Duiker W.J., Spielvogel J.J. The Essential World History. Volume 2: Since 1500
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xvi PREFACE
among the world’s peoples since the eenth and sixteenth
centuries. Part V consists of a series of chapters that center
on individual regions of the world while at the same time
focusing on common problems related to the Cold War
and the rise of global problems such as overproduction
and environmental pollution.
We have sought balance in another way as well. Many
textbooks tend to simplify the content of history courses
by emphasizing an intellectual or political perspective or,
most recently, a social perspective, o en at the expense of
su cient details in a chronological framework. is ap-
proach is confusing to students whose high school social
studies programs have o en neglected a systematic study of
world history. We have attempted to write a well- balanced
work in which political, economic, social, religious, intel-
lectual, cultural, and military history have been integrated
into a chronologically ordered synthesis.
Features of the Text
To enliven the past and let readers see for themselves the
materials that historians use to create their pictures of the
past, we have included primary sources (boxed docu-
ments) in each chapter that are keyed to the discussion in
the text. e documents include examples of the religious,
artistic, intellectual, social, economic, and political aspects
of life in di erent societies and reveal in a vivid fashion
what civilization meant to the individual men and women
who shaped it by their actions. Questions at the end of
each source aid students in analyzing the documents.
Each chapter has a lengthy introduction and conclu-
sion to help maintain the continuity of the narrative and
to provide a synthesis of important themes. Anecdotes in
the chapter introductions more dramatically convey the
major theme or themes of each chapter. Timelines, with
thumbnail images illustrating major events and gures,
at the end of each chapter enable students to see the ma-
jor developments of an era at a glance and within cross-
cultural categories, while the more detailed chronologies
reinforce the events discussed in the text. An annotated
bibliography at the end of each chapter reviews the most
recent literature on each period and also gives references
to some of the older, “classic” works in each eld.
Updated maps and extensive illustrations serve to
deepen the reader’s understanding of the text. Map cap-
tions are designed to enrich students’ awareness of the
importance of geography to history, and numerous spot
maps enable students to see at a glance the region or
subject being discussed in the text. Map captions also in-
clude a question to guide students’ reading of the map,
as well as references to online interactive versions of the
maps. To facilitate understanding of cultural movements,
of individual civilizations and focuses instead on the “big
picture” or, as the world historian Fernand Braudel termed
it, interpreting world history as a river with no banks.
On the whole, this development is to be welcomed as
a means of bringing the common elements of the evolu-
tion of human society to our attention. But a problem is in-
volved in this approach. For the vast majority of their time
on earth, human beings have lived in partial or virtually
total isolation from each other. Di erences in climate, loca-
tion, and geographic features have created human socie-
ties very di erent from each other in culture and historical
experience. Only in relatively recent times—the commonly
accepted date has long been the beginning of the age of
European exploration at the end of the eenth century,
but some would now push it back to the era of the Mongol
Empire or even further—have cultural interchanges be-
gun to create a common “world system,” in which events
taking place in one part of the world are rapidly transmit-
ted throughout the globe, o en with momentous conse-
quences. In recent generations, of course, the process of
global interdependence has been proceeding even more
rapidly. Nevertheless, even now the process is by no means
complete, as ethnic and regional di erences continue to
exist and to shape the course of world history. e tenacity
of these di erences and sensitivities is re ected not only
in the rise of internecine con icts in such divergent areas
as Africa, India, and Eastern Europe, but also in the emer-
gence in recent years of such regional organizations as the
African Union, the Association for the Southeast Asian
Nations, and the European Union.
e second problem is a practical one. College stu-
dents today are all too o en not well informed about the
distinctive character of civilizations such as China and
India and, without sufcient exposure to the historical
evolution of such societies, will assume all too readily that
the peoples in these countries have had historical experi-
ences similar to ours and will respond to various stimuli in
a similar fashion to those living in Western Europe or the
United States. If it is a mistake to ignore those forces that
link us together, it is equally a mistake to underestimate
those factors that continue to divide us and to di erentiate
us into a world of diverse peoples.
Our response to this challenge has been to adopt a
global approach to world history while at the same time
attempting to do justice to the distinctive character and
development of individual civilizations and regions of the
world. e presentation of individual cultures is especially
important in Parts I and II, which cover a time when it is
generally agreed that the process of global integration was
not yet far advanced. Later chapters begin to adopt a more
comparative and thematic approach, in deference to the
greater number of connections that have been established
Preface xvii
e enthusiastic response to the primary sources (boxed
documents) led us to evaluate the content of each document
carefully and add new documents throughout the text, in-
cluding a new feature called Opposing Viewpoints, which
presents a comparison of two or three primary sources in
order to facilitate student analysis of historical documents.
is feature appears in twenty-one chapters and includes
such topics as “Roman Authorities and a Christian on
Christianity;” “ e Siege of Jerusalem: Christian and Muslim
Perspectives;” “Advice to Women: Two Views;” “Action or
Inaction: An Ideological Dispute in Medieval China;” “White
Man’s Burden, Black Man’s Sorrow;” and “Who Started the
Cold War? American and Soviet Perspectives.” Focus ques-
tions are included to help students evaluate the documents.
