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How did modern nations and countries develop into their present forms? After the decline of Classical civilization (500 BCE to 500 CE), new nations and empires emerged. Which countries thrived and which civilizations collapsed under the changing circumstances of increased cultural interaction, globalization, industrialization, revolution, and global conflict?
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Jetzt kostenlos anmeldenHow did modern nations and countries develop into their present forms? After the decline of Classical civilization (500 BCE to 500 CE), new nations and empires emerged. Which countries thrived and which civilizations collapsed under the changing circumstances of increased cultural interaction, globalization, industrialization, revolution, and global conflict?
The study of Modern World History is divided into a timeline of interconnected themes instead of a chronological history. These themes influence all societies and their developments during that period:
Dates | Period and Theme |
1200-1450 | The Post-Classical Period |
Networks of Exchange | |
1450-1750 | Growth of Empire and Colonization |
1750-1900 | Revolutions |
1900-1950 | Global Conflict and Globalization |
1945-Present |
The study of “Modern” World History begins around 1200 CE. Why the year 1200? Between 600 CE and 1200 CE, most of the Classical Civilizations of Greece, Rome, Persia, Qin, Han, and Byzantine collapsed or were drastically declining in influence and power. Much of the world was in economic and political recovery from the vacuum left by these powerful nations. During this time, new states emerged, promoting a greater sense of interconnectedness through trade and exchanging ideas.
Studying modern world history involves focusing on:
Let's now take a brief look at modern world history events according to period and theme.
During the postclassical era in Europe, Asia, and Africa, the cultures that survived the collapse, as well as new emerging nations, experienced political, social, cultural, and economic change that lay the foundation for their experience throughout history and even today.
Key religious developments occurred in the postclassical era:
These religions offered a cultural identity for many in their regions during political turmoil and confusion. Identities and cultures would be solidified through religious nation-states and lay the foundation for future religious and cultural conflict.
Postclassical China is characterized by the emergence of imperial dynasties and systematic attempts at unifying much of western Asia. Beginning with the collapse of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) and the establishment of the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), postclassical China saw evolutions in agriculture, economics, politics, and technology.
Dynasty: A line of succession or hereditary rulers from the same family
Fig. 1 A map showing the region controlled by the Song Dynasty
Gunpowder is invented during this time in Imperial China and the origins of printing.
Medieval East Asia is most noted for the rapid expansion of Islamic influence and the establishment of Dar al Islam.
Dar al Islam: Means "The House of Islam", and refers to the territory and regions where Muslims are free to practice their religion and also often refers to regions controlled by Islamic law.
Like Christianity, Islam is expansionist by divine command. Both Muhammad and the Qur'an- the holy book of Islam- charge their followers with converting non-believers, and indeed, Muhammad's followers began to expand their influence and control over East Asia through trade, commerce, and military conquest.
Fig. 2 Central Illumination of the Royal Terengganu Quran
Muhammad was the founder of Islam and the principal author of the Qur'an. He spent his life preaching and prophesizing the teachings of Islam until he died in 632CE.
Throughout the postclassical era in East Asia, the principal authority over the dar al-Islam was the Abbasid Dynasty. During this time, the region saw vast urban growth, the spread of food and crops, population growth, and most importantly: control over trade and commerce. The Abbasid Caliphate strengthened elaborate trade networks between Asia and Europe and reaped the economic benefits.
As cultural, political, and economic developments occurred in Imperial China, this had a drastic influence on the societies of South Asia.
Fig. 3 1907 map of the Chinese Empire
Postclassical South Asia | |
Korea | China, under the Tang Dynasty, had conquered most of the peninsula. Korea adopted Confucian and Buddhist traditions, political structures, and a robust agricultural economy. |
Vietnam | Vietnam had a similar experience with China as the Koreans did. Vietnam quickly replicated Chinese agriculture and political techniques. |
Japan | Japan came out of this period as one of the more influential nations in the region, having adopted Confucianism, Buddhism, a writing system, and the politics of imperial rule. |
Between 700 and 1450, North America saw the rise and fall of the Mississippian culture. Little is known about the Indigenous Peoples of the Mississippi River Valley in the eastern United States, but we do know that they had a rigid social structure:
Between 1450 and 1600, many of these societies moved or collapsed.
