In the middle of the eighteenth century, British entrepreneurs unleashed the astounding energies of steam and coal, changing the world forever. Factories, railways, and gunboats then propelled the West's rise to power, while computers and nuclear weapons in the twentieth century secured its global supremacy. Today, however, many worry that the emergence of China and India spells the end of the West as a superpower. How long will the power of the West last? To find out, we need to understand why the West has been so dominant for the past two hundred years. With flair and authority, historian and archaeologist Ian Morris draws uniquely on 15,000 years of history to offer fresh insights on what the future will bring. Deeply researched and brilliantly argued, "Why The West Rules - For Now" is a gripping and truly original history of the world.