An additional new feature is Film & History,
which presents a brief analysis of the plot as well as the
historical signi cance, value, and accuracy of fourteen
lms, including such movies as Alexander, Marco Polo,
e Mission, Khartoum, e Last Emperor, Gandhi, and
Europa, Europa.
Discovery sections at the end of every chapter provide
assignable questions relating to primary source materials
in the text. ese sections engage students in “reading” and
analyzing speci c evidence—images, documents, maps,
and timelines—to help them practice the skills of histori-
cal analysis and to connect the various threads of world
history. A new section entitled “Studying from Primary
Source Materials” appears in the front of the book to intro-
duce students to the language and tools of analyzing his-
torical evidence—documents, photos, artwork, and maps.
A number of new illustrations and maps have been
added, and the bibliographies have been reorganized by
topic and revised to take account of newly published ma-
terial. e chronologies and maps have been ne-tuned as
well to help the reader locate in time and space the mul-
titude of individuals and place names that appear in the
book. To keep up with the ever-growing body of histori-
cal scholarship, new or revised material has been added
throughout the book on many topics.
Chapter-Speci c Content Revisions
Chapter 1 New material on the Neolithic Age, early
civilizations around the world, and Sumerian social classes;
a new Opposing Viewpoints feature on Akhenaten’s Hymn
to Aten and Psalm 104 of the Hebrew Bible.
Chapter 2 Added material on the arrival of Indo-
European peoples; a new document on the role of women
in ancient India.
Chapter 3 New material on the arrival of Homo sa-
piens in East Asia, the “mother culture” hypothesis, and
the origins of the Zhou dynasty; new information on jade,
tea culture, bronze work, and the role of women in ancient
illustrations of artistic works discussed in the text are
placed near the discussions. Chapter outlines and focus
questions, including critical thinking questions, at the
beginning of each chapter give students a useful overview
and guide them to the main subjects of each chapter. e
focus questions are then repeated at the beginning of each
major section in the chapter. A glossary of important
terms (boldfaced in the text when they are introduced and
de ned) and a pronunciation guide are provided at the
back of the book to maximize reader comprehension.
Comparative essays, keyed to the seven major themes
of world history (see p. 787), enable us to more concretely
draw comparisons and contrasts across geographic, cul-
tural, and chronological lines. Some new essays as well
as illustrations for every essay have been added to the
sixth edition. Comparative illustrations, also keyed to
the seven major themes of world history, continue to be
a feature in each chapter. We have also added focus ques-
tions to both the comparative essays and the comparative
illustrations to help students develop their analytical skills.
We hope that both the comparative essays and the com-
parative illustrations will assist instructors who wish to
encourage their students to adopt a comparative approach
to their understanding of the human experience.
New to is Edition
A er reexamining the entire book and analyzing the com-
ments and reviews of many colleagues who have found the
book to be a useful instrument for introducing their students
to world history, we have also made a number of other changes
for the sixth edition. In the rst place, we have reorganized
some of the material. Chapter 7 now is devoted exclusively
to the rise of Islam. Chapter 12, “ e Making of Europe,”
now focuses entirely on medieval Europe to 1400. A new
Chapter 13, “ e Byzantine Empire and Crisis and Recovery
in the West,” covers the Byzantine Empire with new mate-
rial as well as the crises in the fourteenth century and
the Renaissance in Europe. Chapter 19 was reorganized
and now deals with “ e Beginnings of Modernization:
Industrialization and Nationalism in the Nineteenth
Century.” Chapter 20 now covers “ e Americas and Society
and Culture in the West” in the nineteenth century. Also
new to the sixth edition is an Epilogue, “Toward a Global
Civilization,” which focuses on the global economy, global
culture, globalization and the environmental crisis, the so-
cial challenges of globalization, and new global movements.
We have also continued to strengthen the global
framework of the book, but not at the expense of reducing
the attention assigned to individual regions of the world.
New material, including new comparative sections, has
been added to most chapters to help students be aware of
similar developments globally.
xviii PREFACE
feature, “Two Views of Trade and Merchants;” a new Film
& History feature, e Lion in Winter; a new comparative
essay, “Cities in the Medieval World.”
Chapter 13 (New) is is a new chapter with the fol-
lowing major sections: “From Eastern Roman to Byzantine
Empire;” “ e Zenith of Byzantine Civilization (750–1025);”
“Decline and Fall of the Byzantine Empire (1025–1453);”
“ e Crises of the Fourteenth Century;” and “Recovery:
e Renaissance.” New material on the Byzantine Empire
and educated women in the Renaissance; a new section,
“ e Black Death: From Asia to Europe,” with a subsection
on “ e Role of the Mongols;” new document boxes, “ e
Achievements of Basil II” and “ e Fall of Constantinople;”
a new comparative essay, “ e Role of Disease in History.”
Chapter 14 A new Film & History feature, Mutiny
on the Bounty; a new comparative illustration, “Spanish
Conquest of the New World;” a new Opposing Viewpoints
feaature, “ e March of Civilization.”
Chapter 15 New material on Zwingli and the
Zwinglian Reformation; a new Opposing Viewpoints fea-
ture, “A Reformation Debate: Con ict at Marburg.”