Two cultures emerged in the southwestern United States: the Chaco and the Mesa Verde, both known for their innovative adaptations to the region's unique environment. By the 1200s, these groups began to move and decline, most likely due to changes in the climate.
In South America, three large and influential empires emerged: the Maya, Aztecs, and the Inca. The map and table below compare these three civilizations:
Fig. 4 Map showing the territories of the Aztec (blue), Inca (green), and the Mayan (red) Empires
Aztec | Inca | Maya | |
Territory | Central region of present-day Mexico | The region of the Andes Mountains on the west coast of South America | Southern portions of present-day Mexico and Central America |
Period | 1200-1521 | 1200-1533 | 400-1517 |
Agriculture | Corn, beans, squash, tomatoes | Corn, cotton, potatoes | Corn, beans, squash |
Economic Trade | All three civilizations had some interconnected trade with the others. | ||
Religion | Polytheistic (belief in multiple Gods) with some form of ritual human sacrifice | ||
Politics |
|
| |
Reasons for Decline |
|
Did you know?
All three civilizations used some form of step pyramid in their architecture. The Aztecs and Mayans had an incredibly accurate calendar. The Aztecs had floating gardens called "chinampas" and the Inca had an irrigation system designed for mountains called "waru waru".
Africa also saw the growth of powerful kingdoms during the post-classical era.
The Rise of African Kingdoms | |
Ghana | Ghana was founded in the 400s but rose to prominence between the 700s and 1100s as Ghana’s rulers sold gold and ivory to Muslim traders for salt, cloth, weapons, and other Asian goods. |
Mali | Ghana would eventually be weakened by continued pressure and attacks from nearby societies. In its place rose the mighty kingdom of Mali. Under the leadership of Sundiata and Mansa Musa, the Empire experienced territorial expansion and lavish wealth. |
Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe on the east coast thrived through utilizing maritime trade. The interaction between the Arabic world and their own led to the creation of the Swahili language, a combination of Bantu and Arabic. |
Ethiopia | The Kingdom of Axum, in present-day Ethiopia, was a Christian-led African kingdom that prospered from trade between India, Arabia, the Mediterranean, and the interior nations of Africa. |
Fig. 5 1690 Coronelli Map of Ethiopia
Medieval Europe is defined by the struggle for political order after the collapse of the Roman Empire in 476 CE. This conflict is divided between two competing religious cultures - Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity- and the competing successor states to the Roman empire. With conflicting cultures, religions, and control, let’s compare the western and eastern regions of Medieval Europe.
Eastern Europe | Western Europe | |
Political Control | With Constantinople as its capital, the Byzantine Empire controlled the eastern Mediterranean world through Greece, Anatolia, and Egypt. Byzantium attempted to reconquer much of the old Roman Empire. Still, it fell short due to internal struggles and conflicts with the Islamic empires to the east and south. | The Franks (Carolingian Empire), under the leadership of Charlemagne (768-914 CE), attempted to solidify control over the western portions of the Roman Empire. At its peak, the empire controlled much of central Europe, including the Papal states of Rome. However, in 843, the Empire was divided and dissolved. |
Economics | Byzantium had a flourishing peasant class, which created an agricultural surplus for the Empire. | As a region under more subdivided control, trade throughout western Europe happened in small-scale exchange in local markets. |
Culture and Society | Byzantium was characterized by urbanization. Urbanization created an aristocratic class of merchants. | Western Europe was characterized by a more rural society than the East. The agricultural production created a small class of elites. The region was covered by towns that acted as trade hubs for those who lived in the countryside. |
Fig. 6 A map of post-classical Europe before the collapse of the Carolingian Empire
Across the world, by the mid-1400s, people had created organized societies, distinctive cultures, and unique traditions. Agriculture dominated the economy in most of the world's civilizations, with the most powerful having the ability to manufacture textiles, spices, and other commodities.
