When was the peak of western civilization?

1913

Absolute or relative peak?

this, also nazi germany before the war was pretty good

Unironically, 2016. We live in the best of times.

1914, then Austria came along and ruined everything.

Yeah but 2016 in western world aint nuffin special or "western".
OP means when west europe became the most influental in science, medicine, music, philosophy etc.
19th century, ideologies, machines, medicine etc.
If life quality, 2016 without adoubt

1912

The Ottoman Empire.

1985-2001

1946-11.9.2001.

>civilization
>peak

Your premise is wrong m8, hunting-gathering times were the best for humanity.

Pax Britannica

300 BC

1950s Soviet Union

The middle ages.

before the unification of Germany

it was all downhill from there

Literally the roman empire. Everything went downhill after that.

The Finnish super-empire of 6000Bc

Concert of Europe

this, 1999/2000 is goat

Before agriculture settled in Europe. It got all downhill from there

Roman Times where awefull and conperable to isis

enjoy diseases, getting mauled by animals

>b-but I was taller for a tiny window into the Neolithic!

when derren brown predicted the lottery numbers on live tv

Germany 1871-1914

Early 70's

Forgot pic

Britain beat was better than Germany by every metric during that time period

1850-1900

the Republic of Venice, also known as the Serenissima

Since the beginning of the 20th century Germany had become superior to Britain in every aspect except naval warfare.

Without a global colonial empire one might add.

Britain is better at winning wars too...

pre-bronze age collapse

Western society is still the most influential in science, it can't even be argued.

Silicon valley? 50+ percent of the internet being in English? Every other country in the world having to learn English? Nearly all advancements in physics and AI coming from western countries?

The only reason people think the west isn't the cultural empire it used to be is because after losing pervasive religious identity the influence starts to "feel" less powerful over time

The west is still on top by a long shot

1950's america

This, OP.

Western civilization is still peaking.
People only think it's degenerating because of dumb shit like slowly losing our religion or ethnicity, which is trivial when you compare the wealth/accomplishments/culture/status/science/influence the west still holds over the rest of the world.
Until China/Russia somehow step it up and magically create an R&D industry that can match the US, or begin to challenge general western authority over the world of scientific discovery, we remain on top.

once India kicks into high gear will that be more of an extension of western culture in the same way that Japan is or will they be different enough that it will be more like eastern civilization

>once

if

It's true India has a big role right now relative to everyone else, but they have a lot of things limiting their society that have no easy answers.
They have always been relevant when it comes to math & physics, and they'll definitely continue to be like that in the future, but I can't see them passing the western level of economic success, only becoming a larger player on the global stage.
so yea it'll be more like eastern civilization because of such drastic cultural differences, the degree to which their "high gear" reaches is up for debate

/thread

praise cum

My birth.

WE

BY 2035

Victorian era. 1800's - 1916

>ahead of everyone, scientifically, philosophically and militarily
>only competition is eachother
>dark savage races will almost certainly be destroyed
>single greatest work effort in all of human history
>leaders adhered to ideals of being the very best they could be, in all things
>things were conquered simply because they were there
>limitless energy, curiosity and a drive for perfection permeated society
>ideals were based on the immortal within man, not mercantile pursuits
>Enlightenment provided a world free from chains, waiting to be bent to Man's will, but had yet to become toxic with the petty and the mercantile that inhibits society today, as its new religion

Then, we botched it all by going to war all-out with eachother. Literal cousins, all the Great Powers, and they tore our realm apart.

Still hard times, judging by accounts of the Finno-Irish hyperwar.

5th Century BC

Western Civilization is currently improving. It's on an upward trajectory, with slight dips from time to time.

Based user

No stop it hurts too fucking much

>implying you wouldn't be some poor coal miner with zero rights, low pay and five mouths to feed because the Victorian Era was a time where "capital is king"

Sounds amazing

you tell me what year this is

ITT: fucking bitches who can't into medicine
Do you even Cicero?

>civilizational greatness
>R&D

Right before the Seven Years War
The true WWI

2001

It is degenerating but that doesn't stop it from dominating everything. Western Civilization is shit but still "good" at the same time.

Right bow

1960s america

17th century England

...

for a moment

long 19th century to be honest. i feel like the soul of western civilization was badly injured in WWI and irreversibly maimed after WWII.

OP said civilization. Go stuff your fat, brown, pockmarked face with Chili's, and watch "the game", you slovenly bastard.

Augustan Principate

Unironically this.

peak implies it's ever going to fall :^)

deal with it shitskins

>19th century
It's funny how in the late 19th century everyone was already lamenting about the decline of Western civilization. For example various German volkish groups considered late Middle Ages as the peak of Western civilization.

That fucking faggot Spengler loved by every /pol/tard started writing his stupid book before WW1.

I guess some things never change.

this.

The West's pre-eminence rises in perpetuity.

I agree that it was 1913.

It was last full year before the world wars. On a somewhat unrelated note, passenger rail travel was at its peak in dominance and popularity around this time (there were also more active rail lines during this time than any other time).

1989-2001/2003

War on terror/Invasion of Iraq was a huge mistake. It's still not bad but the world is a more dangerous and unstable place now.

>victorian era
>ideals were based on the immortal within man, not mercantile pursuits

The Tupac years.

>ideals were based on the immortal within man, not mercantile pursuits
What a load of horseshit. You don't think every second for most people was trying to make a buck and get their family out of the shitty circumstances they were stuck in?

POO

The French Empire Undeniably.
Anything afterward was the slow fall of mankind into Ressources wars made by coalitions of Organizations struggling to create a Unified world under their control, even to this day whilst disregarding the interest of any people or culture.
Anything before that was just Hell to live in.
I'd say that it was the peak.

What a fucking stupid question.

I'd say the question isn't stupid, just unprecise since it doesn't define what are the qualities that define a "good" civilization and a "bad" civilization.
Therefore ranking civilization and making a chronological analysis to find at which point Western Civilization was the "greatest" is a fruitless endeavor that will end up turning into a flame war.

But southern europeans are shitskins

Britain was much better at diplomacy and had a much more competent ruler. Their army, exept the fleet of course, however could not match Germanys army.

476-1517

never yet because we still don't understand mental diseases

In terms of relative power, pretty unarguably the long 19th Century. On individual basis, right now, although there were also kinds of maximals for certain eras in certain nations on both regards. For example, the US from 1945-1949 was probably the single most relatively powerful state in history, given its monopoly on atomic weapons and lack of devastation from WWII that the entire rest of the industrial world had experienced. Similarly, certain parts of early 20th Century Europe were, on an individual basis, like paradises compared to the rest of the world.

Idk senpai, being black at the time was shit, also living with the constant fear because of evil Gomminisms and their bombs.

1880 (Scramble for Africa starts in full swing) - 1914

yes, of course
europeans aren't white

>being black
Who cares

epic

I'm dead serious, I don't understand why American historians are so extremely focused on blacks. The US was 10% black in 1950, are we going to shit on an entire era just because 10% of the population didn't have it perfect?

1933 - 1945

Victorian times are shit, couldn't even show some leg without people chimping out that it's prudent. Might as well live in Saudi Arabia.