Forging the Modern World: A History

In Forging the Modern World: A History, Second Edition, authors James Carter and Richard Warren offer an accessible explanation of key transformations in global economic, political, and ideological relationships since the sixteenth century. The book is distinct from most world history texts in three important ways. First, it explores the ways in which historians use and produce information. Each chapter delves deeply into one or two specific issues of historical inquiry related to the chapter theme, showing how new primary sources, methodologies, or intellectual trends have changed how we engage with the past. Second, it clearly explains the political, economic, and ideological concepts that students need to understand in order to compare events and trends across time and space. Finally, the chapters are organized around global historical themes, which are explored through an array of conceptual and comparative lenses. While the book chapters proceed chronologically, each chapter is written with some chronological overlap linking it to preceding and subsequent chapters. This strategy emphasizes the interconnectedness between the events and themes of one chapter and those of surrounding chapters.

Table of Contents:
List of Maps Acknowledgments About the Authors Introduction: Forging the Modern World What is this Book About? The Modern World Sources and Methods Practicing History Recommended Reading Agency and Contingency A Few Good Books Chapter 1. The Many Worlds of the Fifteenth Century, 1405-1510 Political and Economic Order on the Afro-Eurasian Supercontinent The Rise and Fall of States in Afro-Eurasia HISTORIANS EXPLORE: THE VOYAGES OF ZHENG HE American Empires of the Fifteenth Century Conclusion A Few Good Books Chapter 2. The New Global Interface, 1486-1639 The Conquest Era HISTORIANS EXPLORE: INDIGENOUS POPULATION DECLINE From Conquest to Colonialism A World Connected Conclusion A Few Good Books Chapter 3. The Paradoxes of Early Modern Empire, 1501-1661 The Words and Deeds of Empire Building Tangled Loyalties and the European Wars of Religion Collapse and Restoration of Empire in China HISTORIANS EXPLORE: THE QING CONQUEST Conclusion A Few Good Books Chapter 4. Production and Consumption in the First Global, 1571-1701 Agricultural Production Staple Foods The Sugar-Slave Plantation System Global Trade Networks Silver and Global Economy HISTORIANS EXPLORE: SILVER MINING IN SPANISH AMERICA States and Economic Activity Conclusion A Few Good Reads Chapter 5. Global War and Imperial Reform, 1655-1765 Consolidating the Center: Modernizing Monarchies The Question of Control in the Atlantic Seaborne Empires HISTORIANS EXPLORE: THE SLAVE TRADE The Path to World War Zero Conclusion A Few Good Books Chapter 6. A New Order for the Ages, 1755-1839 What is Enlightenment? Revolution and Reaction HISTORIANS EXPLORE: HOW RADICAL WAS THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION? The Collapse of Iberian Empires in the Americas New Challenges of Political Organization Conclusion A Few Good Books Chapter 7. The Engines of Industrialization, 1787-1868 What is Revoluationary about Industrialization? Spinning the Industrial Revolution Story HISTORIANS EXPLORE: THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION Life During the Industrial Revolution The Transformation of Global Power Relations Conclusion A Few Good Books Chapter 8. Modernity Organized, 1840-1889 Reform versus Revolution Nation and Citizen in the Western Hemisphere HISTORIANS EXPLORE: ABOLITION, MIGRATION, AND THE GLOBAL LABOR FORCE Conclusion A Few Good Books Chapter 9. Globalization and Its Discontents, 1878-1910 The New Imperialism and Neo-colonialism The Impact of Imperialism in Africa and India Sovereignty and Conflict in East Asia HISTORIANS EXPLORE: THE SINO-JAPANESE WAR Challenging Modernity at its Core The Price of Progress in the Western Hemisphere Conclusion A Few Good Books Chapter 10. Total War and Mass Society, 1905-1928 Theory meets Reality in Modern Warfare A Great War The Global Repercussions of the Great War Negotiating the Future in the Shadow of the Great War HISTORIANS EXPLORE: LITERATURE AS SOURCES Which Way Forward? Conclusion A Few Good Books Chapter 11. The Ongoing Crisis of Global Order, 1919-1948 Eurasia After the Great War A Communist World Future? HISTORIANS EXPLORE: FAMINE IN THE UKRAINE The Global Economy in the 1920s The Collapse of the Post-War Order War Without Limits Conclusion A Few Good Books Chapter 12. Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and Decolonization, 1942-1975 Uncomfortable Allies Plan the Future The Global Cold War HISTORIANS EXPLORE: KENYA AND DECOLONIZATION Economic Development and Nonalignment: Three Worlds? Conclusion A Few Good Books Chapter 13. The Many Worlds of the Twenty-first Century, 1972-2012 Shifts in the Global Political Dynamic Transitions in the Communist World in the 1980s HISTORIANS EXPLORE: THE END OF THE COLD WAR The End of History and Its Quick Return Economic Integration Conclusion A Few Good Books Epilogue Credits Index

About the Author :
James Carter is Professor of History at Saint Joseph's University. Richard Warren is Professor of History at Saint Joseph's University.

Review :
"Forging the Modern World offers a succinct introduction to the modern era in world history, and manages to do so without engaging in oversimplification. The authors convey this history while simultaneously providing useful lessons about how professional historians research, write, and debate understandings of the past, making it not only an accessible primer in world history but also an introduction to the historical profession."--Christopher Ferguson, Auburn University "Forging the Modern World is among the best modern world history books on the market today. It is well written, concise, and focuses on the key historical processes that have shaped the modern world. It also comes with a relatively low price, which helps students on a tight budget."--J. Justin Castro, Arkansas State University "Forging the Modern World's major strength is its accessibility for students. The narrative is concise and readable yet still does a wonderful job of including major scholarship and relevant interpretation. I know my students are reading this book-for the first time in years, students are making comments or asking questions in class that refer to material in the text. This allows for classroom discussions and opportunities for me to expand on topics that students would have glazed over in previous texts."--Suzanne Shoaf Smith, Cape Fear Community College