This groundbreaking world history text offers a fresh approach that takes the global nature of its subject seriously by exploring networks of interaction from the earliest times to the present. By examining the world as a whole and focusing on the links and interactions that have always existed among societies, it presents an alternative to Eurocentric history. For this reason, world history instructors have long been anticipating its arrival. The wait has finally ended.

Table of Contents:
PART I: THE EARLY COMPLEX SOCIETIES, 3800 TO 500 B.C.E. Chapter 1 Before History The Evolution of Homo Sapiens The Hominids Homo Sapiens Paleolithic Society Economy and Society of Hunting and Gathering Peoples Paleolithic Cultures The Neolithic Era and the Transition to Agriculture The Origins of Agriculture Early Agricultural Society Neolithic Culture The Origins of Urban Life Chapter 2 Early Societies in southwest Asia and North Africa The Quest for Order Mesopotamia: "The Land between the Rivers" Egypt: "The Gift of the Nile" The Course of Empire The Development of Complex Societies Economic Specialization and Trade The Emergence of Stratified Societies The Construction of Patriarchal Societies Writing and the Formation of Sophisticated Cultural Traditions The Origins of Writing Education, Literacy, and Learning The Origins of Organized Religion The Broader Influence of Mesopotamian and Egyptian Societies Mesopotamian Influence on the Hebrews and the Phoenicians Egyptian Influence in Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter 3 Early Society in South Asia and the Indo-European Migrations Harappan Society Foundations of Harappan Society Harappan Society and Culture The Indo-European Migrations and Early Aryan India Indo-European Peoples and Their Migrations The Aryans and India Vedic Society Origins of the Caste System The Development of Patriarchal Society Religion in the Vedic Age Aryan Religion The Blending of Aryan and Dravidian Values Chapter 4 Early Society in East Asia Political Organization in Early China Early Agricultural Society and the Zia Dynasty The Shang Dynasty The Zhou Dynasty Society and Family in Ancient China The Social Order Family and Patriarchy Early Chinese Writing and Cultural Development Oracle Bones and Early Chinese Writing Thought and Literature in Ancient China The Broader Influence of Ancient Chinese Society Chinese Cultivators and Nomadic Peoples of Central Asia The Southern Expansion of Chinese Society Chapter 5 Early Societies in the Americas and Oceania Early Societies of Mesoamerica The Olmecs Heirs of the Olmecs: The Maya Mava Society and Religion Heirs of the Olmecs: Teotihuacan Early Societies of South America Early Andean Society and the Chavin Cult Early Andean States: Mochica Early Societies of Oceania Early Societies in Australia and New Guinea The Peopling of the Pacific Islands PART II: THE FORMATION OF CLASSICAL SOCIETIES, 500 B.C.E. TO 500 C.E. Chapter 6 The Empires of Persia The Rise and Fall of the Persian Empire The Achaemenid Empire Decline and Fall of the Achaemenid Empire The Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanid Empires Imperial Society and Economy Social Development in Classicall Persia Economic Foundations of Classical Persia Religions of Salvation in Classical Persian Society Zarathustra and His Faith Religions of Salvation in a Cosmopolitan Society Chapter 7 The Unification of China In Search of Political and Social Order Confucius and His School Daoism Legalism The Unification of China The Oin Dynasty The Early Han Dynasty From Economic Prosperity to Social Disorder Productivity and Prosperity during the Former Han Economic and Social Difficulties The Later Han Dynasty Chapter 8 State, Society, and the Quest for Salvation in India The Fortunes of Empire in Classical India The Mauryan Dynasty and the Temporary Unification of India The Revival of Empire under the Guptas Economic Development and Social Distinctions Towns and Trade Family Life and the Caste System Religions of Salvation in Classical India Jainism and the Challenge to the Established Cultural Order Early Buddhism Mahayana Buddhism The Emergence of Popular Hinduism Chapter 9 Mediterranean Society: The Greek Phase Early Development of Greek Society Minoan and Mycenaean Societies The World of the Polis Greece and the Larger World Greek Colonization Conflict with Persia and Its Results The Macedonians and the Coming of Empire The Hellenistic Empires The Fruits of Trade: Greek Economy and Society Trade and the Integration of the Mediterranean Basin Family and Society The Cultural Life of Classical Greece Rational Thought and Philosophy Popular Religion and Greek Drama Hellenistic Philosophy and Religion Chapter 10 Mediterranean Society: The Roman Phase From Kingdom to Republic The Etruscans and Rome The Roman Republic and Its Constitution The Expansion of the Republic From Republic to Empire Imperial Expansion and Domestic Problems The Foundation of Empire Continuing Expansion and Integration of the Empire