The invention of power: popes, kings, and the birth of the West

Descriere

In the tradition of Why Nations Fail , this book solves one of the great puzzles of history: Why did the West become the most powerful civilization in the world? Western exceptionalism--the idea that European civilizations are freer, wealthier, and less violent--is a widespread and powerful political idea. It has been a source of peace and prosperity in some societies, and of ethnic cleansing…