Overview

World history examines the global development of societies, cultures, economies, and political systems from ancient times to the present. It emphasizes both regional diversity and global interconnectivity, exploring how civilizations rose, interacted, conflicted, and evolved across continents.

Key Themes and Concepts

• Early Civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, China, and Mesoamerica — their agricultural systems, religious practices, and writing.
• Classical Empires: Han China, Gupta India, Persia, Rome, and Mayan civilization — imperial governance, trade routes, and cultural legacies.
• Religions and Philosophies: Spread and influence of Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Confucianism, and other belief systems.
• Global Trade Networks: Silk Road, Indian Ocean trade, Trans-Saharan trade, and the Columbian Exchange — economic integration and cultural diffusion.
• Exploration and Colonization: European expansion, indigenous resistance, the Atlantic slave trade, and the reshaping of global power dynamics.
• Revolutions and Reform: Scientific, industrial, political (American, French, Haitian), and anti-colonial movements shaping the modern world.
• Wars and Conflict: World Wars I and II, Cold War, regional conflicts, and peace-building efforts.
• Modern Globalization: Post-Cold War developments, rise of global institutions, digital revolutions, migration, and climate concerns.

Quick Tip

World history connects regional developments to global trends. Understanding trade, religion, conflict, and migration across time helps explain patterns of change, resistance, and continuity in the human experience.