Civilization the West and the Rest With Niall Ferguson

The first episode begins in 1420 when Ming China had a credible claim to be the most advanced civilization in the world: 'All Under Heaven'. England on the eve of the Wars of the Roses would have seemed quite primitive by contrast. Yet the lead that China had established in technology was not to be translated into sustained economic growth. The question for our own time is whether or not we have lost that competitive edge to a rapidly ascending Asia.

In 1683 the Ottoman army laid siege to Vienna, the capital of Europe's most powerful empire. Domination of West by East was an alarmingly plausible scenario. But Islam was defeated: not so much by firepower as by science. Ferguson asks why the Islamic world didn't participate in the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, and if the West is still capable of maintaining its scientific lead at a time when educational attainment in science subjects is declining.

Ferguson asks why North America succeeded while Latin America for so many centuries lagged behind. The two had much in common (not least the subjugation of indigenous peoples and the use of slavery by European immigrants), but they differed profoundly on individual property rights, the rule of law and representative government. However, Niall Ferguson asks whether North and South are converging today, linguistically and economically.

The French Empire consciously set out to civilize Africa by improving public health as well as building a modern infrastructure. Yet in other European empires - notably Germany's in southwest Africa - colonial rule led to genocide. What was the link from medical science to racial pseudo-science?

How post-war fashion and music captivated and created a global market. Blue jeans and rock n' roll are the thread running from 1950's America to 1968 France and Prague through 1989 Berlin and China today. Will Islam prove the lone holdout?

The sixth element that enabled the West to dominate the rest was the Protestant Work Ethic. For evidence of thrift, industry, and morality, Ferguson visits a Missouri megachurch and Chinese factories, concluding that reports of Christianity's demise have been greatly exaggerated.