Week 8

This week’s chapters have focused on the 20^th century and also early 21^st century. Basically, it is now modern times. The first chapter was regarding early 20^th century with many African nations becoming independent from the European countries that colonized them. Most of the Western part of Africa was colonized by France and Northern and Southern Africa being controlled by Great Brittan. India was also mentioned regarding Gandhi and his influence to break away from England colonization as well as not becoming too modernized. The chapter then went back into how South Africa went about its freedom with the ANC (African National Congress). The difference between India and South African independence was that India was more related to religious movements whereas South Africa had a more race and ethnicity movement that was also much more violent than India.  The chapter then goes more into how Africa had more nations with democratic elections. The Chapter then ends with how Middle Eastern countries such as Turkey adapted to the 20^th century to a more Westernized way of living.

The last chapter discussed how the globalization of the world economy transformed many nations to utilize technology. It also went on to tell how countries would find cheaper labor by outsourcing to less economically viable areas. This method lead many wealthy nations to build factories and hire cheap labor to build products. It also talked about how the United States had a much more powerful influence upon the entire world by the late 20^th century. Feminism was then discussed and third world revolutionary Che Guvara was also mentioned. I thought one of the most important parts of this chapter was how the Global Environment was changing. Since reading this book it has said a lot about how the human species has expanded, settled, traded and conquered each other.  Now I think that we must all come together and find a way to keep our planet from entering into a polluted era from all of the waist we send into the atmosphere causing global warming. If we do not do something as a whole human race we could become extinct ourselves from our own doing. 

Week 7

There were really only 2 chapters this week and the more this book gets into the 20^th and 21^st century I am that much more interested. In the first chapter this was centered on World War 1 and World War 2. The First World War (also called the Great War) started with an assassination on a political figure. This sparked for Germany to side with the Austro-Hungarian Empire angst Russia and France. Later on each side began to get other countries to side with them. It eventually turned into Japan, Serbia, Portugal, Romania, Italy, and China joined the Allies (Britain, France, and Russia) verses Ottoman Empire cast its lot with the Central Powers (Germany and Austro-Hungary). After this war ended it sparked for Nazism to form with Hitler leading things into World War 2.

            I was unaware that World War 2 had a lot of beginnings in Asia with Japan trying to seize more control over China and Korea. The chapter continued with more of the history I was familiar with like Germany trying to control Europe and invading France and Poland. Germany also started to attach England. Once the Perl Harbor attack happened the United States became involved. This then introduced a major human development with the Atomic Bomb. Once this was launched on Japan the human race discovered it could kill itself quickly. This was a major turning point in science and also military technology. After the WW2 Europe was divided up with the East becoming more influenced by communism and the west influenced by capitalism. These two ideologies would be discussed (more so communism) in the next chapter.

            The next chapter told how communism rose to power in Russia and how China was exposed to it. Communism even spread to Cuba making it more global. This scared many other countries such as the United States. Both the USA and Russia had become military super powers and feared each other with nuclear weapons. In the end communism did not really become the dominant way of running a country. Russia economy became stagnant and China started a hybrid way of handling its economy by introducing some capitalism. Other countries like Cuba and Vietnam still have communism the United States has proven shown that a capitalistic society is more beneficial to its people. 

Week 6

The three chapters this week had a lot to do with some periods of world history that I am very interested in. It focused on 1750 through about 1914. The first chapter spoke of the American Revolution, the Haitian Revolution and the French Revolution. I was very interested in the American Revolution yet it did not really tell me much that I already did not know. I was intrigued to read that the Haitian Revolution was the only revolution that had the slaves and oppressed people on the winning side. The chapter also touched on how slavery was becoming something that had to stop. I am glad that nations in Europe had a better view on this subject. I do wish that the USA would have adopted this idea sooner than the Civil War it had from 1861 – 1865. I was also happy to read about how Feminism was starting and that in this time period it set the foundation for women to have more influence on society. This chapter by far was the most interesting one I have read in this World History course.

