Overview

World history examines the shared and interconnected development of human societies across regions and eras. This textbook begins with human origins, agriculture, cities, writing, and early civilizations before tracing the rise of classical societies, religious traditions, trade systems, empires, revolutions, industrialization, imperialism, world wars, the Cold War, decolonization, globalization, and the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Table of Contents

  1. Chapter 1: Studying World History
  2. Chapter 2: Human Origins
  3. Chapter 3: Agricultural Revolution
  4. Chapter 4: Cities, States, Writing, and Civilization
  5. Chapter 5: Mesopotamia
  6. Chapter 6: Egypt and Nubia
  7. Chapter 7: Indus Valley
  8. Chapter 8: Ancient China
  9. Chapter 9: The Americas and Oceania
  10. Chapter 10: Ancient Greece
  11. Chapter 11: Persia
  12. Chapter 12: Rome: Republic, Empire, and Mediterranean Power
  13. Chapter 13: Ancient India
  14. Chapter 14: Classical China
  15. Chapter 15: African Kingdoms
  16. Chapter 16: Mesoamerica and the Andes
  17. Chapter 17: The Transformation of Rome
  18. Chapter 18: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Religious Change
  19. Chapter 19: Arabia and the Rise of Islam
  20. Chapter 20: The Islamic Caliphates and Afro-Eurasian Exchange
  21. Chapter 21: Migration, Steppe Peoples, and Eurasian Transformation
  22. Chapter 22: Tang and Song China
  23. Chapter 23: Korea, Japan, and Vietnam in the East Asian World
  24. Chapter 24: South and Southeast Asia in the Post-Classical Era
  25. Chapter 25: Medieval Europe: Kingdoms, Church, and Society
  26. Chapter 26: African States, Trans-Saharan Trade, and Islamic Connections
  27. Chapter 27: American Civilizations: Maya, Mexica, Inca, and North American Societies
  28. Chapter 28: The Mongol Empire and the Rewiring of Eurasia
  29. Chapter 29: Silk Roads, Indian Ocean Trade, and Merchant Worlds
  30. Chapter 30: Technology, Knowledge, and Cultural Exchange
  31. Chapter 31: The Black Death and the Crisis of the Fourteenth Century
  32. Chapter 32: The World on the Eve of 1500
  33. Chapter 33: Renaissance, Reformation, and European State Formation
  34. Chapter 34: Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires
  35. Chapter 35: Ming and Qing China, Korea, and Tokugawa Japan
  36. Chapter 36: African Kingdoms, Trade, and the Atlantic Slave System
  37. Chapter 37: European Exploration and the Columbian Exchange
  38. Chapter 38: Colonization and Indigenous Resistance in the Americas
  39. Chapter 39: Global Trade, Mercantilism, and Early Capitalism
  40. Chapter 40: Enlightenment, Science, and Political Change
  41. Chapter 41: Atlantic Revolutions
  42. Chapter 42: The Industrial Revolution and Urban Society
  43. Chapter 43: Nationalism, Liberalism, Socialism, and Reform
  44. Chapter 44: Imperialism in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific
  45. Chapter 45: China, Japan, India, and the Ottoman Empire in a Changing World
  46. Chapter 46: World War I and the Collapse of Empires
  47. Chapter 47: Revolution, Depression, Fascism, and Communism
  48. Chapter 48: World War II and the Holocaust
  49. Chapter 49: The Cold War World
  50. Chapter 50: Decolonization in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East
  51. Chapter 51: China, India, Japan, and Southeast Asia after 1945
  52. Chapter 52: Latin America, Africa, and Development in the Cold War Era
  53. Chapter 53: The Middle East: Oil, Nationalism, and Conflict
  54. Chapter 54: Human Rights, Civil Rights, and Social Movements
  55. Chapter 55: The End of the Cold War and Globalization
  56. Chapter 56: Technology, Trade, Migration, and the Digital Age
  57. Chapter 57: Climate, Environment, and Global Health
  58. Chapter 58: Power in the Twenty-First Century
  59. Chapter 59: Conflict, Terrorism, Peacekeeping, and International Institutions
  60. Chapter 60: World History in the Present
  61. Back Matter

Learning Outcomes