Difference between revisions of "Western"
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The term "'''Western'''" refers to "[[the West]]" (or the Occident), meaning those countries and people aligned with [[Western Christendom]] (as described by historian [[Arnold Toynbee]]). The Western world was led by England (see [[British Empire]]) until the ascendancy of the [[United States of America]]. | The term "'''Western'''" refers to "[[the West]]" (or the Occident), meaning those countries and people aligned with [[Western Christendom]] (as described by historian [[Arnold Toynbee]]). The Western world was led by England (see [[British Empire]]) until the ascendancy of the [[United States of America]]. | ||
Revision as of 22:36, December 14, 2009
The term "Western" refers to "the West" (or the Occident), meaning those countries and people aligned with Western Christendom (as described by historian Arnold Toynbee). The Western world was led by England (see British Empire) until the ascendancy of the United States of America.
However this term is not exclusively used to refer to anglophone nations nor is it used to refer to countries aligned on the western side on a standard world map. For example, European nations such as France and Germany are counted as "Western" states whereas some countries in South America, such as Peru and Chile, are not.
The general rule of thumb is that it is used to refer to nations that have an origin in the Latin/Germanic roots of Western Europe and have a similar high level of societal development (e.g Australia.)