In+Depth

In Depth, pg 24: The Idea of Civilization in World Historical Perspective Throughout human history, the idea of what constitutes “civilization” and “civilized people” has changed according to the time period and geographic location. For example, the Chinese always considered the nomadic herders of the north and west to be “uncivilized,” fearing invasion by a barbaric people. Still, if these people were to have adopted Chinese culture, they would be accepted as equal members of society; hence, the Chinese view of civilized people was neither racial nor genetic. The same ideas were applied in the Americas, Greece and Rome (the Greeks coined the term “barbarian” and the Romans “civilization”). However, 17th and 18th century Europeans began to distinguish themselves and categorize peoples into social classes. Whites were at the top, and people of other races followed in complex hierarchies.
 * Summary:**

By the 19th century, with the introduction of the ideas of evolution through Charles Darwin, whites had tweaked their interpretation of “civilized people,” claiming that they were superior because of innate biological characteristics; whites thought that they were the most capable of evolving further to create complex societies. This was ultimately used as justification for white imperialism throughout the 19th and part of the 20th century. Since then, other people have challenged this claim, arguing the innate genetic differences that exist between people has not proven to reduce or enhance the ability of people to create civilizations.

1. Modern-day Sweden It's civilized (by 21st century standards) b/c: ---a. has a functioning democracy and treats citizens with equality. ---b. has a written code of law that is expected to be followed and has appropriate punishments ---c. has a method of communication (oral language, and written language - Swedish 2. Other modern-day civilizations that do not satisfy my prerequisites for "civilization: ---a. North Korea (no democracy; dictatorship) ---b. Zimbabwe (no democracy; dictatorship) 3. My prerequisites satisfy Sweden's own standard's and achievements (not universally accepted as definition of "civilization").
 * Questions:**