Economy and Society in the Roman Mediterranean Trade and Urbanization Family and Society in Roman Times The Cosmopolitan Mediterranean Greek Philosophy and Religions of Salvation Judaism and Early Christianity Chapter 11 Cross-Cultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads Long-Distance Trade and the Silk Roads Network Trade Networks of the Hellenistic Era The Silk Roads Cultural and Biological Exchanges Along the Silk Roads The Spread of Buddhism and Hinduism The Spread of Christianity The Spread of Manichaeism The Spread of Epidemic Disease The Fall of the Han Dynasty Internal Decay of the Han State Cultural Change in Post-Han China The Fall of the Roman Empire Internal Decay in the Roman Empire Germanic Invasions and the Fall of the Western Roman Empire Cultural Change in the Late Roman Empire PART III: THE POST CLASSICAL ERA, 500 TO 1 C.E. Chapter 12 A Survivor Society: Byzantium The Early Byzantine Empire The Later Roman Empire and Byzantium Justinian and His Legacy Islamic Conquests and Byzantine Revival Byzantium and Western Europe Byzantine Economy and Society The Agricultural Economy Industry and Trade Urban Life Classical Heritage and Orthodox Christianity The Legacy of Classical Greece The Byzantine Church Monasticism and Popular Piety Tensions between Eastern and Western Christianity The Influence of Byzantium in Eastern Europe Domestic Problems and Foreign Pressures Early Relations between Byzantium and Slavic Peoples Byzantium and Russia Chapter 13 A New Society: The Realm of Islam A Prophet and His World Muhammad and His Message Muhammad's Migration to Medina The Establishment of Islam in Arabia The Expansion of Islam The Early Caliphs and the Umayyad Dynasty The Abbasid Dynasty Economy and Society of the Early Islamic World New Crops, Agricultural Experimentation, and Urban Growth The Formation of a Hemispheric Trading Zone The Changing Status of Women Islamic Values and Cultural Exchanges The Formation of an Islamic Cultural Tradition Islam and the Cultural Traditions of Persia, India, and Greece Chapter 14 The Resurgence of Empire in East Asia The Restoration of Centralized Imperial Rule in China The Sui Dynasty The Tang Dynasty The Song Dynasty The Economic Development of Tang and Song China Agricultural Development Technological and Industrial Development The Emergence of a Market Economy Cultural Change in Tang and Song China The Establishment of Buddhism Neo-Confucianism Confucians and Buddhism China in East Asia Korea and Vietnam Early Japan Medieval Japan Chapter 15 India and the Indian Ocean Basin Islamic and Hindu Kingdoms The Quest for Centralized Imperial Rule The Introduction of Islam to Northern India The Hindu Kingdoms of Southern India Production and Trade in the Indian Ocean Basin Agriculture in the Monsoon World Trade and the Economic Development of Southern India Cross-cultural Trade in the Indian Ocean Basin Caste and Society The Meeting of Hindu and Islamic Traditions The Development of Hinduism Islam and Its Appeal The Influence of Indian Society in Southeast Asia The Indianized States of Southeast Asia The Arrival of Islam Chapter 16 The Foundations of Christian Society in Western Europe The Quest for Political Order Germanic Successor States The Franks and the Temporary Revival of Empire Decline and Dissolution of the Carolingian Empire The Establishment of Regional Authorities Feudal Society The Feudal System Serfs and Manors in Feudal Europe The Economy of Feudal Europe The Formation of Christian Europe The Politics of Conversion The Papacy Monasticism PART IV AN AGE OF CROSS-CULTURAL INTERACTION, 1 TO 1500 C.E. Chapter 17 Nomadic Empires and Eurasian Integration Turkish Migrations and Imperial Expansion Nomadic Economy and Society Turkish Empires in Persia, Anatolia, and India The Mongol Empires Chinggis Kham and the Making of the Mongol Empire The Mongol Empires after Chinggis Khan The Mongols and Eurasian Integration Decline of the Mongols in Persia and China After the Mongols Tamerlane the Whirlwind The Foundation of the Ottoman Empire Chapter 18 States and Society of Sub-Saharan Africa The Bantu Migrations The Dynamics of Bantu Expansion Bantu Political Organization Islamic Kingdoms and Empires Trans-Saharan Trade and Islamic States in West Africa The Indian Ocean Trade and Islamic States in East Africa Bantu Society and Cultural Development Social Classes African Religion The Arrival of Christianity and Islam Chapter 19 Western Europe during the High Middle Ages The Establishment of Regional States The Holy Roman Empire Feudal Monarchies in France and England Regional States in Italy and Iberia Economic Growth and Social Development Growth of the Agricultural Economy The Revival of Towns and Trade Social Change European Christianity during the High Middle Ages Schools, Universities, and Scholastic Theology Popular Religion Reform Movements and Popular Heresies The Medieval Expansion of Europe Atlantic and Baltic Colonization Crusading Orders and Baltic Expansion The Reconquest