Chapter 16 A new Opposing Viewpoints feature,
e Capture of Port Hoogly.”
Chapter 17 Expanded material on Vietnam and
additional information on technological developments in
China.
Chapter 18 New material on Napoleon; a new
Film & History feature, e Mission.
Chapter 19 (Major Reorganization) Reorganiza-
tion of the chapter to focus on “ e Beginnings of
Modernization: Industrialization and Nationalism in the
Nineteenth Century,” with the following major sections:
“ e Industrial Revolution and Its Impact;” “ e Growth
of Industrial Prosperity;” “Reaction and Revolution: e
Growth of Nationalism;” “National Uni cation and the
National State, 1848–1871;” and “ e European State,
1871–1914.” New material on the principle of legiti-
macy; a new Opposing Viewpoints feature, “Response to
Revolution: Two Perspectives.”
Chapter 20 (Major Reorganization) Reorganized
to focus on “ e Americas and Society and Culture in the
West,” with the following major sections: “Latin America in
the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries;” “ e North
American Neighbors: e United States and Canada;”
“ e Emergence of Mass Society in the West;” “Cultural
Life: Romanticism and Realism in the Western World;”
and “Toward the Modern Consciousness: Intellectual and
Cultural Developments.” New material on Latin America,
including new sections, “ e Wars for Independence”
and “ e Di culties of Nation Building;” new material
on the United States, especially a new section, “Slavery and
the Coming of War,” and new material on the Civil War
and Reconstruction; new material on Canada and realism
China; a revised chapter conclusion; a revised comparative
illustration on the a erlife; a new Opposing Viewpoints fea-
ture on good and evil.
Chapter 4 New material on the Greek polis; a new
Film & History feature, Alexander; a new comparative es-
say, “ e Axial Age.”
Chapter 5 A revised chapter conclusion; a new
Opposing Viewpoints feature on Roman authorities and
Christianity.
Chapter 6 A new introduction and new materials
on the arrival of
Homo sapiens in t
he Americas; additional
material on Zapotec culture, the Olmecs, the “mother
culture” hypothesis, and the Maya, including the writ-
ing system, city-state rivalries, and the causes of collapse;
expanded coverage of Caral and early cultures in South
America; the material on the arrival of the Spanish has
been relocated to Chapter 14; two new maps—Map 6.1,
Early Mesoamerica, and Map 6.2, e Maya Heartland—
have been added, and other maps have been revised.
Chapter 7 A major expansion of the material on
Islamic culture, with the relocation of Byzantine material
to the new Chapter 13; new information on military tac-
tics, the political and economic institutions of the Arab
Empire, and the role of the environment; a major expan-
sion of the material on Andalusian culture; new material
on science and technology in the Islamic world; a new Film
& History feature, e Message, on the life of Muhammad;
a new Opposing Viewpoints feature on Christian and
Muslim views of the Crusades; a new map—Map 7.1, e
Middle East in the Time of Muhammad.
Chapter 8 Additional material on the role of trade
in ancient Africa; new boxes on the gold trade and no-
madic culture.
Chapter 9 An expanded section on science and
technology; a new section on the spread of Polynesian
culture in the Paci c.
Chapter 10 A major new section on the Mongol
Empire, with a document and an illustration of Genghis
Khan; a new Opposing Viewpoints feature on Taoist and
Confucian attitudes; a new Film & History feature, Marco Polo.
Chapter 11 A new chapter introduction; new mate-
rials on the origins of Korean and Vietnamese civilizations
and the universalist nature of Chinese civilization; a new
Film & History feature, Rashomon.
Chapter 12 (Major Reorganization) Complete reor-
ganization of the chapter so that it focuses entirely on medi-
eval Europe to 1400, with the sections on “ e Crises of the
Late Middle Ages” and “Recovery: e Renaissance” moved
to the new Chapter 13; a new section, “ e Signi cance of
Charlemagne;” a new section, “E ects of the Crusades;” new
material on Viking expansion; two new document boxes,
“Achievements of Charlemagne” and “University Students
and Violence at Oxford;” a new Opposing Viewpoints
Preface xix
Instructor Resources
PowerLecture
CD-R
OM
w
ith
Ex
amV
ie
w
®
is dual plat-
form, all-in-one multimedia resource i
ncludes
the
I
nst
r
uc-
t
or’
s
Resource M
an
ual;
T
est
Bank (includes
key term
identi cation, multiple-choice, essay, and true/false ques-
tions); and
Microso
®
P
o
w
e
rP
oint
®
slides
of both
lec
tur
e
out-
lines
and
images and maps from the text
that
can
be
used
as
o er
ed,
o
r
cus
t
o
miz
ed
b
y
impor
ting personal lectur
e
slides
or
other mat
er
ial.
Also included is ExamView, an easy-to-
use assessment and tutorial system that allows instructors to
create, deliver, and customize tests in minutes. I
nst
r
uct
ors
can
build
t
ests
w
ith
as
man
y
as
250
ques
tions
using
up
t
o
12
question
t
y
pes, and u
sing
ExamV
iew’s
c
o
mplet
e
w
o
r
d-
pr
o
c
essing
capabilities,
the
y
can
ent
e
r
an unlimit
ed
n
umber
of
new
questions
or
edit
e
xisting
ones.