These same civilizations created intricate trade networks that supported commerce, travel, and exchange.
The Silk Roads: A network of paths and land routes connecting civilizations in Europe and Africa to Asia civilizations and markets that was traveled from 200 BCE to approximately 1400 CE.
As these interconnections developed, so did the demand for goods and resources, and thus, the need for civilizations to expand, leading to an era of Empire and Colonization.
Empires existed before the 1450s. However, between 1450 and 1750, the largest and most influential land empires reached their peak. Fueled by systems of trade and commerce to support large populations and control vast territories, these Empires shaped the political, cultural, and economic futures of the multiethnic states they held.
These empires included the Songhai of Africa, the Safavids in Persia, the Mughals in India, the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean, and the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China.
Fig. 7 Ottoman Empire
As well as land-based empires, the postclassical period also lay the foundations for maritime empires, which would eventually overtake the land empires in wealth and influence.
With the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492, the first Atlantic trade networks were established. The Age of Exploration began.
Age of Exploration: The period of European exploration and discovery that lasted from approximately 1418 to 1620 CE.
Reasons for European Exploration | |
Resources and Fertile Land | The search for new resources to exploit and lands to cultivate commenced with the Portuguese in the 1200s. Soon other European nations followed the Portuguese example, such as Spain and the Netherlands. |
Controlling the Trade Market | Even more alluring in the early years of exploration than new lands and resources was the possibility of establishing maritime trade routes to the markets of Asia. |
Spreading Christianity | The purpose of expanding the boundaries of Christianity also drove Europeans into the larger world. Whether through persuasion or violence, overseas voyages offered fresh opportunities for western Europeans to spread their religion. |
Over this period, large ocean-based empires evolved, with European nations indirectly controlling foreign regions through colonization.
Spain, Portugal, France, England, and the Netherlands would oversee the most extensive, wealthiest, and most powerful Empires the world has ever seen.
African trade also influenced European exploration:
As the Age of Exploration continued to benefit European nations and North and South America were rediscovered, the need for labor in gold and silver mines and sugar and rice plantations increased the demand for enslaved labor. Portuguese trading posts on the west African coast became the epicenter of the Atlantic slave trade.
Fig. 8 Joseph Cross The Impolicy of Slavery
In the three hundred years this theme covers, history saw the peak of Land-based empires, the creation, expansion, and domination of maritime empires, and the decline of both systems.
Fig. 9 The Decline of the Carthaginian Empire Art
Across the world, consumerism and peasant labor intensified the need for goods and food. Combined, these set the stage for colonial resistance and the subsequent revolutions, beginning in the 1750s.
Consumerism: A movement of political, economic, and social policies advocating greater protection and interests of consumers and the acquisition of consumer goods.
Beginning in the late 1600s through to the 1750s, empires and international trade expanded, leading to more interactions between societies. Philosophers began to question tradition, systems of government, and individualism over community values; this shift in thinking is known as the Enlightenment.
The Enlightenment: A philosophic movement in Europe of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition.
Enlightenment thinkers promoted four basic principles:
These ideas challenged the roles of church leaders and the centralized power of the monarchy, sowing the seeds of revolution around the world.
Changes also happened in technology. The Industrial Revolution caused the creation of commodities to skyrocket, setting the stage for drastic changes in the worldwide economy, international relations, and politics.
Fig. 10 Advances in Metallurgy
The Industrial Revolution: The period of change beginning in the late 18th century from agrarian and cottage industry economies to ones dominated by industry and machine manufacturing.
Industrialization had its roots in agricultural improvements, preindustrial societies and economics, and the growth of technology.
The Agricultural Revolution: The Industrial Revolution first has its roots in the agricultural improvements of the early 1700s. Crop rotation and the invention of the seed drill led to increased productivity and, thus, more revenue and more food for a growing population.