of Sicily and Spain The Crusades Chapter 20 Worlds Apart: The Americas and Oceania States and Empires in Mesoamerica and North America The Toltecs and the Mexica Mexica Society Mexica Religion Peoples and Societies of the North States and Empires in South America The Coming of the Incas Inca Society and Religion The Societies of Oceania The Nomadic Foragers of Australia The Development of Pacific Island Societies Chapter 21 Reaching Out: Cross-Cultural Interactions Long-Distance Trade and Travel Patterns of Long-Distance Trade Political and Diplomatic Travel Missionary Campaigns Agricultural and Technological Diffusion Crisis and Recovery Bubonic Plague Recovery in China: The Ming Dynasty Recovery in Western Europe: State Building Recovery in Western Europe: The Renaissance Exploration and Colonization The Chinese Reconnaissance of the Indian Ocean Basin European Exploration in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans PART V: THE ORIGINS OF GLOBAL INTERDEPENDENCE, 1500-1800 Chapter 22 Transoceanic Encounters and Global Connections The European Reconnaissance of the World's Oceans Motives for Exploration The Technology of Exploration Voyages of Exploration: From the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Voyages of Exploration: From the Atlantic to the Pacific Trade and Conflict in Early Modern Asia Trading-Post Empires European Conquests in Southeast Asia Commercial Rivalries and the Seven Years' War Global Exchanges The Columbian Exchange The Origins of Global Trade Chapter 23 The Transformation of Europe The Fragmentation of Western Christendom The Protestant Reformation The Catholic Reformation Witch-Hunts and Religious Wars The Consolidation of Sovereign States The Attempted Revival of Empire The New Monarchs Constitutional States and Absolute Monarchies The European States System Early Capitalist Society Population Growth and Urbanization Early Capitalism and Protoindustrialization Social Change in Early Modern Europe Science and Enlightenment The Reconception of the Universe The Scientific Revolution The Enlightenment Chapter 24 New Worlds: The Americas and Oceania Colliding Worlds The Spanish Caribbean The Conquest of Mexico and Peru Iberian Empires in the Americas Settler Colonies in North America Colonial Society in the Americas The Formation of Multicultural Societies Mining and Agriculture in the Spanish Empire Sugar and Slavery in Portuguese Brazil Fur Traders and Settlers in North America Christianity and Native Religions in the Americas Europeans in the Pacific Australia and the Larger World The Pacific Islands and the Larger World Chapter 25 Africa and the Atlantic World African Politics and Society in Early Modern Times The Islamic States of West Africa and East Africa The Kingdoms of Central Africa and South Africa Islam and Christianity in Early Modern Africa Social Change in Early Modern Africa The Atlantic Slave Trade Foundations of the Slave Trade Human Cargoes The Impact of the Slave Trade in Africa The African Diaspora Plantation Societies The Making of African-American Cultural Traditions The End of the Slave Trade and the Abolition of Slavery Chapter 26 Tradition and Change in East Asia The Quest for Political Stability The Ming Dynasty The Qing Dynasty The Son of Heaven and the Scholar-Bureaucrats Economic and Social Changes The Patriarchal Family Population Growth and Economic Development Gentry, Commoners, Soldiers, and "Mean People" The Confucian Tradition and New Cultural Influences Neoconfucianism and Pulp Fiction The Return of Christianity to China The Unification of Japan The Tokugawa Shogunate Economic and Social Change Neoconfucianism and "Floating Worlds" Christianity and "Dutch Learning" Chapter 27 The Islamic Empires Formation of the Islamic Empires The Ottoman Empire The Safavid Empire The Mughal Empire Imperial Islamic Society The Dynastic State Agriculture and Trade Religious Affairs in the Islamic Empires Cultural Patronage of the Islamic Emperors Empires in Transition The Deteriorization of Imperial Leadership Economic and Military Decline Cultural Insularity Chapter 28 The Russian Empire in Europe and Asia Foundations of the Absolutist State The "Gathering of the Russian Land" The "Time of Troubles" Westernization and Empire A "Window on the West" The Limits of Westernization The Russian Empire in Europe The Russian Empire in Asia A Society in Tension Muscovite Society before Westernization The Growth of Trade and Industry Cultural Clashes Crisis in the Church Westernization and the Enlightenment in Russia PART VI: AN AGE OF REVOLUTION, INDUSTRY, AND EMPIRE, 1750-1914 Chapter 29 Revolutions and National States in the Atlantic World Popular Sovereignty and political Upheaval Enlightened and Revolutionary Ideas The American Revolution The French Revolution The Reign of Napoleon The Influence of Revolution The Haitian Revolution Wars of Independence in Latin America The Emergence of Ideologies: Conservatism and Liberalism Testing the Limits of Revolutionary Ideals: Slavery