Western civilization facts for kids
Western civilization, western culture or the West is made up of European culturally derived societies (most notably in the Classical Roman heritage,Western Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism), Democracy and Liberalism). This at least includes Western and Central Europe, English speaking North America, Australia and New Zealand. The identities of places such as Latin America, South Africa, Israel, the Philippines and Singapore are disputed due to those countries being a blend of both western and non western cultures.
Until the process of secularization in the west began with the Age of Enlightenment in the 17th century, Western civilization was also called Christendom meaning the area where the Christian religion is in the majority (a view held by historian Arnold Toynbee). By this definition, most parts of Africa would now also be part of Western civilization since many Africans have been converted to Christianity since the 1950s.
Westernization is the transformation of a non western culture to Western standards, with historical examples being the Romanization of "barbarian" europe in the classical period, the Hispanization of South America, Central America and the Philippines in the 1500s, the Anglicization of North America and Australia in the 1700s, the Francization of North and West Africa in the 1800s and the current Americanization of many first world nations such as Singapore and Israel through Hollywood/ American popular culture.
Though there are many supporters of westernization, there are also many people who oppose it it expanding at the expense of local cultures.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Representation of Jesus of Nazareth, central figure of Christianity.
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The Roman Empire at its greatest extent.
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Mosaic of Justinian I with his court, circa 547–549, Basilica of San Vitale (Ravenna, Italy)
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Stone bas-relief of Jesus, from the Vézelay Abbey (Burgundy, France)
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Thomas Aquinas, a Catholic philosopher of the Middle Ages, revived and developed natural law from ancient Greek philosophy
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A Watt steam engine. The steam engine, made of iron and fueled primarily by coal, propelled the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain and the world.
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Detail of the Bayeux Tapestry showing William the Conqueror (centre), his half-brothers Robert, Count of Mortain (right) and Odo, Bishop of Bayeux in the Duchy of Normandy (left). The Bayeux tapestry is one of the supreme achievements of the Norman Romanesque.
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Classical music, opera and ballet: Swan Lake pictured
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The Divine Comedy is an epic poem by Dante Alighieri. Engraving by Gustave Doré
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The Bull-Leaping Fresco from the Great Palace at Knossos, Crete. Sport has been an important part of Western cultural expression since Classical Antiquity.
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Claudio Monteverdi, 1567-1643
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Antonio Vivaldi, 1678-1741
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1756-1791
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Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827
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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 1840-1893
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Restoration of a fresco from an Ancient Roman villa bedroom, circa 50-40 BC, dimensions of the room: 265.4 x 334 x 583.9 cm, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)
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Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, circa 1503–1506, perhaps continuing until circa 1517, oil on poplar panel, 77 cm × 53 cm, Louvre, (Paris)
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Las Meninas, by Diego Velázquez, 1656, oil on canvas, 318 cm × 276 cm, El Prado (Madrid)
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Dance at Le moulin de la Galette, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1876, oil on canvas, height: 131 cm, Musée d'Orsay (Paris)
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Photo of the interior of the apartment of Eugène Atget, taken in 1910 in Paris
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Stained glass windows of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, completed in 1248, mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220
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Saint Basil's Cathedral, built from 1555 to 1561, in the Red Square of Moscow, with its extraordinary onion-shaped domes, painted in bright colors
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The Palais Garnier in Paris, built between 1861 and 1875, a Beaux-Arts masterpiece
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See also
In Spanish: Cultura occidental para niños