The next chapter had to do with the Industrial Revolution. I was always under the impression that America had the most to do with this for the entire world. I was surprised to read that England was really the country that brought this to the forefront and was able to transform Europe into a much more rich and powerful area on a Global scale. This chapter also go into how the classes of people were starting to become more apparent. The middle-class was beginning to take hold with people having their own businesses and also having more influence and a voice in political area. However, lower class people also had their protest because they saw that socialist ideas were challenging the capitalistic ideas of wealthy people. I also read that the United States did not participate in Socialism but Russia did. It was also interesting to read that South America had many exports such as rubber, coffee, sugar, and wheat.

The last chapter told about how China, the Middle East and Japan had different ways of evolving during the 18^th to early 20^th century. China lost a lot of power that it once had as well as the Ottoman Empire. They were so used to being rich and sustaining their own empires. During this time the Industrial Revolution came and they did not adapt quick enough. European countries also tried to colonize other parts of Asia and European people started to become really racists towards people of Asia and the Middle East. Japan on the other hand started to rise up and become a much more powerful country in Asia. By the early 20^th century it was being recognized by the rest of the world for trade. It even won wars agents China and Russia with a much stronger military than before. I think for me reading this chapter was not as interesting as the first one, but reading about Japan’s rise in the East was kind of cool. 

Week 5

This week’s chapters had much to do with the eastern and western hemispheres coming together as one making up what we know as the geographical world. The beginning chapter talked about how Europeans from mainly Portugal, England, France and Spain began to colonize the Americas. Spain took over what we know as Mexico and continued south into Peru. Spain mainly took over the Inca and Aztec Empires. France was able to take over what we know as Canada and what is today the central United States. England controlled the eastern part of North America yet had a small but powerful section. Portugal took over what we now know as Brazil. These countries had a good strong hold of these areas because they were already on the western part of Europe. They had easier access to this part of the world over China, Russia, or Persian areas. The chapter also went into how Russia developed from Mongolian rule. Russia was taking over a large part of the Europe and Asian area encompassing many cultures and languages. It was kind of like a multicultural empire. The chapter also spoke of Asian empires mainly China. It also said the Ottoman Empire took hold of the Middle East and Northern Africa which was basically controlled by Turkish people.

The next chapter was how the world was becoming a global economy. Spain had invaded the Philippines because they wanted to have a presence in Asia. This also led to the Silver trade. A few other European countries also took over parts of Asia such as the Dutch people controlling Indonesia. Spices were also a big trading export. The chapter also went into the Atlantic Slave trade and how in Western Africa was where most slaves were transported to the Americas. One thing I did not know was that most slaves were put in the Caribbean and in Brazil. Only 6% were transported to North America.

The next chapter I had a hard time understanding for some reason. It had to do with religion and science. Basically, Europe was the center of this movement to spate the church and science from each other. I thought the biggest and most influential person of this era was Nicolas Copernicus from Poland. He discovered that the Earth was not the center of anything and our solar system centered on the sun. The churches of this time were not thrilled since this meant they were going to lose power and influence over the people. 

Week 4

The chapters for this week covered mostly Eurasia and Africa and finally got into the Americas during the 15^th century. The first chapter was focused on how the Muslim religion developed and what areas it had influenced. It went into how Muhammad in around 600 AD was starting his journey and to one day become the most single important person in the Islamic world. The Quran was discussed as well as some history of who Muhammad was and how he confirmed that church and state could not be separated. The Islamic culture saw that instead of many Gods like in Hinduism, there is only one God (Allah). Islam spread into much of the Middle East with the core (or capital) being in Mecca. Islam had such a big influence that it reached into Africa and well as Europe such as Spain. By 1500 it also came into some of China and Russia as well as reaching further south into Africa well into the Sahara desert. Due to its vast coverage it also took advantage of the trade routes of the time helping to expand its influence.

