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Understanding World Societies, Volume 1 A Brief History

by: McKay, John P.; Buckley Ebrey, Patricia; Beck, Roger B.; Crowston, Clare Haru; Wiesner-Hanks, Merry E.

Understanding World Societies, Volume 1 A Brief History

by: McKay, John P.; Buckley Ebrey, Patricia; Beck, Roger B.; Crowston, Clare Haru; Wiesner-Hanks, Merry E.

ISBN 13:
9781457618734
ISBN 10:
1457618737
Format: Paperback
Copyright: 08/03/2012
Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's
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Understanding World Societies, Volume 1 A Brief History > ISBN13: 9781457618734

Summary

Based on the highly successful A History of World Societies, Understanding World Societies: A Brief History combines innovative pedagogy with a manageable regional and comparative approach to capture students' interest in the everyday life of the past. Abridged by 25%, the narrative is paired with distinctive pedagogy, designed to help students focus on significant developments as they read and review. An innovative end-of-chapter study guide helps students master key facts and move towards synthesis.

Author Biography

John P. McKay (Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley) is professor emeritus at the University of Illinois. He has written or edited numerous works, including the Herbert Baxter Adams Prize-winning book Pioneers for Profit: Foreign Entrepreneurship and Russian Industrialization, 1885-1913. Patricia B. Ebrey (Ph.D., Columbia University), Professor of History at the University of Washington in Seattle, specializes in China. She has published numerous journal articles and The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, as well as numerous monographs. In 2010 she won the Shimada Prize for outstanding work of East Asian Art History for Accumulating Culture: The Collections of Emperor Huizong. Roger B. Beck (Ph.D., Indiana University) is Distinguished Professor of African and twentieth-century world history at Eastern Illinois University. His publications include The History of South Africa, a translation of P. J. van der Merwe's The Migrant Farmer in the History of the Cape Colony, 1657-1842, and more than a hundred articles, book chapters, and reviews. He is a former treasurer and Executive Council member of the World History Association. Clare Haru Crowston (Ph.D., Cornell University) teaches at the University of Illinois, where she is currently associate professor of history. She is the author of Fabricating Women: The Seamstresses of Old Regime France, 1675-1791, which won the Berkshire and Hagley Prizes. She edited two special issues of the Journal of Women's History, has published numerous journal articles and reviews, and is a past president of the Society for French Historical Studies. Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison) taught first at Augustana College in Illinois, and since 1985 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she is currently UWM Distinguished Professor in the department of history. She is the coeditor of the Sixteenth Century Journal and the author or editor of more than twenty books, most recently The Marvelous Hairy Girls: The Gonzales Sisters and Their Worlds and Gender in History. She is the former Chief Reader for Advanced Placement World History.

Maps, Figures and Tables

Special Features

Preface

Version and Supplements

Chapter 1
The Earliest Human Societies, to 2500 b.c.e.

How did humans evolve, and where did they migrate?

Understanding the Early Human Past

Hominid Evolution

Homo Sapiens, "Thinking Humans"

Migration and Differentiation

What were the key features of Paleolithic society?

Foraging for Food

Family and Kinship Relationships

Cultural Creations and Spirituality

How did plant and animal domestication transform human society?
The Development of Horticulture

Animal Domestication and the Rise of Pastoralism

Plow Agriculture

How did Neolithic societies change over time?
Social Hierarchies and Slavery

Gender Hierarchies and Inheritance

Trade and Cross-Cultural Connections

Connections

Chapter Study Guide

Listening to the Past: Paleolithic Venus Figures

Individuals in Society: The Iceman

Chapter 2
The Rise of the State in Southwest Asia and the Nile Valley, 3200-500 b.c.e.

How is the invention of writing connected to the rise of cities and states?
Written Sources and the Human Past

Cites and the Idea of Civilization

The Rise of States, Laws, and Social Hierarchies

What kinds of states and societies emerged in ancient Mesopotamia?
Environmental Challenges, Irrigation, and Religion

Sumerian Politics and Society

The Invention of Writing and Other Intellectual Advances

The Triumph of Babylon and the Spread of Mesopotamian Civilization

Hammurabi's Code and Its Social Consequences

What were the characteristics of Egyptian civilization?
The Nile and the God-King

Social Divisions and Work in Ancient Egypt

Migrations and Political Revivals

New Political and Economic Powers

What was unique about Hebrew civilization?
The Hebrew State

The Jewish Religion

The Family and Jewish Life

How did the Assyrians and Persians build and maintain their empires?
Assyria, the Military Monarchy

The Rise and Expansion of the Persian Empire

The Religion of Zoroaster

Connections

Chapter Study Guide

Listening to the Past: Gilgamesh's Quest for Immortality

Individuals in Society: Hatshepsut and Nefertiti

Global Trade: Iron

Chapter 3
The Foundation of Indian Society, to 300 c.e.

