Western

The term Western World or "the West" can have multiple meanings depending on its context. more...

Home
Boys
Girls
Infants & Toddlers
Men's Accessories
Backpacks, Bags
Belt Buckles
Animals
Beer, Beverages
Crosses
Dress
LED
Military
Motorcycles, Vehicles
Music
Other
Patriotic, Flags
Skulls
Sports
States
Western
Belts
Briefcases
Gloves, Mittens
Hats
Keychains
Neckwear, Ties
Organizers, Planners
Other Items
Sunglasses
Suspenders, Braces
Wallets, Holders
Men's Clothing
Uniforms
Vintage
Wedding Apparel
Women's Accessories,...
Women's Clothing

Originally defined as Western Europe, most modern uses of the term refer to the societies of Europe and their close genealogical, linguistic, philosophical, and cultural descendants, which include those countries whose dominant culture is derived from European culture, such as the countries of the Americas, and most countries of Oceania (mainly Australia and New Zealand).

At different times and in different contexts, the definition of the West (also on rare occasions called the Occident) varies. Even definitions of what constitutes the West today vary. To define what is typical of modern Western society and the Western canon of Western culture is hindered by the lack of a clear definition and the dichotomy between Western Christian and Western secular thought. Countries with close cultural ties to Western Europe and the United States, such as Canada and Australia are most commonly referred to as constituting Western Society.

Historical divisions

Hellenic

The Hellenic division between the Jews and the Greeks contrasted in many societies the Greek-speaking culture of the Greek settlements around the Mediterranean to the surrounding non-Greek cultures. Herodotus considered the Persian Wars of the early 5th century BC a conflict of Europe versus Asia. The terms "West" and "East" were not used by any Greek author to describe that conflict. The anachronistic application of those terms to that division entails a stark logical contradiction, given that, when the term West appeared, it was used in opposition to the Greeks and Greek-speaking culture.

Roman

Although the Mediterranean basin was united by Romans, there was a distinction between the Empire's more urbanized eastern regions, where Greek was the lingua franca, on the one hand, and the mostly Latin-speaking, rural western regions on the other. In A.D. 292, Roman Emperor Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into two regions, each administered by an Augustus and a Caesar (the Tetrarchy). From the 5th century onwards, Roman rule crumbled in the western half, but endured in the eastern part, with a new Roman capital inaugurated in A.D. 330 at Constantinople by Roman Emperor Constantine I and Christianity established as the state religion of the empire.

Christian

Under Charlemagne, the Franks established an empire that was recognized as the Holy Roman Empire by the Christian Patriarch of Rome, offending the Roman Emperor in Constantinople. The crowning of the Emperor by the Pope led to the assumption that the highest power was the papal hierarchy, establishing, until the Protestant Reformation, the civilization of Western Christendom. The Latin Rite Christian Church of western and central Europe headed by the Patriarch of Rome split with the eastern, Greek-speaking Patriarchates during the Great Schism. Meanwhile, the extent of each expanded, as Scandinavia, Germany, Britain, and the other non-Christian lands of the northwest were converted by the Western Church, while Russia and much of Eastern Europe were converted by the Eastern Church.

Read more at Wikipedia.org