HistoryFinder
This searchable online database allows
instructors to quickly and easily download thousands of assets,
including art, photographs, maps, primary sources, and audio/
video clips. Each asset downloads directly into a Microso
®
PowerPoint
®
slide, allowing instructors to easily create excit-
ing PowerPoint presentations for their classrooms.
eInstructor’s Resource Manual is manual has many fea-
tures, including chapter outlines and summaries, lecture
suggestions, discussion questions for primary sources, sug-
gested debate and research topics, and suggested web links
and video collections. Available on the instructor’s compan-
ion website.
Student Resources
Book Companion Site A website for students that features
a wide assortment of resources to help students master the
subject matter. The website includes learning objectives,
a glossary, ashcards, crossword puzzles, tutorial quizzes,
critical thinking exercises, and web links.
CL eBook is interactive multimedia ebook links out to
rich media assets such as web eld trips. rough this ebook,
students can also access self-test quizzes, chapter outlines,
focus questions, critical thinking questions (for which the
answers can be emailed to their instructors), primary source
documents with critical thinking questions, and interactive
(zoomable) maps. Available on iChapters.
iChapters Save your students time and money. Tell them
about www.iChapters.com for choice in formats and sav-
ings and a better chance to succeed in your class. iChapters.
com, Cengage Learning’s online store, is a single destination
for more than 10,000 new textbooks, eTextbooks, eChap-
ters, study tools, and audio supplements. Students have
in South America; a new Opposing Viewpoints feature,
“Advice to Women: Two Views;” a new document box,
“Simón Bolívar on Government in Latin America.”
Chapter 21 New material on direct rule in Africa; a
new Film & History feature, Khartoum.
Chapter 22 A new Film & History feature, e Last
Emperor; a new Opposing Viewpoints feature, “Two Views
of the World.”
Chapter 23 Clari ed points on the Russian Revolution;
a new document box, “Women in the Factories.”
Chapter 24 Revised section on Palestine a er
World War I; expanded coverage of Japanese literature,
Mexican politics, and Latin American culture; a new Film
& History feature, Gandhi; a new Opposing Viewpoints
feature, “Islam in the Modern World;” a new document
box, “ e Arranged Marriage.”
Chapter 25 A revised section on “A ermath of the
War;” a new Opposing Viewpoints feature, “ e Munich
Conference;” a new Film & History feature, Europa,
Europa.
Chapter 26 New material on the Vietnam War and
Cold War rivalry in the ird World; two new Opposing
Viewpoints features on the Cold War; a new Film &
History feature, e Missiles of October; a new compara-
tive illustration, “War in the Rice Paddies.”
Chapter 27 Expanded and updated material on
China; a new comparative illustration on sideline industries;
a new document box on the Cultural Revolution in China.
Chapter 28 New material on France, Germany,
and Great Britain since 1995; eastern Europe a er com-
munism; immigrants to Europe; and Canada, the United
States, and Latin America since 1995; new material on art
in the Age of Commerce.
Chapter 29 Expanded and updated material on
Africa, including the Cold War and the role of interna-
tional organizations; updated and expanded section on
the Palestine issue; updated coverage on Africa and the
Middle East; two new Opposing Viewpoints features, “An
African Lament” and “Africa: Dark Continent or Radiant
Land?;” a new Film & History feature, Persepolis.
Chapter 30 Expanded section on Pakistan; updated
all sections; a new Film & History feature, e Year of
Living Dangerously.
Epilogue: A Global Civilization (New) New to
this edition; contains a new document box, “A Warning
to Humanity.”
Because courses in world history at American and
Canadian colleges and universities follow di erent chron-
ological divisions, a one- volume comprehensive edition,
a two- volume edition of this text, and a volume covering
events to 1500 are being made available to t the needs of
instructors. Teaching and learning ancillaries include:
xx PREFACE
tool available to you—especially the technology that helps
you conduct the process e ciently and e ectively.
e Modern Researcher, 6e Prepared by Jacques Barzun and
Henry F. Gra of Columbia University. is classic introduc-
tion to the techniques of research and the art of expression
is used widely in history courses, but is also appropriate for
writing and research methods courses in other departments.
Barzun and Gra thoroughly cover every aspect of research,
from the selection of a topic through the gathering, analysis,
writing, revision, and publication of ndings, presenting the
process not as a set of rules but through actual cases that put
the subtleties of research in a useful context. Part One cov-
ers the principles and methods of research; Part Two covers
writing, speaking, and getting one’s work published.
Reader Program Cengage Learning publishes a number of
readers, some containing exclusively primary sources, others
a combination of primary and secondary sources, and some
designed to guide students through the process of histori-
cal inquiry. Visit Cengage.com/history for a complete list of
readers.
Rand McNally Historical Atlas of the World, 2e is valu-
able resource features over 70 maps that portray the rich
panoply of the world’s history from preliterate times to the
present. They show how cultures and civilizations were
linked and how they interacted. e maps make it clear that
history is not static. Rather, it is about change and move-
ment across time. e maps show change by presenting the
dynamics of expansion, cooperation, and con ict. is atlas
includes maps that display the world from the beginning of
civilization; the political development of all major areas of
the world; expanded coverage of Africa, Latin America, and
the Middle East; the current Islamic world; and the world
population change from 1900 and 2000.