            The next chapter covered Pastoral people from about 1200 AD to 1500 AD. It briefly spoke of small clans in China and Turks and Arabs in the Middle East in Asia. However, this period was mostly popularized by the Mongols and the rule of Chinggis Khan.  I was very interested in this part of the book. I wanted to have a more clear view on how the Mongols went about their business and rose to power. What I found was they had a lot of smaller tribes around Mongolia and they did not have much togetherness until Chinggis Khan came around. He was the leader that brought them to see a new era with their people. I also found that their expansion was very rapid compared other empires before them. I guess when you are organized enough and rule by force as well as in a barbaric nature, you can get a lot done in a relatively short amount of time. I did not know before reading this chapter that the Mongol Empire expanded into Europe. It was not until the Ming dynasty that Mongol rule ended in China. This was also due to the plague that spread from Asia to Europe. An interesting fact with this subject was that the Mongols were also the first in biometric warfare. A dead human body that was infected with plague was used to be launched in a catapult by the Mongols. They would throw this body into a city infecting the population of that area with the plague.

            The last chapter for this week talked about the 15^th century. For some reason I was not as intrigued with this chapter. I’m not sure why but the most interesting thing I was regarding the Aztecs and the Incas. The Aztecs were inhabiting what is now Mexico and the Incas covered the western part of South America. This part of the world at this time was almost stuck in the Neolithic Era in my opinion.  They had some forms of civilizations but, did not have the technology that people in the eastern hemisphere did. However, this was the beginning of people from Europe and Asia coming over to the Americas such as Christopher Columbus and Hernan Cortez. Even though I was not as impressed with this part of history as other parts, I still think this was the beginning of a new era in the world as now the east and west hemispheres were finally connecting the world as one.  

Week 3

The chapters for this week covered a time period from 500 CE to 1500 CE. The first chapter I read about this week had to do with connecting the nearby civilizations to each other. By doing this each area could trade what they had while gaining other things that their environment could not produce. I think the most important way of trading during this time period was the creation of the Silk Roads. They called it the “Silk Roads” because silk from China was such an important good. This network of trade was actually a relay system extending across Eurasia going from Arabia to India and then ending up in China. Some goods that were traded from China were Silk, Bamboo, gunpowder, and paper. From Central Asia there were furs, amber, livestock, and horses. India could trade cotton, herbal medicine, and spices. The Middle East had dates, nuts, almonds, dyes, and swords. In the Mediterranean Basin they had gold coins, glassware, artworks, perfume and olive oil. Those are only some of the things that were traded from each area. Another important fact was that when trade among these areas would happen they would sometimes bring with them disease. This would be a big problem for the civilization being exposed to the new sickness because they had little to no immunity towards it.

The Sea Roads were also another way to do trading. Instead of using land they people of this time could trade among the Indian Ocean. This had a big advantage because boats could carry more goods and cargo. Using this trade network opened up East Africa to trade ivory, gold quartz, and also slaves. The monsoon winds dictated how and when the trading would happen. The April through September monsoons would push winds north and north east while the November through February monsoons pushed winds south and south west. The other network of trade also happened in Africa through the Sahara Desert. With the introduction of the Camel to this area trade was possible between the Mediterranean and western part of Africa. The camel could go almost 2 weeks with no water. This animal was a big help in making this trade system possible. Gold was probably the most valuable asset to trade in this system while unfortunately slaves were involved as well. On the other side of the world in the western hemisphere, the Mesoamerican civilization and Andean Civilization were also trading too.  This however did not produce as much trade as in Eurasia and Africa since the environments were much harder to go through. Still, there was trade networks setup from western South America all the way to the North American Mississippi River area.

The next chapter focused on how China had a big influence on the global trade system. From the fall of the Han dynasty China was cut into many different regions. When the Tang and Song Dynasty came to power, China was more organized and urbanized. China had neighbors to the east and south. The country of Korea at that time was being influenced by China with Chinese traditions. Korea did not fully want to confirm to Chinese way of life. For example, Korean culture was much more relaxed towards women. Chinese culture did not want them to even sing and dance late at night. Korea still remained independent from China after 688 CE.

Vietnam was also another area China tried to influence. Like Korea, Vietnam was connected to China by land which made it easier for China to invade. Vietnam was not very willing to confirm to China. The story of the Trung Sisters remains a symbol of independence for Vietnam. Japan was the other area that China wanted to influence as well. Since Japan was separated by about 100 of ocean from China, Japan had the luxury of borrowing what they wanted from Chinese culture without much issue. I feel that China had a lot to offer the world during this period yet also felt that they were pushing their influence onto other areas was over the top. Still they remain an incredible world power even today.

