How Historians Explain the Rise of the West

CrashCourse

In this installment of Crash Course World History, John Green explores the complex field of historiography—the study of how history is written—by examining the debated topic of "The Rise of the West." Rather than simply recounting dates and battles, the video analyzes how different historians and social scientists have attempted to explain why Western nations (Europe and North America) became politically and economically dominant in the modern era. Green deconstructs the very definitions of "The West" and "Rise," challenging viewers to consider the inherent biases in these terms. The video contrasts several major theories: geographical determinism, the military dominance argument of Victor Davis Hanson, the institutional approach of Acemoglu and Robinson (Why Nations Fail), Francis Fukuyama's focus on the Rule of Law, and Ian Morris's data-driven "Social Development Index." It dives deep into concepts like inclusive versus extractive institutions, the role of property rights, and the distinction between correlation and causation in historical analysis. This resource is an invaluable tool for teaching students to think like historians. It demonstrates that history is not a static set of facts but an ongoing argument fueled by the writer's perspective, training, and tools. Teachers can use this video to introduce high-level concepts such as historiography, historical bias, and the interdisciplinary nature of history, showing how economics, political science, and geography all shape our understanding of the past.