The book "The Rise of the West", which won the American National Book Award for history, is renowned for both its ambitious scope and its intellectual accuracy. In it, McNeill challenges the views of Spengler and Toynbee that a number of distinct and separate civilizations developed independently of each other, and instead argues that civilizations were able to develop due to the continuous interaction between different cultures, cities, and peoples. The author suggests, therefore, that from the Neolithic beginnings to the present day, social changes have been the product of contact with foreign peoples and ways of life, and presents an extensive description of the political, cultural, ideological, and economic life of all peoples to support this.

In a retrospective essay titled "The Rise of the West after twenty-five years", McNeill explains how his book was shaped by the time and place in which it was written (1954-1963). He discusses how historiography and historical sociology have developed and evolved since then, and makes some adjustments to the description of the evolution of global society in light of these changes.