World History For Dummies^®

by Peter Haugen

• ISBN13: 9780764552427
• ISBN10: 0764552422
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-03-01
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

If history scares you or bores you silly, that's probably because a teacher once required you to memorize a bunch of dates when things like the Magna Carta and the Versailles Treaty were signed, for example. Admittedly, dates are a big part of history, but only because historical events happened in a certain order. If Columbus hadn't sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred and ninety-two, the Mayflower Pilgrims might not have looked west for a place to practice their Puritan religion almost 130 years later. The eventual outcome? No day-after-Thanksgiving mob scenes at the mall. So you may be asking, "How can a 330-page book cover the complete history of the world?" The short answer is that it can't. To cover thousands of years in one book would be impossible. What "is possible is a skimming of the surface of world history, which is what you'll find in "World History For Dummies. This book provides a fun and friendly overview of the history of the world, providing glimpses intothe major players and events that have made the world what it is today. Because the history of the world is such a grand topic, a comprehensive list of what you'll find in "World History For Dummies would be almost as long as the book itself. So here are a few highlights to pique your interest: Discover how to look at history from the historian's perspective Becoming civilized: The invention of writing and art Scientific developments that revolutionized the world Building empires: From Rome to Russia War and peace (no, not the Tolstoy novel) The development of the world's religions Overviews of the essential historical documents that you must know from the Bible to the Bill ofRights Anyone with at least a passing interest in history can find value in "World History For Dummies whether you're a student or a teacher in need of a broad historical overview, a history buff looking fo

Author Biography

Peter Haugen (Madison, Wisconsin) is an accomplished university lecturer, journalist, and author.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(8)
Part I: Getting Into History	9	(24)
Finding the Bodies: Real Stories, Real People	11	(12)
Making History Happen	23	(10)
Part II: Civilizations	33	(122)
Getting Civilized	35	(18)
Not All Roads Led to Rome	53	(18)
Transitioning Through the Middle Ages	71	(14)
Contending for World Domination	85	(20)
Grabbing the Globe	105	(22)
Clashing on a Worldwide Scale	127	(28)
Part III: Mind, Soul, Heart	155	(102)
Believing and Believers	157	(22)
Sharing a Love of Wisdom	179	(16)
Being Christian, Thinking Greek	195	(10)
Awakening to the Renaissance	205	(18)
Making a Break: The Reformation	223	(20)
Opening Up to Science and Enlightenment	243	(14)
Part IV: War	257	(40)
Hurling Sticks and Stones	259	(12)
Advancing the Technology of War	271	(12)
Reshaping Warfare in a Contemporary Mold	283	(14)
Part V: People	297	(52)
Founding Something Lasting	299	(12)
Battling Toward Lasting Fame	311	(12)
Venturing Out: Voyagers	323	(12)
Overturning Societies	335	(14)
Part VI: The Part of Tens	349	(16)
Ten Unforgettable Dates	351	(6)
Ten Essential Documents	357	(8)
Index	365