Custom Options
Nobody knows your students like you, so why not give them
a text that is tailored to their needs. Cengage Learning of-
fers custom solutions for your course—whether it is mak-
ing a small modi cation to e Essential World History
to match your syllabus or combining multiple sources to
create something truly unique. You can pick and choose
chapters, include your own material, and add additional
map exercises along with the Rand McNally Atlas to create
a text that ts the way you teach. Ensure that your students
get the most out of their textbook dollar by giving them ex-
actly what they need. Contact your Cengage Learning rep-
resentative to explore custom solutions for your course.
the freedom to purchase a-la-carte exactly what they need
when they need it. Students can save 50 percent on the
electronic textbook, and can pay as little as $1.99 for an
individual eChapter.
Wadsworth World History Resource Center Wadsworth’s
World History Resource Center gives your students access to
a “virtual reader” with hundreds of primary sources includ-
ing speeches, letters, legal documents and transcripts, poems,
maps, simulations, timelines, and additional images that
bring history to life, along with interactive assignable exer-
cises. A map feature including Google Earth™ coordinates
and exercises will aid in student comprehension of geogra-
phy and use of maps. Students can compare the traditional
textbook map with an aerial view of the location today. It’s
an ideal resource for study, review, and research. In addition
to this map feature, the resource center also provides blank
maps for student review and testing.
Writing for College History, 1e Prepared by Robert M.
Frakes, Clarion University. This brief handbook for sur-
vey courses in American history, Western Civilization/
European history, and world civilization guides students
through the various types of writing assignments they
encounter in a history class. Providing examples of student
writing and candid assessments of student work, this text
focuses on the rules and conventions of writing for the
college history course.
e History Handbook, 1e Prepared by Carol Berkin of
Baruch College, City University of New York and Betty
Anderson of Boston University. is book teaches students
both basic and history-speci c study skills such as how
to read primary sources, research historical topics, and
correctly cite sources. Substantially less expensive than
comparable skill-building texts, The History Handbook
also o ers tips for Internet research and evaluating online
sources.
Doing History: Research and Writing in the Digital Age, 1e
Prepared by Michael J. Galgano, J. Chris Arndt, and
Raymond M. Hyser of James Madison University. Whether
you’re starting down the path as a history major, or sim-
ply looking for a straightforward and systematic guide to
writing a successful paper, you’ll find this text to be an
indispensable handbook to historical research. is text’s
“soup to nuts” approach to researching and writing about
history addresses every step of the process, from locating
your sources and gathering information, to writing clearly
and making proper use of various citation styles to avoid
plagiarism. You’ll also learn how to make the most of every
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
BOTH AUTHORS GRATEFULLY acknowledge that
without the generosity of many others, this project could
not have been completed.
William Duiker would like to thank Kumkum
Chatterjee and On- cho Ng for their helpful comments
about issues related to the history of India and premod-
ern China. His longtime colleague Cyril Gri th, now de-
ceased, was a cherished friend and a constant source of
information about modern Africa. Art Goldschmidt has
been of invaluable assistance in reading several chapters of
the manuscript, as well as in unraveling many of the mys-
teries of Middle Eastern civilization. Finally, he remains
profoundly grateful to his wife, Yvonne V. Duiker, Ph.D.
She has not only given her usual measure of love and sup-
port when this appeared to be an insuperable task, but she
has also contributed her own time and expertise to enrich
the sections on art and literature, thereby adding life and
sparkle to this, as well as the earlier editions of the book.
To her, and to his daughters Laura and Claire, he will be
forever thankful for bringing joy to his life.
Jackson Spielvogel would like to thank Art
Goldschmidt, David Redles, and Christine Colin for their
time and ideas. Daniel Haxall of Kutztown University and
Kathryn Spielvogel of SUNY–Bu alo provided valuable
assistance with materials on postwar art, popular culture,
and Postmodern art and thought. Above all, he thanks
his family for their support. e gi s of love, laughter,
and patience from his daughters, Jennifer and Kathryn,
his sons, Eric and Christian, and his daughters- in-law, Liz
and Laurie, and his sons- in- law, Daniel and Eddie, were
invaluable. He also wishes to acknowledge his grandchil-
dren, Devyn, Bryn, Drew, Elena, Sean, and Emma, who
bring great joy to his life. Diane, his wife and best friend,
provided him with editorial assistance, wise counsel, and
the loving support that made a project of this magnitude
possible.
anks to Wadsworth’s comprehensive review pro-
cess, many historians were asked to evaluate our manu-
script. We are grateful to the following for the innumerable
suggestions that have greatly improved our work.
