era of unparalleled ambition, artistry, and innovation, Blom captures the seismic shifts that defined the interwar period and continue to shape our world today.

This book presents an archeological interpretation of the history of Chinese civilization. Tracing back from recent history to the distant past, it explores the breadth of Chinese civilization. Using archeological remains and cultural relics as starting points and approaching the cultural dimension from material perspectives, it presents a panoramic view of China’s civilizational continuity, together with its ideological and cultural characteristics. Featuring a wealth of illustrations (including photos of cultural relics and sites, archeological surveys, etc.) and texts written in easy-to-understand language, it offers an engaging read without sacrificing academic quality. The main components of “civilization” are addressed: capital archeology, mausoleum archeology, ritual wares and architecture archeology, as well as written language. The book offers a unique resource for archeology scholars and majors, as well as general readers who are interested in Chinese archeology and history.

In the current year, people live for today and fail to pay much attention for the future. We are distracted by 21st Century versions of 'bread and circus'. Several articles and Entertainment narratives promote an empty, hollow, existence depicting family life as boring and oppressive, but encouraging present-minded and shallow thrills to fill the void. Since many individuals have given up on certain received values greater than oneself--family, religion, nation--the future becomes devoid of meaning as there is, presently, little of significant non-financial value worth preserving. Financially, certain economic policies have creative incentive structures punishing long term thinking, while encouraging short term consumption. One of the many ostensible problems affecting Western Society is simple: time preferences. Time preferences can be simplified to describe how much one values future consumption over present consumption. Time preferences are often limited to the realm of economics; however, in this book, they are expanded in an to attempt to illustrate a particular social ailment in tackling the question of how one determines to live in a rapidly changing Western world to include social interactions, prevailing narratives, family, religion, and other issues. No lasting civilization can stand merely living for today--there must be an implied interest in the future beyond the life expectancy of the individual, which their children will inherit. Western birth rates have plummeted to an unprecedented low. Divorce rates and other family-oriented stats paint a bleak picture for the future. And, paradoxically, despite the wonderful GDPs we boast, individuals seem more disinclined than ever to start families--or think about the future. In this book, we delve into several potential spiritual and material reasons as to why Westerners have become so present-minded. Why collective self-confidence has been lost and vapid, cheap, entertainment seems so appealing. This book seeks to illustrate the decivilizing tendencies of high time preferences--instant gratification--on a social scale, how they manifest, what causes them, and how to begin combating a temptation for present-minded consumption over something more future-oriented.

APOCALYPSE It has been predicted countless times over thousands of years. In the generation following 1200 BC it actually happened, and no one saw it coming. The great civilizations of the age fell. The magnificent cities of the Eastern Mediterranean were destroyed or simply abandoned. We have glimpses of the events from Homer's epic tales of the Trojan War, and from hieroglyphics that tell of desperate battles fought by Egypt's Pharaohs to hold back invading hordes, but the complete story of how and why the Eastern Mediterranean collapse came about has yet to be told. The End of Civilization takes a fresh look at the evidence and develops a narrative that traces the collapse step by step and exposes the reasons behind it.

A bold reassessment of what caused the Late Bronze Age collapse In 1177 B.C., marauding groups known only as the "Sea Peoples" invaded Egypt. The pharaoh's army and navy managed to defeat them, but the victory so weakened Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did most of the surrounding civilizations. After centuries of brilliance, the civilized world of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt and cataclysmic end. Kingdoms fell like dominoes over the course of just a few decades. No more Minoans or Mycenaeans. No more Trojans, Hittites, or Babylonians. The thriving economy and cultures of the late second millennium B.C., which had stretched from Greece to Egypt and Mesopotamia, suddenly ceased to exist, along with writing systems, technology, and monumental architecture. But the Sea Peoples alone could not have caused such widespread breakdown. How did it happen? In this major new account of the causes of this "First Dark Ages," Eric Cline tells the gripping story of how the end was brought about by multiple interconnected failures, ranging from invasion and revolt to earthquakes, drought, and the cutting of international trade routes. Bringing to life the vibrant multicultural world of these great civilizations, he draws a sweeping panorama of the empires and globalized peoples of the Late Bronze Age and shows that it was their very interdependence that hastened their dramatic collapse and ushered in a dark age that lasted centuries. A compelling combination of narrative and the latest scholarship, 1177 B.C. sheds new light on the complex ties that gave rise to, and ultimately destroyed, the flourishing civilizations of the Late Bronze Age—and that set the stage for the emergence of classical Greece.

The indispensable classic for understanding the origin and nature of civilization and why Western, Indian, Chinese and Mesoamerican societies developed such virtually incompatible worldviews.

Michel Foucault examines the archeology of madness in the West from 1500 to 1800 - from the late Middle Ages, when insanity was still considered part of everyday life and fools and lunatics walked the streets freely, to the time when such people began to be considered a threat, asylums were first built, and walls were erected between the "insane" and the rest of humanity.

Chinese History Covers Thousands of Years, is Rich in Culture, Legends, Myths, Empires, Battles & Remains One of The Most Interesting in the World. In this book we explore the magnificent history of China from the early origins to its rise as a modern super power. While there are many books that explore China’s history, public knowledge is still lacking. Many people can name more than one Roman Emperor, but how many can name a Chinese Emperor? For anyone who wants to know more about this once closed and distant culture, History Brought Alive brings you a concise, masterful, and reliable book on the history of China. Join us as we travel through over four thousand years of Chinese history, culture, myths and more. Beginning from the earliest creation myths and the first archaeological evidence of complex societies, we will ground your understanding in the foundations of China’s past. Inside you will discover The Five Major Eras - Ancient China & The First, Second & Third Imperial Ages + The Modern Age Innovations, World Firsts & Important Inventions - Including Paper Money, Insurance, The Printing Press and more The Prosperity & Rise of The Han Chinese (the majority ethnic group in China) Marco Polo - how a lowly merchant from the opposite end of the earth found a place of high employment The Mongol Terror - Bloodshed, Genghis Khan & The Mongol Raiders Great Personages including Emperor Wu, Mao Zedong, Qin Shi Huangdi, Confucius and more Trade History, Silver, Investment & The Opium Wars The Cultural Revolution - How Mao Zedong and the Communist Party Began Transforming China An Era of Modernization - China Becomes a Modern Superpower & The Future And much, much more… Whether you're a history enthusiast or just a curious reader..inside you will discover a wealth of Chinese cultural history, mythology and more. So if you want to find out more about Chinese History then this is The Book for You

Drawing on research conducted in Cuzco, Peru,The Wari Civilization and Their Descendants: Imperial Transformation in Pre-Inca Cuzco, Peru analyzes the political and social transformations that led to the downfall of the Wari civilization in the Andean Middle Horizon period (AD 500–1000) and resulted in the rise of the Inca state. The contributors to this collection present evidence of the Wari civilization’s robust, imperialistic occupation of Cuzco, and argue that this presence laid the groundwork for later regional polities that can be traced to the Late Horizon Inca period (AD 1476–1532). This collection fills a gap in scholarly literature on Cuzco prehistory, the provincial southern highlands of the Wari civilization, and early imperialism in the Andes.