Themes in World History

 The first Roman rule lasted under something known as the Roman Republic, a society similar to the Greek democracy, but nonetheless weighted towards the wealthy (whose votes counted for more than the poor).  This society ultimately failed, giving way to the Roman Empire around 30 B.C.E., in which a dictator maintained control over both the government as well as the military.

During this period, the Roman Empire expanded to cover a massive quantity of land throughout the Mediterranean world

Initially considered a cult by the Romans, the Christian church grew steadily throughout the next few centuries until, by roughly 300 AD, it became the official religion of the Roman Empire. 

At that same time, the Roman Empire not only covered land stretching from modern Great Britain to modern Iraq, but also had a significant influence in every aspect of a citizen’s life, from politics to economics and even religion. 

By 500 CE, the Roman Empire had split into a number of smaller political organizations and eventually broke up completely.  This lead to a period in Europe known as the Middle Ages.  Lasting from roughly 500 CE through 1400 or so, the Middle Ages were defined by a series of small kingdoms.  During this time, Europe experienced a tremendous downturn in terms of technological, political, philosophical and social advancements.

Luckily, in other areas of the world, culture was thriving.  In both the Middle East and Asia, cultural advancements consistently developed.

Over in Asia, technology was exploding.  Inventions such as gunpowder would forever change warfare

Islam arose in roughly 600 CE under the guidance of Muhammad. 

Lead by the Pope, the Christians from Europe waged a series of Crusades against the Islamic civilizations in an effort to regain “the Holy Land”: Israel.

1000 AD,

n roughly 1300 and 1550, Europe began to catch up to the Middle East and Asia in terms of cultural achievement.  This era, known as the Renaissance, saw a rise in advanced literature and art as well as technology.  Much of this was due to the invention of the printing press, an invention that made mass production of written materials cheap and easy.  The impact of this invention on the world cannot be overstated; some have called this the single most important event in human history.  As documents, books, and newsletters became easy to distribute, more people began to learn to read and write, thus increasing exponentially the amount of interaction going on between average people.  These interactions lead to an explosion of ideas that would define the actions of the next five generations. 

The advancements in travel technology allowed for exploration to lands that had heretofore been inaccessible, and connections were made between groups of people that had spent the previous 3,000 years developing entirely separate and distinct history. 

first sustained interactions between Europe, Africa, and the Americas

While many detestable traders were participating in the horrible slave trade, others were involved in moving goods back and forth from the Africa to the Americas and Europe. 

The Triangle of Trade, as it was called, involved the movement of goods between these three continents for the purpose of manufacturing and developing products to be sold

The Scientific Revolution, emerging from the work of Muslim astronomers, was a movement in Europe that placed a significant weight on mathematics and scientific observations to guide man’s understanding of the world

While the American Revolution was successful in installing a democracy that would last until today, the French fell back into a dictatorship, albeit one not featuring a monarch.  Napoleon Bonaparte came to rule France in the early 1800s through impressive use and command of a vast military

Industrial Revolution marked a massive change in the manner in which business was done throughout the world, as the means of production changed from the farm to the factory

1700s

Another country would make its name during the First World War, although it had been around for almost 150 years prior.  This would be the first war entered by the relatively young country known as the United States.  Although they remained out of the war for the first three years, their entrance turned the tide of the war towards the side populated by England and France, defeating Germany and the Ottoman Empire

This worldwide depression was particularly devastating in Germany, where the combination of damage done to the infrastructure as well as the loss of some of its most valuable land destroyed most of the potential for growth within the country. 

This overriding dictatorship would become the blueprint for governments both in Japan and Germany in the 1930s. 

After suffering through Depression, they too escaped through a massive military buildup.  And like Germany, they used that military to fight and occupy much of East Asia and even most of China. 

European nations sided with the United States, forming military alliances like NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). 

As the dust settled after World War II, many of the old colonial powers (like England and France) quickly realized that they could no longer afford to hold on to and rule the colonies in Africa, Asia, and Central/South America.