Henry Abramson
Florida Atlantic University
Eric H. Ash
Wayne State University
William Bakken
Rochester Community College
Suzanne Balch- Lindsay
Eastern New Mexico University
Michael E. Birdwell
Tennessee Technological University
Connie Brand
Meridien Community College
Eileen Brown
Norwalk Community College
omas Cardoza
University of California, San Diego
Alistair Chapman
Westmont College
Nupur Chaudhuri
Texas Southern University
Richard Crane
Greensboro College
Wade Dudley
East Carolina University
E. J. Fabyan
Vincennes University
Kenneth Faunce
Washington State University
Jamie Garcia
Hawaii Paci c University
Steven Gosch
University of Wisconsin—
Eau Claire
Donald Harreld
Brigham Young University
Janine C. Hartman
University of Connecticut
Greg Havrilcsak
University of Michigan— Flint
omas Hegerty
University of Tampa
Sanders Huguenin
University of Science and Arts
of Oklahoma
Ahmed Ibrahim
Southwest Missouri State University
C. Barden Keeler
Gulf Coast High School
Marilynn Fox Kokoszka
Orchard Ridge Campus, Oakland
Community College
James Krippner- Martinez
Haverford College
Oscar Lansen
University of North Carolina—
Charlotte
David Leinweber
Oxford College, Emory University
Susie Ling
Pasadena City College
Moira Maguire
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Andrew McGreevy
Ohio University
Daniel Miller
Calvin College
Michael Murdock
Brigham Young University
Elsa A. Nystrom
Kennesaw State University
S. Mike Pavelec
Hawaii Paci c University
xxi
xxii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Randall L. Pouwels
University of Central Arkansas
Margaret Power
Illinois Institute of Technology
Pamela Sayre
Henry Ford Community College
Philip Curtis Skaggs
Grand Valley State University
Laura Smoller
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Beatrice Spade
University of Southern Colorado
Jeremy Stahl
Middle Tennessee State University
Kate Transchel
California State University, Chico
Justin Vance
Hawaii Paci c University
Lorna VanMeter
Ball State University
Michelle White
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Edna Yahil
Washington State University—Swiss Center
e authors are truly grateful to the people who have
helped us to produce this book. We especially want to thank
Clark Baxter, whose faith in our ability to do this project
was inspiring. Margaret McAndrew Beasley thoughtfully,
wisely, e ciently, and pleasantly guided the overall devel-
opment of this edition. We also thank Nancy Blaine for her
valuable editorial insights. We want to express our gratitude
to John Orr, whose good humor, well-advised suggestions,
and generous verbal support made the production process
easier. Pat Lewis was, as usual, a truly outstanding copyedi-
tor. Abigail Baxter provided valuable assistance in obtain-
ing illustrations and permissions for the illustrations.
WORLD HISTORY TO 1500
process was getting under way in India. e rst civiliza-
tion in India arose in the Indus River valley during the
fourth millennium b.c.e. is Harappan civilization made
signi cant political and social achievements for some two
thousand years until the coming of the Aryans nally
brought its end around 1500 b.c.e. e Aryans established
political control throughout all of India and created a new
Indian civilization. Two of the world’s great religions,
Hinduism and Buddhism, began in India. With its belief
in reincarnation, Hinduism provided justi cation for the
rigid class system of India. Buddhism was the product of
one man, Siddhartha Gautama, whose simple message in
the sixth century b.c.e. of achieving wisdom created a new
spiritual philosophy that came to rival Hinduism.
With the rise of the Mauryan dy-
nasty in the fourth century b.c.e., the
distinctive features of a great civiliza-
tion began to be clearly visible. It was
extensive in its scope, embracing the
entire Indian subcontinent and even-
tually, in the form of Buddhism and
Hinduism, spreading to China and
Southeast Asia. But the underlying ethnic, linguistic, and
cultural diversity of the Indian people posed a constant
challenge to the unity of the state. A er the collapse of the
Mauryas, the subcontinent would not come under a single
authority again for several hundred years.
In the meantime, another great experiment was
taking place far to the northeast, across the Himalaya
Mountains. Like many other civilizations of antiquity,
the rst Chinese state was concentrated on a major river
system. Beginning around 1600 b.c.e., the Shang dynasty
created the rst ourishing Chinese civilization. Under
the Shang, China developed organized government, a
system of writing, and advanced skills in the making of
bronze vessels. During the Zhou dynasty, China began
to adopt many of the features that characterized Chinese
civilization for centuries. Especially important politically
was the “mandate from Heaven,” which, it was believed,
gave kings a divine right to rule. e family, with its ideal
of lial piety, also emerged as a powerful economic and
social unit.
Once embarked on its own path toward the creation
of a complex society, China achieved results that were in
all respects the equal of its counterparts elsewhere. A new
dynasty—the Han—then established a vast empire that
THE PEOPLES OF MESOPOTAMIA AND EGYPT,
like the peoples of India and China, built the rst civili-
zations. Blessed with an abundant environment in their
fertile river valleys, beginning around 3000 b.c.e. they
built technologically advanced societies, developed cit-
ies, and struggled with the problems of organized states.
ey developed writing to keep records
and created literature. ey constructed
monumental architecture to please their
gods, symbolize their power, and pre-
serve their culture for all time. ey de-
veloped new political, military, social,
and religious structures to deal with the
basic problems of human existence and
organization. ese rst literate civiliza-
tions le detailed records that allow us to
view how they grappled with three of the
fundamental problems that humans have
pondered: the nature of human relationships, the nature of
the universe, and the role of divine forces in that cosmos.
