World History in Brief: Major Patterns of Change and Continuity, Volume I (to 1450) (Book Alone)

With its brief, global (rather than West-centered) approach, World History in Brief, Fifth Edition, seeks to show how different civilizations developed in a global context, and then encountered the various forces of contemporary life. Rather than overwhelm students, the chief goal of World History in Brief is to present the big picture, to facilitate comparison and assessment of change, and to highlight the major developments in the world's history. This text also presents the global interactions of major civilizations so that students can compare and assess changes. The compact size of this text gives instructors the opportunity to take advantage of additional supplementary readings.

Table of Contents:
Each chapter begins with an introduction and ends with a conclusion and with “Issues and Connections,” “Suggested Web Sites,” and “Suggested Readings.”I. THE RISE OF AGRICULTURE AND AGRICULTURAL CIVILIZATIONS. 1. From Human Prehistory to the Rise of Agriculture. Getting Started Is Always Hard. Human Development and Change. HISTORY DEBATE: Peoples in the Americas. The Neolithic Revolution. TIMELINE: Prehistoric Landmarks. The Nature of Agricultural Societies. UNDERSTANDING CULTURE: The Nature of Culture. Agriculture and change. 2. Early Civilization. Civilization. Egypt and Mesopotamia Ccompared. HISTORY DEBATE: Women in Patriarchal Societies. UNDERSTANDING CULTURES: Uses and Varieties. Transitions: The End of the River-Valley Period. The Heritage of the River Valley Civilizations. New States and Peoples Around 1000 B.C.E. TIMELINE: River Valley Civilizations. The First Civilizations. 3. Nomadic Societies. Early Nomadic Societies. Nomadic Society and Culture. UNDERSATNDING CULTURES: Nomadic Art. Nomads and Civilizations. HISTORY DEBATE: The Contributions of Nomads. Nomads and Global Patterns. II. THE CLASSICAL PERIOD, 1000 B.C.E.-500 C.E. Introduction: New Issues for Expanding Societies. TIMELINE: Classical Civilizations. 4. Classical Civilization: China. Patterns in Classical China. Political Institutions. HISTORY DEBATE: War. Religion and Culture. WORLD PROFILES: Confucius, or Kong Fuzi (c. 551-479 B.C.E.) Economy and Society. WORLD PROFILES: Ban Zhao (c. 48-117 C.E.) 5. Classical Civilization: India. The Framework for Indian History: Geography and a Formative Period. Patterns in Classical India. Political Institutions. HISTORY DEBATE: Interpreting Civilization, Round Two. Religion and Culture. UNDERSTANDING CULTURES: Comparing Systems of Belief. Economy and Society. Indian Influence. China and India. 6. Classical Civilization in the Mediterranean: Greece and Rome. The Persian Tradition. Patterns of Greek and Roman History. Greek and Roman Political Institutions Religion and Culture. WORLD PROFILES: Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.E.) Religion and Culture. UNDERSTANDING CULTURES: When Two Belief Systems Meet. Economy and Society in the Mediterranean. HISTORY DEBATE: Mediterranean Civilization and “Western” Civilization. Toward the Fall of Rome. 7. The Classical Period: Directions, Diversities, and Declines by 500 C. E. Expansion and Integration. Beyond the Classical Civilizations. Decline in China and India. Decline and fall in Rome. HISTORY DEBATE: What Caused Decline and Fall. The New Religious Map. WORLD PROFILES: St. Paul (Paul of Tarsus). The World Around 500 C.E. III. THE POSTCLASSICAL PERIOD, 500-1450 C. E. Introduction: Making the New Era. 8. The Rise of Islam: Civilization in the Middle East. The Advent of Islam. UNDERSTANDING CULTURES: The Impact of World Religions. WORLD PROFILES: Muhammad (570-632 C.E.) Patterns of Islamic history. Islamic Political Institutions. HISTORY DEBATE: Political Implications of Islam. Islam and Middle Eastern Culture. WORLD PROFILES: Omar Khayyam (c. 11-12th Centuries). Economy and Society in the Middle East Decline. The Decline of Middle Eastern Civilization. 9. India and Southeast Asia under the Impact of Islam. The Development of Indian Culture. HISTORY DEBATE: The Caste System. The Muslim Challenge in India. UNDERSTANDING CULTURES: Comparison and Contact. Southeast Asia. 10. Africa and Islam. Sub- Saharan Africa and the World Network. WORLD PROFILES: Sundiata. The Great Kingdoms. HISTORY DEBATE: Handles for African History. Features of African Civilization. 11. East European Civilization: Byzantium and Russia. The Byzantine Phase. WORLD PROFILES: The Emperor Justinian (527-564 C.E.) The Early Russian Phase: Kievan Rus. HISTORY DEBATE: A Russian Civilization? East European Religion and Culture. East European Economy and Society. East European Civilization in Eclipse. 12. Western Civilization: The Middle Ages. Early Patterns in Western Civilization. HISTORY DEBATE: Western Civilization. Medieval Political Institutions. Medieval Religion and Culture. Economy and Society. UNDERSTANDING CULTURES: Christianity and Syncretism. Women and Family Life. Tensions in the Later Middle Ages. After the Medieval, What? 13. The Spread of East Asian Civilization. Political and Cultural Developments in China. WORLD PROFILES: Taizong (626-649 C.E.). Economy and Society in China. Civilization in Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. WORLD PROFILES: Mugai Nyodai. Culture, Society, and Economy in Japan. East Asian Self-Confidence. 14. Centers of Civilization in the Americas. The Mayas and Aztecs. HISTORY DEBATE: What Happened to the Mayans? American Indian Civilization: A Continuing Heritage. UNDERSTANDING CULTURES: The Question of Legacies. The issue of Isolation. 15. The Mongol Interlude and the End of the Postclassical Period. Mongol Empires. WORLD PROFILES: Chabi Khan. China and the West as New World Powers. HISTORY DEBATE: Causes of Global Change by 1450. The End of Transition: Postclassical to Early Modern.