European Civilization 12 ( Characteristics of Modern European Civilization 1 )

4. Modern European Civilization

 

It can be said that modern European civilization has overcome classical European civilization. The essence of European civilization is democratic (and, on the other hand, aristocratic) and dualistic (spirituality and secularity).

Scientific thought and sovereign nations emerged to overcome the medieval world, and with their power Protestantism rose to power, leading to a long war. The Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 put an end to the religious wars for the time being, and in England the prototype of the civil revolution arose (Puritan Revolution 1642, Glorious Revolution 1688), which spread to America and France as the theory of the social contract, and in England the Industrial Revolution occurred as freedom, capital and colonies (resources and markets) were combined. The class struggle that occurred here gave rise to socialism, and its extreme form, Marxism, spread to relatively backward Russia and developing countries outside Europe. Furthermore, because Europe was networked and cosmopolitan on the foundation of industrialism, the impetus for its civilization became enormous.

 

 

1. What will happen to freedom, democracy, and aristocracy? In Europe, freedom will increase within the EU. The movement of capital, people, and information will increase, and Europe may become like America, with each country becoming more like a state, but since Europe has a much higher level of localism than America, the tendency toward regionalism will also strengthen at the same time. Democracy develops closely with regionalism, and such regionalism and democracy may appear in North America and Russia, although to different degrees. Freedom, democracy, and aristocracy are rooted in Germanic temperament, so they may be slightly different in Latin and Slavic countries. Also, in America and Russia, there are fewer aristocratic elements and they may feel more populist, but the way they are manipulated may tend to be through money or force. I think freedom, democracy, and aristocracy will remain in a balanced form in the center of Europe, but on the right wing will be the North American region, which advocates freedom, and on the left wing will be the Russian region, which advocates equality. It seems likely that Europe, North America and Russia will see the power of social structure - the third principle (principle of community development) - come into play with federations and regionalism.

 

 

2 Duality, spiritual and secular, was a prominent feature of European civilization. European civilization was once influenced by the social structural forces of the Middle Ages (feudalism), but spirituality ruled over the secular world. Therefore, to break the medieval worldview, it was necessary to break Islamic civilization, that is, to conquer not only geographically but also intellectually. European civilization created various worldviews and academic fields, but in modern times, there is no longer any rebellion against spirituality, and its creativity has declined from historical fulfillment, and as a result of repeated wars, it has lost many excellent human resources, and the aspect that had strengthened and grown due to historical conflicts has been lost, and it is moving toward integration. In this respect, it seems that modern European civilization cannot expect to make the same leap as the European civilization of the past, but for that reason it will strengthen its vigilance against other civilizations and move in the direction of protecting the foundations of Western civilization by cooperating with North America and Russia.

 

3. Cosmopolitans and Information

European civilization is the place that gave birth to the concept of the nation-state, but it has also become the place that has tried to give birth to concepts that transcend it. In other words, the EU is an attempt to unite different ethnic groups , but I am not sure whether what is trying to achieve this is cosmopolitan. The EU is, in a sense, a barrier against other civilizations, and also provides European industries with the movement of capital and labor and a large market.

 

As I also considered in the section on Islamic civilization, international merchants do not want huge power in the center, but rather make profits by exploiting the differences between separate nations. I think that the period when European civilization was at its strongest was when Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States were all growing. European civilization collapsed due to internal conflicts because the competition caused by the division reached a saturation point, and Britain and Germany were unable to adjust their interests as Britain and France had done, leading to two world wars, with the United States and Russia (especially the United States) reaping the benefits. However, in the course of events that led to this, could the cosmopolitan society, which was based on the industrial society that made Europe the strongest, and which was connected by capital and information, have prevented this? I think the problem with European civilization was that it had reached a point where the status quo of the British Empire could no longer be accepted. The great European powers had become powerful during Pax Britannica, but they were trying to break through that framework. Cosmopolitans had no choice but to ride this wave. Capital and human resources moved to America, and America liberated the European colonies in Asia and Africa. And the great power of Europe was rejected. Domesticism in America (Monroe Doctrine) was also rejected. Domesticism in Russia was partially rejected with the establishment of the Soviet Union (recently, Russia seems to be trying to return to domesticism, but this may be the other side of weakening). In this situation, Europe, centered on Germany and France, which were enemies, advocated the revival of European civilization with the EC and EU, but the hegemony of the British Empire continued to some extent under the umbrella of America, and although it has weakened recently, it is finally now that it seems that a true Europe is about to be established (although the situation has changed a little with the UK's withdrawal from the EU), but the dynamism of European civilization in the past was achieved through separation and competition, and it is questionable whether such a thing exists in modern European civilization.

 

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