The last chapter for this week covered European Christendom. The fall of the Roman Empire gave way to the Byzantine Empire. This empire tried to recreate and pick up where the Roman Empire left off. It was not a powerful as the Roman Empire yet still covered most of the Mediterranean area. Eastern Orthodoxy was the main religion of this Empire. Byzantine way of life then migrated to what is now Russia. The western part of Europe was also fragmented. There was the Carolingian Empire that had 3 separate kingdoms (Charles the Bald, Louis the German, and Lothar.) This period in Europe also saw the introduction of the Crusades. The Crusades were more of a religious fight to spread Christianity around. Mostly against Muslims in the Middle East, Sicily, and Spain as well as the Eastern Orthodox Christians of the Byzantine Empire. Western Europe was not as developed as the Byzantine Empire and China. Technologically, this area wanted to catch up and one way they did this was using a “heavy-wheeled plow” instead of a “scratch plow”. This tool could handle the environment of Northern Europe much better. Gunpowder was borrowed from China and used in cannons for the first time in Europe. That kind of artillery was not seen by other civilizations before.

Also in the last chapter was the creation of a hierarchy of kings, lords, and peasants.  The peasants would work in areas for a lord. In return the lord would provide protection to the peasants from their rivals. The kings would then oversee the lords and command allegiance from them and all people underneath them socially.

Week 2

There was a lot to take in this week. In starting off with the chapter on the first civilizations, people of this time period were just trying to establish a better way to live with the amount of people inhabiting the land. There were six areas that became “civilized” areas on earth around 3500 B.C.E. One area was in Egypt known as the Nile Valley civilization. This I think is the most popular civilization since most people think of Egypt when they think of the first group of people to start a combined way of living with each other. I thought the environment of this civilization really helped out the people. By having the Nile River they had a great source of water for their agriculture. They were also next to the Mediterranean Sea that also gave them another source for food. Another area was the Mesopotamia civilization located near what is now Iraq. In reading about this civilization the people must have had a hard time living due to not being able to control the dynamics of their environment. The other civilizations were the Indus Valley located in what is now India, the Chinese civilization in China, the Notre Chico in what is now Peru, and the Olmec in what is now Mexico. Civilizations early on also seemed to take on a patriarchy approach to running their people making men the dominate gender of women.

The next chapter covered Eurasian empires. The Greek empire seemed to be very powerful covering much of the areas along the Mediterranean Sea. A very popular figure in Greek history was Alexander the Great around the time of 333-323 B.C.E. The Roman Empire then followed with having a strong hold over many European areas extending into England, Spain, France, and southern Germany. Like the Romans, the Chinese also extended their power west. They also constructed the Great Wall of China to keep out people they considered uncivilized. Like all empires that came before these empires eventually fell allowing for new groups of people to conquer the areas.

The following chapter spoke about Eurasian Cultural Traditions. In China, there was a person called Confucius. This man thought he was able to solve China’s problems at the time. His way of thinking was that people in power were to be good to the people below them in society. The people low on the social status were to obey and since it was a happy genuine exchange there was supposed to be harmony in this civilization.  I liked how this way of thinking was laid out, however this way of thinking did not last. Daoism was another way of thinking and ran agents Confucianism in some ways. Daoism encouraged individualism and natural behavior. Moral improvement was not to be considered for this way of thinking.  The chapter then continues on about religion such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity. I liked how they gave a brief history of each of these religions. This chapter was kind of an explanation of civilizations ways to worship God and how religions started to spread across Eurasia.   

The next chapter talked about Eurasian Social Hierarchies. This got into classes of people. In China, a landlord was a wealthy person because land was worth a lot. Unfortunately, governments would make them borrow agents the land they already own and eventually making them give some up later. Peasants started to be a label for people of Chinese civilization. Most people back then in China were peasants and many could barely survive. There were also merchants who were given the stereotype of being greedy and only concerned with having lavish things. The chapter then goes into slavery. In comparing slavery in early Greek-Roman civilizations to how slavery was in America, race was not a major factor in Roman society. American slavery came to be associated with Africa which is where most slaves came from during the transatlantic slave trade.