Although other peoples would provide di erent answers
from those of the Mesopotamians and Egyptians, they
posed the questions, gave answers, and wrote them down.
Human memory begins with the creation of civilizations.
By the middle of the second millennium b.c.e., much
of the creative impulse of the Mesopotamian and Egyptian
civilizations was beginning to wane. Around 1200 b.c.e.,
the decline of the Hittites and Egyptians had created a
power vacuum that allowed a number of small states to
emerge and ourish temporarily. All of them were eventu-
ally overshadowed by the rise of the great empires of the
Assyrians and Persians. e Assyrian Empire had been the
rst to unite almost all of the ancient Middle East. Even
larger, however, was the empire of the Great Kings of Persia.
e many years of peace that the Persian Empire brought
to the Middle East facilitated trade and the general well-
being of its peoples. It is no wonder that many peoples
expressed their gratitude for being subjects of the Great
Kings of Persia. Among these peoples were the Israelites,
who created no empire but nevertheless le an important
spiritual legacy. e evolution of monotheism created in
Judaism one of the world’s greatest religions; Judaism in
turn in uenced the development of both Christianity and
Islam.
While the peoples of North Africa and the Middle
East were actively building the rst civilizations, a similar
xxiii
xxiv WORLD HISTORY TO 1500
lasted over four hundred years.
Duringthe glory years of the
Han dynasty (202 b.c.e.–221
c.e.), China extended the
boundaries of its empire far into
the sands of central Asia and
southward along the coast of
the South China Sea into what is modern-day Vietnam.
Chinese culture appeared to be unrivaled, and its scien-
ti c and technological achievements were unsurpassed.
Unlike the great centralized empires of the Persians
and the Chinese, ancient Greece consisted of a larger
number of small, independent city-states, most of which
had populations of only a few thousand. Despite the small
size of their city-states, these ancient Greeks created a
civilization that was the fountainhead of Western culture.
In Classical Greece (c. 500–338 b.c.e.), Socrates, Plato,
and Aristotle established the foundations of Western phi-
losophy. Western literary forms are largely derived from
Greek poetry and drama. Greek notions of harmony, pro-
portion, and beauty have remained the touchstones for all
subsequent Western art. A rational method of inquiry, so
important to modern science, was conceived in ancient
Greece. Many political terms are
Greek in origin, and so too are
concepts of the rights and du-
ties of citizenship, especially as
they were conceived in Athens,
the rst great democracy. e
Greeks raised and debated the
fundamental questions about
the purpose of human existence, the structure of human
society, and the nature of the universe that have concerned
thinkers ever since.
For all of their brilliant accomplishments, however,
the Greeks were unable to rise above the divisions and
rivalries that caused them to ght each other and under-
mine their own civilization. Of course, their cultural con-
tributions have outlived their political struggles. And the
Hellenistic era, which emerged a er the Greek city-states
had lost their independence in 338 b.c.e. and Alexander
the Great had defeated the Persian Empire and carved
out a new kingdom in the Middle East, made possible the
spread of Greek ideas to larger areas. New philosophical
concepts captured the minds of many. Signi cant achieve-
ments were made in art, literature, and science. Greek
culture spread throughout the Middle East and made an
impact wherever it was carried. Although the Hellenistic
world achieved a degree of political stability, by the late
third century b.c.e. signs of decline were beginning to
multiply, and the growing power of Rome would eventu-
ally endanger the Hellenistic world.
In the eighth and seventh centuries b.c.e., the Latin-
speaking community of Rome emerged as an actual city.
Between 509 and 264 b.c.e., the expansion of this city
brought about the union of almost
all of Italy under Rome’s control.
Even more dramatically, between
264 and 133 b.c.e., Rome expanded
to the west and east and became
master of the Mediterranean Sea and
its surrounding territories, creating
one of the largest empires in antiq-
uity. Rome’s republican institutions
proved inadequate for the task of rul-
ing an empire, however, and a er a
series of bloody civil wars, Octavian
created a new order that would rule
the empire in an orderly fashion.
His successors established a Roman
imperial state.
e Roman Empire experienced a lengthy period of
peace and prosperity between 14 and 180 c.e. During this
era, trade ourished and the provinces were governed ef-
ciently. In the course of the third century, however, the
Roman Empire came near to collapse due to invasions,
civil wars, and economic decline. Although the emperors
Diocletian and Constantine brought new life to the so-
called Late Empire, their e orts shored up the empire only
temporarily. In its last two hundred years, as Christianity,
with its new ideals of spiritual equality and respect for hu-
man life, grew, a slow transformation of the Roman world
took place. e Germanic invasions greatly accelerated
this process. Beginning in 395, the empire divided into
western and eastern parts, and in 476, the Roman Empire
in the west came to an end.
Although the western Roman Empire lived on only
as an idea, Roman achievements were bequeathed to the
future. e Romance languages of today (French, Italian,
Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian) are based on Latin.
