Spare Me the Details!: A Short History of Western Civilization

"I wish I knew more about Western history." Adult, parent, student, and traveler: Who of us hasn't had this thought? Sara Drogin, a veteran high-school history teacher, addresses this wish with Spare Me the Details! , a "refresher text" for adults and students. Written in a lively and conversational style, Spare Me the Details! provides a concise overview of Western civilization. Spare Me the Details! begins with Ancient Greece and concludes with the twenty-first century. The book describes the key periods, events, and luminaries of Western history, provides cause-and-effect analysis, and establishes historical connections across time periods. Additionally, Spare Me the Details! develops two major themes central to Western civilization: the evolution of humanism and the growth of democracy. It also pays special attention to the role of women throughout history and to the connection between the arts and history. Now you, too, will know the essentials of Western civilization. The ancient Greeks: founders of Western civilization 2000-30 B.C. The ancient Romans: preservers, adapters and disseminators of Western civilization 753 B.C.-476 A.D. The Byzantines: preservers of the Western legacy, with an Eastern twist 293 B.C.-1453 A.D. The rise of Islam 622-1100 The Middle Ages 500-1350 Overview: the early modern era 1350-1550 The Renaissance 1350-1550 The age of discovery and conquest 1350-1700 The Reformation 1517 and beyond Major states in the seventeenth century Overview: the age of revolutions 1550-1900 The scientific revolution and the Enlightenment 1550-1780 The American Revolution 1763-1783 The French Revolution 1789-1815 The Industrial Revolution 1760-1830 The United States in the 1800s: from revolution to evolution Intellectual revolutions of the 1800s and early 1900s The Great War: World War I 1914-1918 The period between the wars; World War II begins 1919-1939 World War II 1939-1945 The Cold War 1945-1989 The West today: some final thoughts.