Western Civilization II
This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of concepts, people, and events that shaped Western culture from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries. Topics include: the rise of Eastern and Western Europe; the Enlightenment-era philosophies; the impact of the French Revolution on political, social, and economic world order; and the effects of the industrial revolution on Western society. Unification-era politics; various methods of imperial indoctrination; and major political, economic, and social reforms are explored, along with the root causes and strategies that affected the outcomes of WWI and WWII. Social, economic, and political changes that occurred in the twentieth century are also examined.
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Course Objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Identify the major concepts, persons, and events that contributed to nation building and the war for order in the eighteenth century.
- Compare and contrast the rise of Eastern and Western Europe.
- Describe the change in European and world culture resulting from Enlightenment-era philosophies.
- Describe the impact of the French Revolution on political, economic, and social world order.
- Describe the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte and explain his legacy.
- Compare and contrast the benefits and burdens of industrialization.
- Examine the effects of the Industrial Revolution in England on Western society and describe the causes for its rapid growth.
- Identify and describe the people, ideas, and technologies that radically changed the traditional social, economic, and political environment of the early nineteenth century.
- Explain the change in Western culture resulting from unification era politics.
- Summarize the evolution of Imperialism and compare and contrast the various methods of imperial indoctrination.
- Compare and contrast the major political, economic, and social reforms that ignited a mass emigration of European peoples to the U.S. during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
- Define evolution and explain the conflict between evolutionary theory and religious theology.
- Identify the root causes and explain how World War I changed world order.
- Describe the struggles of the Western world during postwar recovery.
- Compare and contrast the various technologies, battles, and strategies that affected the outcome of WWII.
- Examine the social, economic, and political changes that have occurred in the twentieth century, and describe the role of the United States, China, and the Soviet Union as world super powers.
Topic | Topic Title | Subtopics | Objectives |
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1 | Political Order and the Old Regime 1715-1789 |
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2 | Enlightened Society |
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3 | France and the Age of Revolution |
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4 | Napoleon Bonaparte |
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5 | The Industrial Revolution |
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6 | Living With Change |
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7 | Nationalism and the Unification of the Nation-State |
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8 | Imperialism and World Domination |
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9 | The Culture of Progress |
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10 | The Great War |
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11 | Recovery, Depression, and Fascism |
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12 | World War II |
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13 | The Cold War |
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14 | The Twenty-First Century in Perspective |
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15 | Review Topic |
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While there are no prerequisites to take Western Civilization II, StraighterLine does recommend that students complete Western Civilization I before enrolling in Western Civilization II.
The required eTextbook for this course is included with your course purchase at no additional cost. More information on StraighterLine eTextbooks
Prefer the hard copy? Simply purchase from your favorite textbook retailer; you will still get the eTextbook for free.

The West in the World, Fifth Edition, prompts students to take an active, analytical approach to understanding history and historical change. Readers will come to appreciate that history does not happen in isolation but rather is the consequence of a complex set of intersecting events, forces, and human actions among which there are cause-and-effect links that extend into the present day. As it compellingly tells the story of Western civilization, The West in the World encourages a critical examination and analysis of major events and themes. The fifth edition retains the medium length of previous editions, long enough to present a comprehensive, rich narrative but concise enough to give instructors the flexibility to supplement reading with other sources and books.
Sherman, Dennis and Salisbury, Joyce. The West in the World, 5th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2014, ISBN: 9780073407036.
StraighterLine provides a percentage score and letter grade for each course. A passing percentage is 70% or higher.
If you have chosen a Partner College to award credit for this course, your final grade will be based upon that college's grading scale. Only passing scores will be considered by Partner Colleges for an award of credit.
There are a total of 1000 points in the course:
Topic | Assessment | Points Available |
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5 | Graded Exam 1 | 125 |
8 | Graded Exam 2 | 125 |
8 | Midterm Exam | 200 |
11 | Graded Exam #3 | 125 |
14 | Graded Exam #4 | 125 |
15 | Final Graded Exam | 300 |
Total | 1000 |
Final Proctored Exam
The final exam is developed to assess the knowledge you learned taking this course. All students are required to take an online proctored final exam in order complete the course and be eligible for transfer credit.
Learn more about Proctored Exams
This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of concepts, people, and events that shaped Western culture from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries. Topics include: the rise of Eastern and Western Europe; the Enlightenment-era philosophies; the impact of the French Revolution on political, social, and economic world order; and the effects of the industrial revolution on Western society. Unification-era politics; various methods of imperial indoctrination; and major political, economic, and social reforms are explored, along with the root causes and strategies that affected the outcomes of WWI and WWII. Social, economic, and political changes that occurred in the twentieth century are also examined.