Aspects of Western Civilization: Problems and Sources in History, Volume 1

by Perry M. Rogers

Book Overview

This reader is appropriate as a main text or a supplementary text for introductory-level survey courses in Western Civilization and European History and Civilization.

Aspects of Western Civilization : Problems and Sources in History, Volume 1, 7/e, challenges students with basic questions regarding historical development, human nature, moral action, and practical necessity. This collection of diverse primary sources explores...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0205708331
• ISBN13: 9780205708338
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Pearson
• Length: 408 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Good Condition for a Used Book

I bought this for school. I received it promptly and the condition was okay. Good price.

Primary Sources is an interesting/refreshing approach to history

It is nice to see history through the eyes of the people who lived it. I prefer the personal touch of primary sources to traditionally dry textbook accounts. I don't think it is a book designed to teach history by itself, but should be used in conjunction with lectures/discussions with the professor (as Perry Rogers PhD does in his classes). Rogers is an historian, not a politician. The beauty of Rogers' approach is that he allows his readers MAKE UP THEIR OWN MINDS by giving us competing ideas from many points of view. [I used Randall W Smith's review to help me in my review, some direct quotes]

A window into the minds that shaped the world.

As a high school teacher, I find Rodger's book a wonderful resource for helping students to see history through the eyes of the people who lived it. The books allow students to get acquainted with historical debates from which we can simulate them in the classroom. Students consistently report that they prefer the personal touch of primary sources to traditionally dry textbook accounts. After finding so much utility in them, I was somewhat surprised to see Rogers chided by so many reviewers. I noticed two dominant themes in these criticisms that warrant attention.First, that "It's boring & confusing": This assertion reminds me of freshmen whose eyes glaze over when reading anything that contains anything with multiple syllables. Rogers' thesis is that history can only be made intelligible by studying the ideas of the people who shaped it. Those unaccustomed or disinclined from engaging with viewpoints other than their own would naturally take umbrage with his approach. Furthermore, one should not assume that one's own difficulties of understanding are necessarily symptomatic of defects on the part of the author. Serious reading takes time and patience. Those who can discern no logic to the organization of the collection need only assemble a fuller concept of the history before attempting it. Rogers posits history as a debate between differing points of view. The outcomes of these debates become the dominant institutions and beliefs that define the events of any given period. His selections help us to see that process, from the horse's mouth as they say...Second, that "Rogers is a Marxist": It is disheartening to see that readers lay the faults of communism on Rogers' doorstep. While certainly one is entitled to despise alternatives to capitalism, one cannot justly dispute that the activities of its opponents have done much to shape history, for good or ill. Rogers is an historian, not a politician. The beauty of Rogers' approach is that he allows his readers MAKE UP THEIR OWN MINDS by giving us competing ideas from many points of view. Of course if a free marketplace of ideas is repugnant to you, it would best to confine yourself to a diet of historical fiction, propaganda and your own writing. After all, wasn't politicizing history the worst mistake Marx ever made?

A fine collection of primary source material

As an instructor who has used this work for several years in various editions, I have found it to be quite solid. It provides a nice compilation of primary source materials and Rogers intros to each section are usually quite well researched and solidly presented. It has worked quite well in my college level European history courses. I am somewhat troubled by comments appearing here questioning Rogers objectivity on, of all things, the Industrial Revolution. To compare the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Europe to the modern industrial development is inappropriate. Historical documentation shows quite clearly that workers at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution were treated extremely poorly. In Britain however, this treatment and the lives that evolved for working men, woman and children led to vast social and political changes in Britain. Rogers description of the Industrial Revolution given the period he is dealing with and the documents he utilizes is completely accurate historically. The evidence can lead to no other conclusion.

Great Book but .....

okay, this book is totally awesome because it has a lot of useful information, but occasionally it gets so boring that you want to die. It can get really tedious, and repetative too. Overall, it's good though.