Preindustrial Societies: As agricultural products became more available, it put a strain on the preindustrial economy and society creating a need for the development of machinery to produce more textiles more efficiently.
Growth of Technology: By the mid-1700s, technology began to match agricultural output. The invention of the spinning jenny, water frame, interchangeable parts, the cotton gin, and the organization of factories created an environment for rapid industrial growth.
The Industrial Revolution began in earnest in Great Britain but soon spread worldwide.
The Industrial Revolution brought about significant economic, political, and social changes:
Nationalism became a unifying force. Ethnic, cultural, and societal similarities of small communities within large multicultural empires threatened the empires' stability as these communities mixed with the philosophies of self-government, republicanism, democracy, and natural rights. Revolution and unification soon spread worldwide.
Nationalism: The advocacy of or support for the political independence of a particular nation or people.
Some of the major revolutions and unifications of the period include: Fig. 11 Puck Magazine The New Nationalism
American Revolution (the 1760s to 1783)
French Revolution (1789 to 1799)
Haitian Revolution (1791 to 1804)
Serbian Revolution (1804 to 1835)
Latin American Wars of Independence (1808 to 1833)
Greek War of Independence (1821 to 1832)
Unification of Italy (1861)
Unification of Germany (1871)
The twentieth century was a time of significant social and political change, which resulted in tension and division within and between nations. People and states challenged the existing political and social orders. At the same time, new technologies and advancements both improved our understanding of the universe and enabled two world wars to wreak havoc across the globe.
Long-established states, such as the Ottoman Empire that had long influenced international politics and economics, dissolved. New political experiments began, such as communism in Russia, China, and other nations. The enduring power of nationalism and traditional rivalries, combined with economic instability, soon embroiled most of Europe, the United States, Japan, and China in the First World War.
Many saw World War I as the “war to end all wars,” yet World War II was far more significant in scope and destruction two decades after. Additional conflicts occurred throughout the twentieth century as colonized regions fought for independence.
These shifting global powers created escalating tensions that erupted into conflict.
Causes and Effects of World War I | |
Causes | Effects |
|
|
The immediate cause of World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Hungary by Gavrilo Princip of the Serbian nationalist group The Black Hand on June 28, 1914. This assassination caused Austria-Hungary to invade and declare war on Serbia, triggering the domino effect of defensive alliances across Europe.
Not long after the aftermath of World War I, the world found itself in an economic crisis resulting in the Great Depression of the 1930s and on a path that would lead to the outbreak of World War II.
Causes and Effects of World War II | |
Causes | Effects |
|
|
Germany was not the only instigator of World War II. Starting in 1931, Japan colonized portions of the Chinese mainland and Korea. By 1937, Japan controlled much of Manchuria and Korea. Tensions escalated into armed conflict with China in 1937, beginning World War II in Asia two years before Hitler invaded Poland.
After WWII ended, a global ideological conflict emerged between the two remaining world powers, the capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union - this is known as the Cold War.
The Cold War: The period of political and military hostility that existed between the Soviet Union and its allies and the US-led Western powers from 1945 to 1990.
Capitalism: The economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.
Communism: The political and economic theory and system in which all property, trade, and industry is publicly owned or controlled by the state, and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.
The cost of war and the aftermath of World War II motivated the United States and the Soviet Union to avoid direct military conflict. The Cold War between the superpowers played out in propaganda, covert operations, and a military arms race.
Fig. 13 Soviet Global power projection 1981
The deadliest result of the Cold War occurred outside the lands of the two superpowers. Instead, each nation armed opposing sides in the capitalist versus communist conflicts worldwide, transforming minor civil conflicts into more significant events.
The Space Race was a technological and political propaganda competition between the Soviet Union and the United States, to achieve superior accomplishments in space flight. It had its origins in the nuclear arms race between the two nations following World War II, and culminated in the United States successfully landing a crew of men on the moon in 1969 on the Apollo 11 mission.
Allied occupation of Germany: After World War II, the Allies divided Germany under western and Soviet control resulting in the Berlin Blockade, the economic disparity between the two sides of Germany, and the construction and fall of the Berlin Wall.