Testing the Limits of Revolutionary Ideals: Women's Rights The Consolidation of National States in Europe Nations and Nationalism The Emergence of national Communities The Unification of Italy and Germany Chapter 30 The Making of Industrial Society Patterns of Industrialization Technological Innovation The Factory System The Early Spread of Industrialization Industrial Capitalism Industrial Society The Fruits of Industry Urbanization and Migration Industry and Society The Socialist Challenge Global Effects of Industrialization The Continuing Spread of Industrialization The International Division of Labor Chapter 31 The Americas in the Age of Independence The Building of American States The United States: Westward Expansion and Civil War The Canadian Dominion: Independence without War Latin America: Fragmentation and Political Experimentation American Economic Development Migration to the Americas Economica Expansion in the United Sates Canadian Prosperity Latin American Dependence American Cultural and Social Diversity Multicultural Society in the United States Canadian Cultural Contrasts Ethnicity, Identity, and Gender in Latin America Chapter 32 Societies at Crossroads The Ottoman Empire in Decline The nature of Decline Reform and Reorganization The Young Turk Era The Russian Empire Under Pressure Military Defeat and Social Reform Industrialization Repression and Revolution The Chinese Empire under Siege The Opium War and the Unequal Treaties The Taiping Rebellion Reform Frustrated The Transformation of Japan From Tokugawa to Meiji Meiji Reforms Chapter 33 The Building of Global Empires Foundations of Empire Motives of Imperialism Tools of Empire European Imperialism The British Empire in India Imperialism in Central Asia and Southeast Asia The Scramble for Africa European Imperialsim in the Pacific The Emergence of New Imperial Powers U.S. Imperialism in Latin America and the Pacific Imperial Japan Legacies of Imperialism Empire and Economy Labor Migrations Empire and Society Nationalism and Anticolonial Movements PART VII: TWENTIETH-CENTURY WORLD Chapter 34 The World in Disarray: The Great War The Drift Toward War Nationalist Aspirations National Rivalries Entangling Alliances Global War The Guns of August Mutual Butchery Total War: The Home Front Conflict in East Asia and the Pacific Battles in Southwest Asia and Africa The End of War Revolution in Russia U.S. Intervention and Collapse The Paris Peace Conference Challenges to European Preeminence Chapter 35 The Postwar Era, 1919-1939 Probing Cultural Frontiers Postwar Pessimism Revolutions in Science and Psychology Experimentation in Art and Architecture Depression and Dictatorships The Great Depression Depression Despair and Government Action From Lenin to Stalin Socialism in One Country German National Socialism Struggles for National Identity India's Quest for Independence China's Search for Order Chapter 36 New Conflagrations: World War II and the Early Cold War The Global Origins of World War II The Beginnings of Japan's "Fifteen-Year War" China's Struggles European Aggression Total War: The World Under Siege Blitzkrieg: Germany Conquers Europe The Soviet Union and the United States Enter the Fray Battles in the Pacific Life During Wartime Bombs and More Bombs Occupation, Collaboration, and Resistance The Holocaust "It's a Woman's War Too!" Peace-And a New War The Origins of the Cold War and Postwar Settlements Global Reconstruction and the United Nations Chapter 37 The Retreat from Empire in a Bipolar World The Formation of a Bipolar World Building the Cold War World Confrontations in Korea and Cuba The Cold War and Colonial Liberation Cold War Societies Independence in South, Southwest, and Southeast Asia India's "Vivisection": Partitioned Independence Arab National States and the Problem of Palestine Nationalist Struggles in Vietnam Decolonization in Africa Forcing the French out of North Africa Black African Nationalism and Independence Freedom and Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter 38 Transformation and Crisis in the Contemporary World Challenges to Superpower Hegemony Western European Defiance Dissent and Intervention in Eastern Europe The Sino-Soviet Rift Detente and the Decline of Superpower Influence New Political Orientations in the Post-Colonial Era Politics in Latin America War and Peace in Sub-Saharan Africa Islamic Resurgence in Southwest Asia and North Africa Communism and Democracy in Asia Global Economic Experiments Dependency in Latin America and Africa Economic Growth in Asia Global Trade Relations Chapter 39 A World Without Borders The End of the Cold War Revolutions in Central and Eastern Europe Collapse of the Soviet Union Toward an Uncertain Future Cross-Cultural Exchanges and Global Communications Global Barbie One Consumer Society and Cultural Interaction The Age of Access Crossing Boundaries: Gender and Global Mobility Women's Traditions and Feminist Challenges Population Pressures The Movements of Peoples International Organizations