Peter Haugen - World History For Dummies

World History For Dummies, 2nd Edition

by Peter Haugen

World History For Dummies, 2nd Edition

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Copyright 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2009926358

ISBN: 978-0-470-44654-6

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

Peter Haugen is the author of Was Napoleon Poisoned? And Other Unsolved Mysteries of Royal History (Wiley). A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, he has been a frequent contributor to History magazine and is among the co-writers of The Armchair Reader Amazing Book of History, mental_floss Presents Condensed Knowledge, and mental_floss Presents Forbidden Knowledge. A veteran journalist and critic, he was a staff member at several U.S. newspapers, including The St. Petersburg Times and The Sacramento Bee, and has written about topics ranging from the fine arts to molecular genetics. Haugen was an adjunct instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and California State University-Fresno and is a proud veteran of the U.S. Army. He lives in Wisconsin.

Authors Acknowledgments

Thanks to my editors at Wiley Project Editor Tim Gallan, Acquisitions Editor Lindsay Lefevere, and Copy Editor Elizabeth Rea all of whom helped make the process of writing this second edition remarkably painless. Thanks, too, to all my family, especially my wife, Deborah Blum, for her constant support. Id like to thank historian David McDonald, again, for his invaluable help with the first edition of this book, and all the wonderful history writers whose works I have combed through, pored through, and compared one against the other while once again skimming over the surface of the wonderful body of scholarship that is world history.

Publishers Acknowledgments

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Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

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Senior Project Editor: Tim Gallan

(Previous Edition: Kathleen A. Dobie)

Acquisitions Editor: Lindsay Lefevere

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(Previous Edition: Esmeralda St. Clair)

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Introduction

The complete history of the world boiled down to 400-some pages and crammed between paperback covers? The idea is preposterous. Its outrageous. Id be crazy to attempt it. So here goes.

No, wait. This book doesnt claim to be complete. It cant. Hundreds of other volumes are devoted to a measly decade or two the World War II era comes to mind. To plumb thousands of years in one little book would be impossible. To skim across the surface, however, is another matter. If, while reading the following chapters, you hit upon an era, a personality, or a civilization that youd like to know more about, theres no lack of places to find out more. You can turn to many far more complete accounts of the history of specific countries, such as the United States; continents, such as Europe; and events, such as the U.S. Civil War. You can find books about all these topics and more in this excellent For Dummies series. But if you want a simplified overview consisting of a collection of easy-to-read glimpses into major players and events that have made the world what it is today, then Im your guide and World History For Dummies, 2nd Edition is your first-stop reference.