Shifting Alliances: The Cold War brought about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as a means for western nations to defend themselves against the Soviets. The Warsaw Pact was the Soviet response to NATO, creating the “communist bloc.”
Proxy Wars: As mentioned above, the U.S. and Russia did not directly engage in military action but did take part in military actions in other nations to combat the spread of capitalism or communism. These conflicts include:
The Korean War
The Vietnam War
The Cuban Crisis
The Contra War
The Angola War
The Anti-Nuclear Movement: the nuclear arms race sparked social and political action to stop the spread, production, and influence of nuclear weapons in the global arms race.
In the twentieth century, nationalist groups and leaders challenged colonial rule through land reform, political negotiation, and armed conflict. Empires became politically unacceptable, and European powers struggled to hold onto their colonies. Notions of freedom fostered by World War II rhetoric and Cold War propaganda helped speed up decolonization.
Decolonization: The process of a state or nation withdrawing political and economic control from a former colony, leaving it independent.
Significant Decolonization Movements:
India and Pakistan from Great Britain (1946)
Ghana from Great Britain (1957)
Algeria from France (1962)
Vietnam from France in 1954
Egypt from Britain (1952)
Nigeria from Britain (1960)
The creation of Israel in 1947
Fig. 14 Decolonization World in 1945
Developing and understanding how the modern world came to be is essential to understanding current cultural, political, and social trends. Modern World History focuses on the cultures and histories of the nations and civilizations from all over the world that have influenced modern society. The study of Modern World History helps us understand different cultures as well as our own. It gives context to present-day problems and a better understanding of the changes that happen around us by putting them into a historical and global perspective.
The postclassical era is one of the significant changes for societies in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Most classical empires collapsed due to internal struggles or external pressures.
Across the world, by the mid-1400s, people had created organized societies, distinctive cultures, and unique traditions.
Beginning in the late 1600s through to the 1750s, empires and international trade expanded, leading to more interactions between societies.
Along with philosophical changes came economic and technological changes. People continued becoming more interconnected through global trade.
People and states challenged the existing political and social orders.
At the same time, new technologies and advancements both improved our understanding of the universe and enabled two world wars to wreak havoc across the globe.
In the twentieth century, nationalist groups and leaders challenged colonial rule through land reform, political negotiation, and armed conflict.
Notions of freedom fostered by World War II rhetoric and Cold War propaganda helped speed up decolonization.
Developing and understanding how the modern world came to be is essential to understanding current cultural, political, and social trends.
Modern world history looks at how new states emerged onto the world stage after the collapse of many of the classical civilizations, promoting a greater sense of interconnectedness through trade and exchanging ideas.
Modern world history looks at how civilizations worldwide have changed, looking at the transformative events and people of those societies as they adapted - or collapsed - in response to the rapidly changing world.
The study of “Modern” World History begins around 1200 CE. Why the year 1200? Between 600 CE and 1200 CE, most of the Classical Civilizations of Greece, Rome, Persian, Qin, Han, and Byzantine civilizations collapsed or were in a drastic decline of influence and power. Much of the world was in economic and political recovery from the vacuum left by these powerful classical nations. During this time, new states emerged onto the world stage, promoting a greater sense of interconnectedness through trade and exchanging ideas.
Modern World History shows how influential themes impacted and changed civilizations worldwide and how events have created the modern political, economic, and social world today.
Modern World hHstory follows a similar chronology to the previous World History course but begins the study in the year 1200 C.E, not in Ancient History, before the year 1200 CE.
What year was the Magna Carta signed?
1215
Who signed the Magna Carta?
King John
Why was King John unpopular?
He lost British land to King Philip of II and taxed barons to pay for it
What were two of the primary reasons the barons were mad at King John?
He taxed them heavily and he unlawfully imprisoned people who didn't agree with him
What did the barons threaten if King John did not agree to their demands?
Civil war
Which of the following is NOT a right provided by the Magna Carta?
The right to own property
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