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Catalog / World History: Key Concepts & Events

World History: Key Concepts & Events

A concise cheat sheet covering essential concepts and major events in world history, designed to provide a quick reference for students and history enthusiasts.

Early Civilizations & Empires

Mesopotamia (c. 3500-539 BCE)

Key Features:

Developed in the Fertile Crescent. Known for city-states (Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, Assyria).
Cuneiform writing system, ziggurats, Code of Hammurabi.

Significant Rulers:

Hammurabi (Babylon), Sargon of Akkad

Decline:

Conquered by various empires, including the Persians.

Ancient Egypt (c. 3100-30 BCE)

Key Features:

Unified kingdom along the Nile River. Pharaoh as divine ruler.
Pyramids, hieroglyphic writing, complex religious beliefs.

Significant Rulers:

Pharaohs such as Ramses II, Tutankhamun, Hatshepsut

Decline:

Gradual decline due to internal strife and foreign invasions (Persians, Greeks, Romans).

Ancient Greece (c. 800 BCE - 600 CE)

Key Features:

City-states (Athens, Sparta, Corinth). Development of democracy (Athens).
Philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle), art, and literature (Homer).

Significant Events:

Persian Wars, Peloponnesian War, rise of Alexander the Great

Decline:

Conquered by the Roman Empire.

Medieval Period (c. 500-1500 CE)

Europe in the Middle Ages

Key Features:

Feudalism, manorial system, dominance of the Catholic Church. Crusades, Black Death.

Significant Events:

Fall of the Western Roman Empire, rise of Charlemagne, Norman Conquest of England

Important Figures:

Charlemagne, William the Conqueror, Pope Urban II

Islamic Civilizations

Key Features:

Rapid expansion across the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain. Golden Age of Islamic science, mathematics, and philosophy.

Significant Dynasties:

Umayyad Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate, Ottoman Empire

Important Figures:

Muhammad, Saladin, Ibn Sina (Avicenna)

East Asia

Key Features (China):

Tang Dynasty, Song Dynasty. Technological innovations (gunpowder, printing, compass).
Civil service examination system.

Key Features (Japan):

Heian Period, rise of the samurai class, feudal system.

Important Figures:

Empress Wu Zetian (China), Minamoto Yoritomo (Japan)

The Early Modern Period (c. 1450-1750)

Renaissance and Reformation

Renaissance:

Revival of classical art, literature, and learning in Europe. Humanism, artistic achievements (Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo).

Reformation:

Religious movement challenging the authority of the Catholic Church. Martin Luther, Protestantism.

Key Figures:

Martin Luther, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, John Calvin.

Age of Exploration

Key Features:

European exploration and colonization of the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Columbian Exchange, rise of global trade.

Significant Explorers:

Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan

Consequences:

Transatlantic slave trade, exploitation of resources, cultural exchange

Absolutism and Enlightenment

Absolutism:

Centralization of power in monarchs (Louis XIV of France). Divine right of kings.

Enlightenment:

Intellectual movement emphasizing reason, individualism, and human rights. John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Key Figures:

Louis XIV, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Isaac Newton

Modern History (c. 1750-Present)

Revolutions

American Revolution (1775-1783):

Colonists in America seek independence from British Empire due to taxation without representation. Led to creation of the United States.

French Revolution (1789-1799):

Overthrow of the French monarchy, rise of republican ideals, Reign of Terror. Napoleon’s rise to power.

Haitian Revolution (1791-1804):

Successful slave revolt led by Toussaint Louverture. Establishment of Haiti as the first independent black republic.

Industrial Revolution

Key Features:

Technological advancements (steam engine, power loom), factory system, urbanization. Social changes, rise of capitalism and socialism.

Significant Impacts:

Increased production, new social classes (working class, bourgeoisie), environmental pollution.

Key Figures:

James Watt, Karl Marx, Adam Smith

20th Century Conflicts & Globalization

World War I (1914-1918):

Major global conflict, caused by nationalism, imperialism, and alliances. Treaty of Versailles, League of Nations.

World War II (1939-1945):

Global conflict involving Axis powers (Germany, Japan, Italy) and Allied powers (United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union). Holocaust, atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Cold War (1947-1991):

Geopolitical struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union. Nuclear arms race, proxy wars (Vietnam War, Korean War).

Globalization:

Increasing interconnectedness of the world through trade, technology, and cultural exchange. Rise of multinational corporations, global issues (climate change, pandemics).
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