Prologue: The rise and fall of Islam -- Part I: The origins of western civilization -- The background -- The medieval sources of freedom -- The breakdown of the medieval order -- Part II: The growth of a revolutionary world (1400-1700) -- The Renaissance -- The Protestant Reformation -- The growth of power -- The scientific revolution -- Part III: The rise of democracy (1700-1800) -- Prelude: The history of England -- The age of Enlightenment -- The age of revolution -- Epilogue: The wave of the future.