Enduring Issues Global History Regents

Power

The struggle to control people, land, or resources. Involves how power is gained, maintained, and abused.

(e.g., absolutism, imperialism, unfair distribution of power, shifts in power and authority, shifts of power.)

Conflict

Serious disagreements or arguments that often escalate into physical violence, war, or revolution

Inequality

The state of being unequal or having a lack of access to rights, wealth, or basic freedoms.

(apartheid, the caste system)

Innovation & Technology

The creation of new methods or ideas that change society. These often bring both benefits and negative costs

(Industrial Revolution, the printing press)

Environmental Impact

The ways in which human actions affect the physical world, how the physical world affects human survival.

(Desforestation, the Black Death)

Scarcity

The state of not having enough resources to meet human needs, which often forces people to trade, migrate, or conquer.

Human Rights Violations

Situations where basic human freedoms–such as liberty, safety, or equality–are denied to groups of people

Ideas & Beliefs

The cultural, religious, or political concepts that shape how people view the world and act within it.

(Enlightenment, the spread of Buddhism)

Interconnectedness

The state of being deeply connected with other societies through trade, communication, or globalization.