What were the key characteristics of India's first civilization?
What kind of society and culture did the Indo-European Aryans create?
Aryan Dominance in North India

Life in Early India

Brahmanism

What new religious beliefs emerged to challenge Brahmanism?
Jainism

Siddhartha Gautama and Buddhism

Hinduism

How was the Mauryan Empire created and what were its achievements?
Encounters with the West

Chandragupta and the Founding of the Mauryan Empire

The Reign of Ashoka, ca. 269-232 b.c.e.

How did political disunity shape Indian life after 185 b.c.e.?
Connections

Chapter Study Guide

Listening to the Past: Conversations Between Rama and Sita from the Ramayana

Individuals in Society: Gosala

Chapter 4
China's Classical Age, to 221 b.c.e.

How did geography shape the development of Chinese societies?
The Impact of Geography

Early Agricultural Societies of the Neolithic Age

What were the most important developments in Shang China?
Shang Society

Bronze Metalworking

The Development of Writing

What was China like during the Zhou Dynasty?
Zhou Politics

Life During the Zhou Dynasty

How did new technologies contribute to the rise of independent states?
New Technologies for War

The Victorious States

What ideas did Confucius teach, and how were they spread after his death?
Confucius

The Spread of Confucian Ideas

How did Daoism, Legalism, and other philosophies differ from Confucianism?
Daoism

Individuals in Society: Lord Mengchang

Listening to the Past: The Book of Mencius

Chapter 5
The Greek Experience, 3500-100 b.c.e.
How did geography shape the early history of the Greeks?
The Minoans and Mycenaeans

The Development of the Polis

How did Greek society and government develop during the Archaic age?

Greece's Overseas Expansion

The Growth of Sparta

The Evolution of Athens

What were the lasting achievements of the classical period?
The Deadly Conflicts, 499-404 b.c.e.

Athenian Arts in the Age of Pericles

Daily Life and Social Conditions in Athens

Greek Religion in the Classical Period

The Flowering of Philosophy

What were the social and political consequences of Alexander's conquests?
From Polis to Monarchy, 404-200 b.c.e.

Building a Shared Society

The Growth of Trade and Commerce

How did the mixing of cultures shape Hellenistic thought?
Religion in the Hellenistic World

Philosophy and Its Guidance for Life

Hellenistic Science and Medicine

Connections

Chapter Study Guide

Listening to the Past: Aristotle, On the Family and On Slavery, from The Politics
Individuals in Society: Archimedes, Scientist and Inventor

Chapter 6
The World of Rome, 750 b.c.e.-400 c.e.
What kind of society and government did the Romans develop in Italy?
The Etruscans and Rome

The Roman Conquest of Italy

The Distribution of Power in the Roman Republic

Social Conflict in Rome

What were the causes and consequences of Roman expansion beyond Italy?
Overseas Conquests and the Punic Wars, 264-133 b.c.e.

New Influences and Old Values in Roman Culture

The Late Republic and the Rise of Augustus, 133-27 b.c.e.

The Successes of Augustus

How did Roman rule lead to a period of prosperity and relative peace?

Political and Military Changes in the Empire

Life in Rome

Prosperity in the Roman Provinces

Eastward Expansion and Contacts Between Rome and China

What was Christianity, and how did it affect life in the Roman Empire?
Factors Behind the Rise of Christianity

The Life and Teachings of Jesus

The Spread of Christianity

The Growing Acceptance and Evolution of Christianity

How did rulers respond to the chaos of the third and fourth centuries?
Diocletian's Reforms

Economic Hardship and Its Consequences

Constantine, Christianity, and the Rise of Constantinople

Connections

Chapter Study Guide

Individuals in Society: Queen Cleopatra

Listening to the Past: Cicero and the Plot to Kill Caesar
Global Trade: Pottery

Chapter 7
East Asia and the Spread of Buddhism, 221 b.c.e.-800 c.e.
How did political unification under the Qin and Han shape China?
The Qin Unification, 221-206 b.c.e.

The Han Dynasty, 206 b.c.e.-220 c.e.

