Writing the History of the World

Writing the History of the World

To write a history of the world, one must begin at a point when the

world is shifting from the remnants of old empires into the modern or

at least the pre modern world as we know it. During the 15th century,

we begin to see a change; Europe climbs out of the Middle Ages, tosses

off its religious shackles and starts evolving. The Europeans set sail

and we start to see well-documented evidence of other cultures and

religions. The Americans and Africans had written records and many of

the Asian nations remained isolated from outside influences. We are

then forced to begin our knowledge of these cultures when Europeans

first come into contact with them or at least close to that point in

time.

During the 1400s, Europe was under the tight yoke of the Catholic

Church, which held control over literature, scripture, and placed

restrictions on science and thought. However, when the Protestant

movement starts to spread, we begin world history rather than simply

European history. Through the pilgrims and missionaries in the New

World we learn about life in other cultures. From the starting point

of the Reformation, we are able to begin actually studying much of the

world, rather than just concentrating on Western Europe.

I would discuss the fact that the purpose of colonization by European

powers was not for religious means, but rather to secure trade routes.

It is through this trading that we come into close contact with the

Asian nations.

Asian history and culture is very important both in inter-Asian

relations and relations with Westerners. If I were to write a course

on world history, Asian nat...

... middle of paper ...

...ar II ie: Blitzkrieg, Manchuria

and the Invasion of France. From there, I would try and concentrate on

the more forgotten theatres of war such as the Italian, North African

and Russian. I would conclude World War II with an in depth study of

the Holocaust, from the effects on the common person to the Nuremberg

trials.

After World War II, I would conclude my year, partly because it's long

enough to fill any remaining gaps, and partly because the events of

the Cold War are too plentiful to squeeze in. The Cold War alone could

easily fill a year's classes, so cramming it in with the last 600

years of human history would be unfitting. Unfortunately, I find that

I take a much more Eurocentric study of history, simply because of my

lack of knowledge of Eastern history and the sheer amount of events

occurring in Europe.