World History Basics

World History

1. Ancient (BC to AD) (Basics)
2. Medieval (Basics)
3. Modern (UPSC Syllabus - Questions are asked )

Ancient World

12 C BC to 6th C BC (Greek Empire)

• Greek Empire - (Macedonia (Greece) --Turkey--Middle East--West Asia--Iran--Touched India)
• Alexander the great
• Classical Age
  • Ideas
    • Philosophies - Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
    • State / Empire - Republic, Monarchy (Political Philosophies)
  • Classical literature
  • Master and Slave
• Greek Empire Disintegrated after 3C BC

3 C BC to 4 C AD (Roman Empire)

• Roman Empire
• First empire of the world
• Features
  • Central Authority - Emperor - Central Govt
  • Military power Concept
  • Ruling the world concept (Super Power)
  • Trade between East & West

1st C AD (Jesus Christ)

• Birth of Jesus Christ
  • Preached against roman religion (Multiple god & Multiple faith - Ignorance)
  • Only one god
  • I am the messenger of god
  • 11 Disciples spread the gospels
• 1CAD to 4CAD - Christianity emerged as a religion

4th C AD (Division of ROMAN EMPIRE)

• Division of Roman empire
• W Roman Empire - ROME
• E Roman Empire / Byzantine empire - Constantinople (Bosporus strait)
• W & E - Christianity is becoming a religion
• The medieval age - Starting point

6th C AD (Prophet Mohammed)

• W Asia
• Arabian tribes - Lost morality, values - Degenerated
• Mohammed - the prophet - Messenger of god
  • Mecca to Madina (Married - 1st follower)
  • Madina to mecca (Preached)
  • Birth of Islam
  • A way of life for the people
  • After death became a religion
  • Religion became a State
• After Prophet - Emergence of Islamic State - 'Caliphate '

9th C AD (Holy Roman Empire)

• E Roman Empire/Byzantine empire - Continued from 4th to 13th c AD
• W Roman Empire Vanished
• 9th C AD - Holy Roman Empire emerged (Germany + Italy)
  • Holy - Entire Rome became the Christian faith
  • Crown was placed on the king by the POPE

10th C AD (Crusade War)

• Crusade War Began - Christianity vs Islam (10th to 12th C AD)
• Fight - from Europe to Middle East (Jerusalem) - To recover Jerusalem/ Holy places from Islam king

Medieval Age (4th C AD to 13 C AD)/ Dark Age

• Dark Age - like India After Maurya up to Gupta
• Why is it a Dark Age ?
  1. Weak Central Authority
  2. Dominance of religion (Every aspect of the life of the people, ignorance, superstitious belief)
     • State was replaced by church (King became a king only with the help of Pope)
     • Eu - POPE
     • Middle East - Islam
  3. Decline in Trade
  4. Decline in Art & Culture
  5. Plague disease (12 & 13 C AD)
  6. Dark age society (Feudalism - 3 class)
     1. Church
     2. Nobles
     3. Others

1453 - Fall of Constantinople - Start of Modern world

The fall of Constantinople in 1453 was considered a landmark event in the history of the world. From the Byzantine empire, the enlightened thinkers migrated to the various parts of European states but the thinkers who settled in Italy thought about the defeat of Byzantines @ the hands of the Turks (Ottoman), they realized about forgetting history and humanity. The thinkers started a movement from the late 14th century was called Renaissance

Age Of Enlightenment (13th C AD to 16th C AD)

1. Renaissance - 13 C AD
2. Age of Exploration/Discovery - 15th c AD
3. Age of Reformation / Scientific revolution - 16th C AD

Renaissance (13 C AD)

• Renaissance means Rebirth
• It was a cultural movement started (14 to 17 C AD)
• This was confined to Europe in initial stages - European renaissance
• Because of this, there was a change in Lit Pol Science music & Culture
• Renaissance completely changed the outlook of a man.
• It emphasized reason & Humanism. It ended the divine concept and opened a new era. This era laid the foundation for the age of discoveries, the age of reformation, scientific revolutions & the age of enlightenment.
• They found Solutions in ancient Roman and Greek Literature (Plato, Aristotle, Socrates ) - Intellectuals taking the values of ancient literature
• The age of reason
• Features -
  • Rationality (No superstition)
  • Secularism (Religious)
  • Individualism (Man is the most important thing) - Man has rights
  • Humanism
  • Civilized Society
  • New central Monarchies (Emperor)
  • Idea of Constitution
  • Republic (Peoples government)
  • National languages (A single language for a country)
  • Oppose the religious church (Reducing the power of church)
  • Concept of Liberty - State & Individual
• Impact of renaissance
  • Scientific revolution
    • Thinkers
      • Copernicus - Heliocentric solar system
      • Galileo - Many planets other than earth
      • The world was created by the natural revolution
    • New inventions & Discoveries -
      • Navigation -
        • Strong ships were built
        • Magnetic compass
        • Accessories for the ship to sail
        • Sea route was found
        • people of Portugal reached southern Africa
        • Atlantic ocean
        • America
        • India

Age of Exploration / Discovery (15 to 16 C AD)

• Laid Foundation for globalization
• Commercial trade bw Europe & East
• The main
  • New sea routes to reach east by overcomming the turkish empire
• Because of this European monarchies patronised the navigators to fing a new sea route
  • Spain -- Isabella - Columbus Explored S America & North America and laid the foundation for spanish Colonies and trade bw N & S America
  • It was called as the new world during 15th C AD
• The age of discoveries encouraged Eu states & Empires to start commercial companies in the subsequent periods
• As a result of this, Eu companies like Fr, Br, Dutch East Indian companies were estd
• SO Commercial trade b/w W & E was started
• Vasco da Gama - India - Sea route
• Consequences
  • 19th-century Imperialism & Colonisation
  • Commercial rivalry among the Eu Companies eg. Br vs Fr - Carnatic, Br vs Dutch
  • Foundation of future globalization
• Impact -
  • Laid foundation for Colonisation
    • (Old world)
      • W & E Africa - Colony
      • India - Colony
      • China - Imperialism
    • New World was Colonised
      • (N & S America)

Age of Reformation/ - 16th C AD

• Martin Luther Questioned church and Pope in 95 his thesis
• Division in Christianity
  • A group protested the church - Protestant Christianity
  • A group had Faith in church & Pope - Roman Catholics

Scientific revolution

• Renaissance led to SR
• outlook of man was completely changed
• Led to the progress of science - New inventions and discoveries
• Divine Science to Science of Reason (Modern Science)
• Scientific inventions created a revolution - Modern science
• New discoveries slowly transformed from medieval techniques to modern techniques and machines.
• Machines ---- IR