Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Oldest Chinese building VIII-XIX century A.D. and it was renovated in 1086
I think you missed my point. As glorious as those cathedrals were, they actually are mute testimony to the dysfunction of medieval Europe, where enormous amounts of money went into the construction of these edifices, yet very little went into the commonweal. It says a great deal that the best roads during that period were still the Roman ones even after a millennium of disrepair.
First of all, we are talking about Europe (West of Russia) being largely successful, not just Anglo Saxons. The German speaking countries, such as Germany, Austria, parts of Switzerland, Netherlands became fairly prosperous in the 18th/19th century for its time. Independent thinking, beginnings of modern philosophy, science and arts started in Italy during Renaissance. And first great navies in Europe belonged to Spain and Portugal, not England. Spanish/Portuguese sailors were the first to sail all over the world and to discover America after all. They were over taken by Britain but they were the first.
I think a lot of good reasons were already mentioned in the thread. I think another factor that may or may not have been mentioned is an advantageous geographic location that protected Europe from invaders in the East. For example Mongols conquered Kiev based Russia as well as China subjugating them for centuries thus stifling growth and development. They tried to do the same to Europe but by that point they were spread too thinly and were defeated. And Mongols were not the first invaders from the East that tormented Russia and China for centuries.
The situation was somewhat similar with the Ottoman empire. Russian fought multiple wars with Turks/Ottomans thereby buying Europe some breathing room...
Decoration is different than structure.. Saint Mark Church structure was not changed since the beginning IX century
Venice was much more developed then the rest of Europe in the IX century so I will give you that. Its interesting that Venice's wealth came from trade with the Byzantines and its to be noted that Venetian Architecture is heavily influenced by Byzantine architecture. It just shows you how much more developed the Eastern Mediterranean was compared to Europe during that time period. Its amazing how Europe went from a backward hellhole to the epicenter of civilization in the span of about 200 years.
This is a touchy topic. I am not white so don't blame me for not knowing about exactly which demography among whites achieved what it did in arts/science/infrastructure etc. For me its just the white civilization that created cities like Sydney and Toronto and NYC.
I created a similar topic a few years ago. There was a debate panel at my Uni and this question arose. The white guy sitting there(a very non PC pandering dude) stated simply this: Most whites have a individualist mindset. A desire to explore the unknown, a desire of creativity, a desire of self expression. Most other immigrants are simply collectivist in their approach. A Pakistani will favor Pakistani culture, an African American will usually side with his own ilk(OJ Simpson had support of 97% African Americans even though deep down they knew he was wrong). This is what made this civilization what it was especially the early 20th century generation who built these cities, lay a foundation, questioned irrationality.
He also said that this is why the world is dumbing down. Today's youngsters are self centered and clueless. Everyone is PC correct(except when it comes to issues relating to whites) and the minority model of tribalism will eventually destroy civilization. The forefathers who lived in the 20s-60s created a just society which is being slowly but surely eradicated.
What is your take on this debate. Be honest.
I think it has to do with necessity, in Europe you can't just take it easy and expect to survive, Europe is not designed for Human Beings, in order to be successful in that environment human beings had to change the way we did things. In central Africa you don't have to do much to survive. As humans just like any other animal we do things out of Necessity not just because. lol
I think you missed my point. As glorious as those cathedrals were, they actually are mute testimony to the dysfunction of medieval Europe, where enormous amounts of money went into the construction of these edifices, yet very little went into the commonweal. It says a great deal that the best roads during that period were still the Roman ones even after a millennium of disrepair.
In Italy there were not only cathedrals during middle-age..... or dark age
First I think success needs to be clearly defined. Using the above snip, I'm not sure one can say whites/anglos were any more successful than other groups except perhaps more recently and in our own regions.
Considering the arts/science/infrastructure aspect alone, I would argue that many ancient groups had just as much success - the Mayans, Ancient Rome and Egypt, Greeks - their contributions to society as a whole cannot be overstated. Admittedly their discoveries are ancient now and not popular but their success is incalculable.
The Ancient Romans, Egyptians, and Greeks were whites just like the present day Europeans.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
