Freedom in the Western World: From the Dark Ages to the Rise of DemocracyHerbert J. Muller examines the meaning of freedom in the great civilizations of the past including the Sumerian, Egyptian, Minoan, Assyrian, Persian, Phoenician, Greek, Roman and early Christian. Ranging from the attempts of the cave man to free himself from the tyranny of nature through magic and ritual, to the religious despotism of Byzantium, the author surveys freedom's gains and triumps, its losses and failures. In doing so, he provides the reader with new insight into the meaning and destiny of freedom in Western Civilization. |
Contents
The Rise and Fall of Islam | 1 |
THE ORIGINS OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION | 25 |
The Medieval Sources of Freedom | 47 |
Copyright | |
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absolute absolute monarchy Age of Enlightenment Americans ancien régime ancient aristocracy Aristotle authority basic became began belief bourgeois Burke Catholic century chiefly Christendom Christian Church civilization classical common Constitution culture declared democracy democratic Descartes doctrine Dutch Republic early economic effort Empire England English Enlightenment essential European faith feudal Florence Florentine France freedom French Revolution Galileo genius Greek growth historians holy human idea ideal independence inspired intellectual interests Islam Jacob Fugger kings less liberty lords Louis XIV Luther major Masaccio means medieval ment Middle Ages modern Mohammed monarchy moral natural never nobility Parliament peasants philosophical political popes popular principle Prophet Protestant Protestant Reformation Protestantism Puritan reason reform reign religion religious remained Renaissance revolutionary Roman Rome royal rule rulers scientific sense simple social society Spain spirit theory thinkers thought tion took tradition truth tyranny universal Voltaire wealth