20th Century: The descent of the West.

[Garbarsardar]

The 29th century is often called the "Century of the West" or even the "American Century". However if one looks closely at the kind of power the West was wielding in the end of the 19th century it is difficult to ignore the rise of the East.

In the beginning of the 20th century Western Empires ruled the world in one form or another. Asia was subjugated or was attempting to Westernise as was the case of Japan. The west was producing half the world's output while Asia barely one quarter while having half the world's population.



100 years later all the Western empires have fallen with the last (the Soviet Empire) crumbling in 1991. India, China, Africa, Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam delineate geographical and political events that led to the erosion of the Western Dominance. South America as well.

And if you're thinking about a cultural victory of the "West" you have to consider that the western models (either democratic or communist) were never fully adopted in the east but rather adapted to the point those are not recognisable. As the 19th century racial theorists would decry: miscegenation.

On the eve of the 21st century the world has been re-oriented between a declining west and a rising east.

It is not certain that the multicultural societies of the west will be lead to conflict. However no one can question the fact that the cultural borders are not somewhere in the Urals but rather at the heart of every western city.

Your thoughts?

[LuciusCato]

We'll be Back !!! (jk) All nations/empires/societies have ups and downs.

[Big War Bird]

You're right, the power of the West peaked around 1900.

[Edelward]

You have,surely, read the Hegelian thesis about the end of History?
The part about wandering World-Spirit ?
Nowdays the achievements of different civilasations became tightly inter-woven ,linked together deleting the Western-Eastern or any other divisions
and giving place to humanistic cultural phenomena -not in ethical ,but sooner 'United-humanity' meaning

[Watchman]

Meh, the Age of Empire in the last quarter or so of the Long Nineteenth Century was kinda anomalous anyway. Within fifty years those colonial empires were well on the way of the Dodo if not already collapsed in the wake of the World Wars and the colonies having caught the nationalism bug from their former bosses.

[Blau&Gruen]

It is not certain that the multicultural societies of the west will be lead to conflict. However no one can question the fact that the cultural borders are not somewhere in the Urals but rather at the heart of every western city.

Your thoughts?

Maybe the cultural borders are not only at the heart of every western city but nearly everywhere where you have rich and poor people. If you have a good income you can live in Cairo a western style life. There are even magazins about popmusic at least one. Though the one I have in mind comes out with an edition of about 10'000. If you do not have a good income, you likely live different in another "more" "traditional" "world" without access to the informations that make a western way of life.

[Icefrisco]

The west as well as the old Asian powers never really lost power. Just look at today's world power states:

Britain, France, Germany, America, Russia, China, Japan

Now look at the "Rising Powers":

Brazil
Turkey
India
Israel
Canada

So the west really never lost power and will probably never lose power within our lifetimes. Even the old semi-Western asian powers of Japan and China are still powerful. The world has basically had the same powerful states since 1800.

[Watchman]

On the other hand, their relative power is a fair bit less, at least in military matters; these days you can't just send a bunch of Redcoats with some Gatling guns for good measure to take over some piddling little piece of African soil from spear-waving natives, if you see what I mean.

[Icefrisco]

They could but their populations wouldnt allow it.

[Darsh]

I think the futur it will be the rising of Asia powers, Japan had the second economy in the world , China is the 4th economical powers and soon it could be the 1rst economical powers and India could also became one the most powerful economical power.
Asia powers will remplace the American and Europeans powers.

[Watchman]

They could but their populations wouldnt allow it.

Correction - some of them could try (in Europe only the UK and France retain real degrees of overseas expeditionary capability). Then they'd find out fairly swiftly why that sort of colonial adventurism was abandoned in the first place. It's just not cost-efficient or even very workable these days.

[Icefrisco]

I think the futur it will be the rising of Asia powers, Japan had the second economy in the world , China is the 4th economical powers and soon it could be the 1rst economical powers and India could also became one the most powerful economical power.
Asia powers will remplace the American and Europeans powers.

Thats doubtful since India is so overpopulated and Chinese population is rapidly rising so unless they can put thier acts together at home the wont be able to do much more then now abroad.

[Watchman]

On the other hand India at least has a basically decent and working democracy going, which lets one at least hope they can fix their problems as those come. China ? Right. The Party's still stuck on reflexively denying anything and everything, especially problems, and trying to bully anyone who speaks up into submission. Either they have some regime reform or the whole thing comes apart at the seams - probably in a honest-to-Marx Communist uprising, since by what I hear the working stiffs there get screwed over to a degree to make a rapacious mid-1800s British industrialist balk.
:hmmm:
There hasn't been one of those for a while, when you think about it.

[Icefrisco]

Just because India is a democracy doesnt mean it can contain rapid population growth.

[Watchman]

Obviously. But the point is it at least has a passable set of problem-solving methods; the Chinese have a dictatorship with major insecurity issues.

[Farnan]

Wow, only about 800 more years till the 29th Century and we're back on top...

[warluster]

I think what destroyed the Empires of the West was World War I. They commited heaps and heaps of troops, with losses beyond that of any previous war, and it took Europe 20 Years to rebuild, and thence another WW. In that time revoulutions were happening in their colonies and the second WW was bigger then the firt (obviously) and by then, at the end of thes wars, it was another, secret one. One of the reasons countries like CHina came out top, was because not ALL there country was involved. yes, China was invaded by Japan, but most of there wellbeing was fine. End of COld War, America losing its flame, Soviets gone, Europe wants peace after a Century of War, The East rises out of ashes and claims the title. Simple.

[Kiljan Arslan]

I for one will make sure that this century will still be Americas century.

[Maverick]

Nowdays the achievements of different civilasations became tightly inter-woven ,linked together deleting the Western-Eastern or any other divisions
and giving place to humanistic cultural phenomena -not in ethical ,but sooner 'United-humanity' meaning

United against eachother.

Now look at the "Rising Powers":

Brazil
Turkey
India
Israel
Canada

Are you Canadian? If not I'm surprised anyone out there thinks we have political clout on the world stage. We produce some good fighting men, my family has a very good record of service but too few to be considered a power beyond a pawn in the "coalition" forces.

[General Sun]

It's a very us versus them outlook Garb. That the "East" has adopted many of the same mores as the traditional west, democracy, capitalism, human rights, freedom of opportunity, it can be said that the 21st century marks the clumination of the victory of the west over the world. The west has won so utterly as to have basically annexed the east. Japan is listed as a western power in many sources, soon Korea, Taiwan, Brazil and others are sure to join it.