Han Intellectual and Cultural Life

Inner Asia and the Silk Road

Life in Han China

China and Rome

The Fall of the Han and the Age of Division

How and why did Buddhism spread throughout East Asia?
Buddhism's Path Through Central Asia

The Appeal and Impact of Buddhism in China

What were the lasting accomplishments of the Sui and Tang Dynasties?
The Sui Dynasty, 581-618

The Tang Dynasty, 618-907

Tang Culture

How were elements of Chinese culture adapted throughout East Asia?
Vietnam

Individuals in Society: The Ban Family
Listening to the Past: Sixth-Century Biographies of Buddhist Nuns

Chapter 8
Continuity and Change in Europe and Western Asia, 200-850
How did the Byzantine Empire preserve the Greco-Roman legacy?
Sources of Byzantine Strength

The Sassanid Empire and Conflicts with Byzantium

The Law Code of Justinian

Byzantine Intellectual Life

Life in Constantinople

How and why did Christian institutions change in late antiquity?
The Evolution of Church Leadership and Orthodoxy

The Western Church and the Eastern Church

The Iconoclastic Controversy

Christian Monasticism

How did Christianity spread and develop in late antiquity?
Christian Beliefs and the Greco-Roman Tradition

Saint Augustine

Missionary Activity

Conversion and Assimilation

How did the barbarians affect change in Europe and western Asia?
Social and Economic Structures

Chiefs, Warriors, and Laws

Migrations and Political Change

Individuals in Society: Theodora of Constantinople

Listening to the Past: Gregory of Tours, The Conversion of Clovis

Chapter 9
The Islamic World, 600-1400
Who was Muhammad and what did he teach?
Arabian Social and Economic Structure

Muhammad's Rise as a Religious Leader

The Tenets of Islam

What explains the speed and scope of Islamic expansion?
Islam's Spread Beyond Arabia

Reasons for the Spread of Islam

The Caliphate and the Split Between ShiÕa and Sunni Alliances

The Abbasid Caliphate

Administration of the Islamic Territories

How and why did Islamic states change between 900 and 1400?
Breakaway Territories and Shi'a Gains

The Ascendancy of the Turks

The Mongol Invasions

What social distinctions were important in Muslim society?
The Social Hierarchy

Slavery

Women in Classical Islamic Society

Why did trade thrive in Muslim lands?
What new cultural developments emerged in this period?
The Cultural Centers of Baghdad and C—rdoba

Education and Intellectual Life

The Mystical Tradition of Sufism

What characterized Muslim-Christian interactions?
Connections

Chapter Study Guide

Listening to the Past: Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali, The Etiquette of Marriage

Individuals in Society: Ibn Battuta

Chapter 10
African Societies and Kingdoms, 1000 b.c.e.-1500 c.e.
How did geography shape the history of Africa's diverse peoples?
Africa's Geographical and Human Diversity

Egypt, Race, and Being African

How did the advent of settled agriculture affect early societies?
Settled Agriculture and Its Impact

Bantu Migrations

Life in the Kingdoms of the Western Sudan, ca. 1000 b.c.e.-800 c.e.

What role did the trans-Saharan trade play in West African history?
The Berbers of North Africa

Effects of Trade on West African Society

The Spread of Islam in Africa

What kingdoms and empires emerged in Africa between 800 and 1500?
The Kingdom of Ghana, ca. 900-1100

The Kingdom of Mali, ca. 1200-1450

Ethiopia: The Christian Kingdom of Aksum

The East African City-States

Southern Africa and Great Zimbabwe

Connections

Chapter Study Guide

Individuals in Society: Amda Siyon

Listening to the Past: A Tenth-Century Muslim Traveler Describes Parts of the East African Coast

Chapter 11
The Americas, 2500 b.c.e.-1500 c.e.
How did early peoples of the Americas adapt to its diverse environments?
Settling the Americas

The Development of Agriculture

What characterized early societies in the Americas?
Mounds, Towns, and Trade in North and South America

Olmec Agriculture, Technology, and Religion

What kinds of societies emerged in the classical era?
Maya Agriculture and Trade

Maya Science and Religion

Growth and Assimilation of the Teotihuacan and Toltec Cultures

Hohokam, Hopewell, and Mississippian Societies

Who were the Aztecs and how did they build an empire?
Religion and War in Aztec Society

Social Distinctions Among the Aztecs

The City of Tenochtitlan

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Inca empire?
Earlier Peruvian Cultures

Inca Imperialism and Its Religious Basis

The Clan-Based Structure of Inca Society

Connections

Chapter Study Guide

Individuals in Society: Tlacaelel

Listening to the Past: Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, The First New Chronicle and Good Government

Chapter 12
Cultural Exchange in Central and Southern Asia, to 1400
How did Central Asian nomads conquer nearby settled civilizations?
Nomadic Society

The Turks

The Mongols

Mongol Daily Life

How did the Mongols build and govern a Eurasian empire?
Chinggis Kahn

Chinggis's Successors

The Mongols as Rulers

How did the Mongol conquests facilitate cultural exchange?
The Movement of Peoples

The Spread of Disease, Goods, and Ideas

What was the result of India's encounters with Turks and Mongols?
The Gupta Empire, ca. 320-480

India's Medieval Age and the First Encounter with Islam

The Delhi Sultanate

Life in Medieval India

How did states develop along the trade routes of Southeast Asia and beyond?
State Formation and Indian Influences

The Srivijaya Maritime Trade Empire

The Spread of Indian Culture in Comparative Perspective

The Settlement of the Pacific Islands

Connections

Chapter Study Guide

Listening to the Past: The Abduction of Women in The Secret History of the Mongols

Individuals in Society: Bhaskara the Teacher

Global Trade: Spices

Chapter 13
States and Cultures in East Asia, 800-1400

What were the causes and consequences of the medieval Chinese economic revolution and what was its impact?

