A scheme of areas dominated by Western civilization in the early 21st century
Western civilization or the West is a supernational unit, consisting of all countries which primarily identify with the cultural heritage of Ancient Greece, Rome and Christianity. The most prominent elements of Western identity are Greek art and philosophy, Roman law and Christian morality, including obligatory monogamy.
The concept of Western civilization arose during the Renaissance, replacing the earlier concept of Christendom. The homeland of Western civilization is Europe, but during the era of colonialism it has spread to other parts of the world, above all to the Americas, Australia and New Zealand.
Defining traits of Western civilization are individualism, democracy and science, and the distinctly Western worldview took shape during the Enlightenment. However, complementing mystical and communitarian ideas, often associated with Romanticism, have also been always present. Objective naturalism is an important feature of Western aesthetics.
Dominant language of Western culture used to be Latin until the 18th century, then it became French and after World War II English.
The boundaries of Western civilization are not always clear, and there are two major areas which can be considered parts of it, or something else:
- Russia, together with Belarus and Ukraine, are majority Slavic nations, which have been Christian since the 10th century, have a mostly European culture but there are also strong Mongol or "Turanian" influences, especially the preferrence for centralized authoritarian government. Russia under the tsars claimed to be "Third Rome". Russian art, music, literature and philosophy are an integral part of the Western canon.
- South and Central America are inhabited by a mixed population, descended from White European settlers as well as Native Americans and Black Africans. The proportions vary by country, so Argentina is certainly more Western than Guatemala or Peru. Despite the domination of Spanish language, there always have been a strong connection to Native cultures in South American literature.
In modern political sense, "the West" or "Western Bloc" is understood as alliance of democracies led by the United States, especially during the Cold War and Cold War II. The organizations embodying a sense of Western unity are NATO and the European Union.
Neoconservatives believe that Western civilization should spread its values in order to become a cosmopolitan civilization, on the other hand national-populists consider this an unrealistic project and expect it to stay confined to its traditional area of influence. The Counterculture sharply criticizes Western values and cultural norms.