Table of Contents
I dedicate this work to my loving and inspiring wife, Debra, and my beautiful son, Thomas.
Contents at a Glance
Part 1: The Beginnings and Foundations of Civilization 1
1 The Building Blocks of Civilization 3 A long time in ago in a galaxy not so far away, humans spread and then congregated into groups that became civilizations.
2 First Civilizations of Africa and West Asia 11 The first civilizations liked water, and not just for bathing. They developed around the river valleys of the Nile and the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
3 Ancient and Classic China 23 Africa and western Asia were not the only places to have civilization. In the region of China, they developed around the Yangtze and Huang Ho rivers.
4 Ancient and Classic India 33 The Indian subcontinent was not left out of the race for civilization. The Indus valley civilization emerged along the banks of the Indus River.
5 Classic Greece 43 Many small, independent Greek city-states developed on the Peloponnesian Peninsula to build the foundation of Western civilization.
6 When in Rome 57 The Romans borrowed many of the Greeks ideas for the foundations of a new empire.
Part 2: After the Classics 73
7 Islam and Africa 75 Out of the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula came a new religion, Islam, which swept through the Middle East and North Africa.
8 The Byzantine Empire and Russia 89 The Byzantine Empire was what was left after the fall of the Roman Empire, and it lasted a bit longer. Russia was what was left after the fall of the Byzantine Empire, and it lasted all the way into the twentieth century.
9 Rebirth in China 101 The Sui dynasty brought China out of chaos, and the Song dynasty let it slide back in.
10 Chinese Culture Spreads in East Asia 109 Whether everyone else in East Asia wants to admit it or not, Chinese culture influenced Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
11 The Mongols Rule! 119 The Mongols conquered most of Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Europe. Although it didnt last, their empire reignited transregional trade.
12 Those Terrible Middle Ages 129 The Middle Ages were bad for Europeor were they? Regardless, the Germanic tribes that invaded the Roman Empire slowly created their own nations.
13 America on the Eve of Invasion 147 The Americas had a variety of different civilizations based on climate and geography. This made for an interesting mix.
Part 3: The World Gets Much Smaller 159
14 Back to Islam 161 Three Islamic empires gained power in the Middle East: the Ottomans, Moguls, and the Safavids.
15 As the World Shrinks: South Asia 171 As the world shrunk with exploration, China and Japan still tried to keep to themselves.
16 Exploration or Exploitation? 181 The Europeans were lucky enough to start exploring the world first. As a result, they were the big man on campus.
17 Religion and Reformation 191 Just after exploration, the Europeans had a little squabble over Christianity. Eventually, things were resolvedor at least they stopped killing each other over it.
18 Science and Philosophy Brighten Things Up 203 Newton and the discovery of gravity sparked a change in thinking in science and philosophy. Now everyone thought they knew best.
Part 4: Western Domination 213
19 Revolutions 215 The Enlightenment sparked revolutions in America, France, and Latin America. Everyone started to think that they had certain rights that government should not take.
20 The Industrial Revolution 229 The Industrial Revolution was the Scientific Revolution put into practice. Things got faster, bigger, louder, and more polluted.
21 Revolutions and Reactions 239 Nationalism and liberalism directed the thoughts and actions of the people of Europe during the nineteenth century. There were other isms, but none quite as important.
22 Imperialism 253 Imperialism led the nations of Europe to compete for colonial territories around the world. This led to conflict and more conflict.
Part 5: The Twentieth Century and Beyond 267
23 The War to End All Wars 269 The war to end all wars, or World War I, started over European rivalries. It also wasnt the war to end all wars.
24 A Time of Uncertainty 281 Tragic events tend to cause uncertainty, and the two decades after the Great War were an uncertain time for everyoneculturally, politically, and economically.
25 World War II and the End of European Dominance 297 Just when you thought it couldnt get any worse, another war breaks out. The even more tragic World War II could have been prevented by learning from the past.
26 The Cold War 309 The European nations were finally retired as leaders of the world. In their place, the United States and the Soviet Union fight it out.
27 Out from the Shadows 319 After World War II, the colonial empires of the Western nations are given independence. Some of the new nations do well with it. Others do not.
28 Where Do We Go from Here? 331 The world has many challenges to face. The United Nations and other groups try to set it right. Will they? We hope.
Appendixes
A Glossary 339
B The Major Events of World History 345
C Important People, Places, and Things to Know 355
D Go Deep: Further Readings in World History 359
Index 363
Introduction
Most people assume the study of world history is just the study of an endless series of facts, isolated to certain regions and time periods. This method of studying world history is very limiting: focusing on the details sometimes prevents us from seeing the big picture.
The study of world history is really the study of change. It is about the evolution of civilizations. It is about expansion and decline and about actions and reactions. World history examines the factors of change including geography, economics, government, culture, science, technology, society, and religion.
The study of world history is also about connections and the themes that connect civilizations over time and space. These themes include:
The diffusion of culture
Interactions of civilizations
Changes caused by people and the environment
Comparisons of political and social systems
Continuity and change in time
I have not put as much emphasis on providing historical fact upon fact; instead, I have tried to paint the historical picture with broad sweeping strokes. If you are interested in the fine details, use the further readings found in Appendix C to select an appropriatevolume to find out more. This world history is about big pictures and historical themes.
How This Book Is Organized
This book is divided into five parts.
Part 1, The Beginnings and the Foundations of Civilization, starts with the emergence of homo sapiens or humans as the dominant hominid group in the world. After the beginning of the Neolithic revolution, humans acquire the building blocks of civilization. From there civilizations sprang up around the fertile river valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, as well as the Nile, Indus, and Huang Ho Rivers. The peopled created governments, usually monarchies. Many kings rose and fell on the banks of the river valleys.