Western practices of impartial justice and trial by jury owe
much to Roman law. As great builders, the Romans le
monuments to their skills throughout Europe, some of
which, such as aqueducts and roads, are still in use today.
e fall of ancient empires did not mark the end of
civilization. A er 500 c.e., new societies eventually rose
on the ashes of the ancient empires, while new civiliza-
tions were on the verge of creation across the oceans in the
continents of North and South America. e Maya and
Aztecs were especially successful in developing advanced
and prosperous civilizations in Central America. Both cul-
tures built elaborate cities with pyramids, temples, and pal-
aces. Both were polytheistic and practiced human sacri ce
as a major part of their religions.
Mayan civilization collapsed in
the ninth century, whereas the
Aztecs fell to Spanish invaders
in the sixteenth century. In the
eenth century, another re-
markable civilization—that of
World History to xxv
of them strongly in uenced by the spread of Islam. Ghana,
Mali, and Songhai were three prosperous trading states
that ourished in West Africa between the twel h and f-
teenth centuries. Zimbabwe, which emerged around 1300,
played an important role in the southern half of Africa.
Africa was also an active participant in emerging regional
and global trade with the Mediterranean world and across
the Indian Ocean. Although the state-building process
in sub-Saharan Africa was still in its early stages com-
pared with the ancient civilizations of India, China, and
Mesopotamia, in many respects the new African states
were as impressive and sophisticated as their counterparts
elsewhere in the world.
In the eenth century, a
new factor came to a ect Africa.
Fleets from Portugal began to
probe southward along the coast
of West Africa. At rst, their
sponsors were in search of gold
and slaves, but when Portuguese
ships rounded the southern coast
of Africa by 1500, they began to
seek to dominate the trade of the
Indian Ocean as well. e new situation posed a challenge
to the peoples of Africa, whose states would be severely
tested by the demands of the Europeans.
e peoples of Africa were not the only ones to con-
front a new threat from Europe at the beginning of the
sixteenth century. When the Portuguese sailed across the
Indian Ocean, they sought to reach India, where a new em-
pire capable of rivaling the great kingdom of the Mauryas
was in the throes of creation. Between 500 and 1500, Indian
civilization had faced a number of severe challenges. One
was an ongoing threat from beyond the mountains in the
northwest. is challenge, which began in the eleventh
century, led to the takeover of all of northern India in the
eleventh century by Turkish warriors, who were Muslims.
A second challenge came from the
tradition of internal rivalry that
had marked Indian civilization for
hundreds of years and that contin-
ued almost without interruption
down to the sixteenth century.
e third challenge was the reli-
gious divisions between Hindus
and Buddhists, and later between
Hindus and Muslims, that existed
throughout much of this period.
During the same period that Indian civilization faced
these challenges at home, it was having a profound im-
pact on the emerging states of Southeast Asia. Situated at
the crossroads between two oceans and two great civili-
zations, Southeast Asia has long served as a bridge link-
ing peoples and cultures. When complex societies began
to appear in the region, they were strongly in uenced by
the Inka— ourished in South America. e Inkan Empire
was carefully planned and regulated, which is especially
evident in the extensive network of roads that connected
all parts of the empire. However, the Inka, possessing none
of the new weapons of the Spaniards, eventually fell to the
foreign conquerors.
All of these societies in the Americas developed in ap-
parently total isolation from their counterparts elsewhere
in the world. is lack of contact with other human beings
deprived them of access to developments taking place in
Africa, Asia, and Europe. ey did not know of the wheel,
for example, and their written languages were not as
sophisticated as those in other parts of the world. In other
respects, however, their cultural achievements were the
equal of those realized elsewhere. One development that
the peoples of the Americas lacked was the knowledge of
rearms. In a few short years, tiny bands of Spanish ex-
plorers were able to conquer the magni cent civilizations
of the Americas and turn them into ruins.
A er the collapse of Roman power in the west, the
eastern Roman Empire, centered in Constantinople,
continued in the eastern Mediterranean and eventually
emerged as the unique Christian civilization known as the
Byzantine Empire, which ourished for hundreds of years.
One of the greatest challenges to the Byzantine Empire,
however, came from a new force—Islam, a new religion
that arose in the Arabian peninsula at the beginning of the
seventh century c.e. and spread rapidly throughout the
Middle East. It was the work of a man named Muhammad.
A er Muhammad’s death, his successors organized the
Arabs and set in motion a great expansion. Arab armies
moved westward across North Africa and into Spain, as
well as eastward into the Persian Empire, conquering
Syria and Mesopotamia. Internal struggles, however, soon
weakened the empire, although the Abbasid dynasty es-
tablished an Arab empire in 750 that ourished for almost
ve hundred years.
Like other empires in the re-
gion, however, the Arab Empire
did not last. Nevertheless, Islam
brought a code of law and a writ-
ten language to societies that had
previously not had them. By cre-
ating a ourishing trade network
stretching from West Africa to
East Asia, Islam also brought untold wealth to thousands
and a better life to millions. By the end of the thirteenth
century, the Arab Empire was no more than a memory.
But it le a powerful legacy in Islam, which remains one
of the great religions of the world. In succeeding centuries,
Islam began to penetrate into Africa and across the Indian
Ocean into the islands of Southeast Asia.
e mastery of agriculture gave rise to three early
civilizations in northern Africa: Egypt, Kush, and Axum.
Later, new states emerged in di erent parts of Africa, some