How did government and society change in the Song and Yuan Dynasties?
The Song Dynasty

The Scholar-Officials and Neo-Confucianism

Women's Lives in Song Times

China Under Mongol Rule

How did Korean society and culture develop under the Koryŏ Dynasty?
What characterized Japan's Heian Period?
Fujiwara Rule

Aristocratic Culture

What were the causes and consequences of military rule in Japan?
Military Rule

Individuals in Society: Shen Gua

Listening to the Past: The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon

Chapter 14
Europe in the Middle Ages, 800-1450
How did medieval rulers try to create larger and more stable territories?
Invasions and Migrations

Feudalism and Manorialism

The Restoration of Order

Law and Justice

How did the Christian church enhance its power and create new practices?
Papal Reforms

Monastic Life

Popular Religion

The Expansion of Christianity

What were the motives, course, and consequences of the Crusades?
Background and Motives

The Course of the Crusades

Consequences of the Crusades

What characterized European society in the Middle Ages?
The Life and Work of Peasants

The Life and Work of Nobles

Towns, Cities, and the Growth of Commercial Interests

The Expansion of Trade and the Commercial Revolution

What were the key educational and cultural developments?
Universities and Scholasticism

Cathedrals and a New Architectural Style

Troubadour Poetry

Why have the later Middle Ages been seen as a time of calamity and crisis?
The Great Famine and the Black Death

The Hundred Years' War

Challenges to the Church

Peasant and Urban Revolts

Connections

Chapter Study Guide

Individuals in Society: Hildegard of Bingen
Listening to the Past: An Arab View of the Crusades

Chapter 15
Europe in the Renaissance and Reformation, 1350-1600
What were the major cultural developments of the Renaissance?
Wealth and Power in Renaissance Italy

The Rise of Humanism

Christian Humanism

Printing and Its Social Impact

Art and the Artist

What were the key social hierarchies in Renaissance Europe?
Race and Slavery

Wealth and the Nobility

Gender Roles

How did the nation-states of western Europe evolve in this period?
France

England

Spain

The Habsburgs

What were the central beliefs of Protestant reformers?
Criticism of the Church

Martin Luther

Protestant Thought and Its Appeal

The Radical Reformation and the German Peasants' War

Marriage and Women's Roles

The Reformation and German Politics

England's Shift Toward Protestantism

Calvinism and Its Moral Standards

How did the Catholic Church respond to the advent of Protestantism?
Papal Reforms and the Council of Trent

New Religious Orders

Why did religious violence escalate in this period?
French Religious Wars

Civil Wars in the Netherlands

The Great European Witch-Hunt

Connections

Chapter Study Guide

Individuals in Society: Leonardo da Vinci

Listening to the Past: Martin Luther, On Christian Liberty

Chapter 16
The Acceleration of Global Contact, 1450-1600
How did trade link the peoples of Africa, Asia, and Europe prior to 1492?
The Trade World of the Indian Ocean

Peoples and Cultures of the Indian Ocean

Trade with Africa and the Middle East

Genoese and Venetian Middlemen

How and why did Europeans undertake voyages of expansion?
Causes of European Expansion

Technology and the Rise of Exploration

The Expanding Portuguese Empire

Christopher Columbus's Voyages to the Americas

Later Explorers

Spanish Conquest in the New World

What was the impact of conquest?
Colonial Administration

The Impact of European Settlement on the Lives of Indigenous Peoples

The Columbian Exchange

Sugar and Early Transatlantic Slavery

The Birth of the Global Economy

How did expansion shape cultural values and beliefs in Europe and the Americas?
New Ideas About Race

Michel de Montaigne and Cultural Curiosity

William Shakespeare and His Influence

Religious Conversion in the New World

Connections

Chapter Study Guide

Individuals in Society: Zheng He
Listening to the Past: Columbus Describes His First Voyage

Global Trade: Silver

Chapter Endnotes

Index

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Understanding World Societies, Volume 1 A Brief History

Understanding World Societies, Volume 1 A Brief History

9781457618734

1457618737

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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