HIST1125 Contemporary World History

The assertion by Historian Niall Ferguson “the west got it so right while the rest got it so strong” refers to the series of decisions and developments in the west which helped them in gaining dominance over the rest of the world which involved challenging the dominance of the empires from Asia to establish their dominance. The series of right decisions and development can be traced through the movie and textbook.

The first instance of the rest of the world getting it wrong whereas the west getting it so right refers to the emergence of corruption in established Asian empires whereas elimination of corruption from the system in the west. Ferguson claimed that as long as the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire had a bureaucracy that was non-hereditary and included trained people from Europe they were able to function properly but as soon as it became hereditary and people were chosen because of their connections and bribery it led to the downfall of the empire (Kinjo, 13:57).  At the same time, the efficiency of the administration of the Fredrick the great of Prussia eliminated corruption which led his administration to be efficient and gaining advantages over the Turks and the other empires. There are other instances of rulers in the west trying to uproot the corruption such as the Methodists a denomination of Christianity in England launched campaigns to address the problem of corruption in the administration and this kind of practices in the whole of west helped them to be efficient and they got it at the right time, whereas the rest of the world did not address this problem (Tilly et.al, 186). Ferguson claimed in the film that the absence of corruption helped the west being more organized than the rest of the world and gave them a competitive advantage which is evident in their triumph and dominance over the rest of the world (Kinjo, 16:04).

Despite being a person from west Ferguson he did not adopt an ethnocentric approach and his analysis of the history is based on factual information and does not inhibits any bias based towards the other cultures. The other right decision which Ferguson claims helped the west to establish dominance over the rest of the world is the separation of religion and state (Kinjo, 18:06). As authors have stated in the book that the adoption of secularism in the west helped in political ideas and other knowledge to transcend the political and religious boundaries which helped in the creation of knowledge which helped the west in developing knowledge which gave an advantage over the rest of the world (Tilly et.al ,202). The surpassing of the religious interests also gave a place for nationalist ideas to grow, for instance of celebrating holidays with national ideas supported the idea of nationalism (Tilly et.al, 246). This was missing from the empire from the rest of the world and the mingling of state and religion also restricted the growth of a scientific idea. Ferguson also claimed the development of the scientific temperament in the west as a result of the separation of state and religion (Kinjo, 18:18). The outcome of this is known to the world, as the industrial revolution not only helped the west to develop but the development of arms that were not available to the rest of the world helped them to establish dominance and control the rest of the world for centuries in future. These are only two of the right decisions which the west took and the rest of the world got wrong, yet shows how it helped the west to control the rest of the world.

References

Kinjo, R. "Civilization: Is The West History? - Part 2 - Science - Niall Ferguson". Youtube, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPkxx0mjH7s. Accessed 5 Mar 2021.

Tilly, Charles, et al. Global Connections: Volume 2, Since 1500: Politics, Exchange, and Social Life in World History. United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Looking for the best assignment help in the UK? Look no further! We have got the best assignment paper writers to back you up with quality solutions on the go. So, if you are wondering, “Who will do my assignment for me?” or “Can I pay someone to do my assignment?” simply count on our expertise and soar high in your academic pursuits. No matter whether you are looking for essay help, coursework help, dissertation help or primary homework help, we have got your back. Connect with us today and allow our experts to craft the finest of academic papers exclusively for you.