Quick Review of World History

Neolithic Revolution

• Discovery of agriculture led to permanent settlements.
• Use of slash and burn farming.
• Domestication of animals.
• Emergence of traditional economies and barter systems.

Early Civilizations

• Mesopotamia: Fertile Crescent, Sumerians, cuneiform writing, ziggurats.
• Babylon: Hammurabi's Code - "eye for an eye" law.
• Egypt: Nile River for farming and trade, pharaohs, theocratic rule.
• China: Early civilizations near Yangtze and Huanghe rivers, dynasties, Great Wall expansion.
• India: Advanced cities in the Indus Valley (Harappa and Mahenjo-daro).

Chinese Dynasties

• Tang and Song dynasties' contributions: porcelain, paper currency, movable type.
• Dynastic cycle and mandate of heaven.

Mongol Empire

• Largest empire under Genghis and Kublai Khan.
• Failure to conquer Japan, protected by samurai and Bushido code.

Religions and Philosophies

• Hinduism: Reincarnation, caste system, karma, dharma.
• Buddhism: Enlightenment, Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, nirvana.
• Confucianism: Harmony, good conduct, relationships.
• Taoism: Following nature.
• Shintoism: Animism in Japan.
• Islam: Five Pillars, spread through Umayyad and Abbasid empires.

Greece and Rome

• Greek city-states: Athens (culture, democracy), Sparta (military).
• Greek contributions: architecture, literature, Olympics.
• Philosophers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle.
• Alexander the Great: Hellenistic cultural diffusion.
• Roman Empire: Senate, 12 tables of law, architecture, aqueducts.
• Byzantine Empire: Justinian's Code, Eastern Orthodox Church.

Middle Ages

• Feudalism: Land for military service, chivalry.
• Crusades: Conflict and cultural diffusion.
• Black Plague and Renaissance.

Exploration and Colonization

• African trade, Mansa Musa.
• Native American civilizations (Mayans, Aztecs, Incas) and European conquest.
• Columbian Exchange, mercantilism, slave trade.

Revolutions and Nation-States

• Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther.
• Absolute Monarchy: Louis XIV, Peter the Great.
• Enlightenment: Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu.
• Revolutions: French, Latin American.

Industrial Revolution

• Began in England, spread globally.
• Urbanization, capitalism, socialism (Marx), social Darwinism.

Imperialism and WWI

• European imperialism in Africa and Asia.
• Alliances and militarism lead to WWI.
• Treaty of Versailles and rise of fascism (Hitler).

WWII and the Cold War

• Axis vs. Allies.
• Holocaust and human rights violations.
• US and USSR superpowers, Cold War tensions.

Modern Conflicts and Developments

• Fall of communism, reunification of Germany.
• Apartheid in South Africa, Middle East conflicts.
• Globalization, technological advancements (Internet).

Conclusion

• Nations are interconnected and dependent on one another.

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