 |
|---|
World History Time Periods
Foundations 8000BCE - 600 BCE
Foundations covers everything up until roughly 600 BCE. Sounds like alot, right? It is. Like 13.8 billion years. Such a long time, one might think that this historical era will be the most difficult. Wrong. This era sets the stage for humanity as we know it. The main ideas are that humans evolved, left Africa, started farming, religion, invention, and social hierarchy. Things will get more specific and interesting in the following eras...
Classical 600BCE - 600 CE
Enough of that Foundations garbage. So, let's put on our 'big-boy-pants" and start covering some real history. This is where it all begins. Yeah, in Foundations you have things like... Humans, Fire, Tools, Hierarchy, Religion, Writing. But, this is where history actually takes form. This is where you will get your stereotypical views of certain areas. This is where Western Europe takes root. Later on, areas like Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, et all will come into their own. This era really deals with the Classical Civilizations (Mediterranean, India, China) and the trade between them and what goes along with that.
Post-Classical 600CE-1450 CE
The Classical Era set the scene. It brought us the major civilizations, religions, and trade routes. But, what happens when all of the major world powers collapse? This is the Post-Classical era. The major world powers come from places you might not expect. There are some powers that are similar to the ones before and the ones after (Byzantine, China). But, the major players in the Post-Classical era come from totally backwards places. One sprouts out of a cave in the Arabian desert. The other comes from the base of a mountain on the steppes in Central Asia. I call this era, Muslims & Mongols. That's not everything, but it just about sums up the basics. (Of course, Trade, Migrations, Religion, and Labor are important...) From here on out, these eras are worth more than the first two. Pay attention...
Early Modern 1450 CE - 1750 CE
​No other era is as easy to summarize as the EARLY MODERN (1450-1750) era. This is the era the Europeans "wake-up", expand, and build empires. I'm not talking about Charlemagne here. I'm talking about the British Empire. I'm talking about the Dutch East India Trading Company. I'm talking about the Spanish Empire. This is a new Europe. This isn't Marco Polo. These Europeans will come to your land and stay there. They will take over most of the world in this era (if not, in the next). Beyond the Maritime empires (and the effect of their establishment), many huge land empires emerged (most notably the Islamic Mughal and Ottoman Empires. Of course, China is important... It always is. So, here is the Early Modern Period...
Modern 1750 CE - 1900 CE
The previous era was dominated by European discovery. This era is dominated by how these Europeans handled their new-found success both ECONOMICALLY (Industrial Revolution) & POLITICALLY (Revolutions)**. Much like the Mongols and Muslims of the Post Classical, this era is essentially the Industrial Revolution & the Enlightenment-driven Revolutions (French, US, Latin America, etc.). One could argue that the Industrial Revolution is the most important thing that ever happened. This is also the only era with 4 subsections: Industrial Revolution, Imperialism, Revolution, and Migration. This is the Modern Era...
.jpg)
Contemporary 1900-Present
Well... well... well. Look at you. You made it! The FINAL ERA! The era you were born in! 1900-Present. The 20th Century is full of so much historical stuff that you need to know that I won't bog you down with some long intro. It basically breaks into three categories: 1. Science and the Environment; 2. Global Conflict; 3. Globalization... This is the Contemporary Era.
​
​