Pre-History - 1914 NOTES

Global History Exam Notes

Different Periods of Prehistory

  • Prehistory: Time before written records.

    • Lower Paleolithic: Use of crude tools.

    • Upper Paleolithic:

    • Development of diverse tools, clothes, and art.

    • Emergence of social structures and organized groups.

    • Neolithic:

    • Complex social structures, family units, and religious practices.

    • Domestication of animals and cultivation of crops.

Anthropology

  • Definition: Study of human culture, social relations, and cultural similarities/differences.

  • Major Divisions:

    • Biological anthropology

    • Cultural anthropology

    • Linguistic anthropology

    • Archaeology

Science of Archaeology

  • Definition: Study of past human cultures via remnants like bones, tools, and artifacts.

  • Key finding: Humans have existed for about 600,000 years. Early humans developed into Cro-Magnon and later Homo sapiens.

Human Development from Lower Paleolithic to Iron Age

  • Phases:

    • Lower Paleolithic: Tool use with needles and cutting tools.

    • Middle Paleolithic: Advancements in stone tool production, hunting, and rituals.

    • Upper Paleolithic: Pottery, agriculture, and domestication of animals.

    • Bronze Age: Emergence of first civilizations with metallurgic advancements.

    • Iron Age: Use of metal tools and smelting knowledge.

Early Civilizations

  • Characteristics of Civilization:

    • Metal tools, written languages, defined states, calendars.

  • Locations:

    • Fertile River Valleys: Nile, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, Hwang Ho (China).

Importance of Rivers to Civilizations

  • Fluvial civilizations reliant on water for:

    • Drinking, agriculture, and animal husbandry.

    • Hunting grounds and soil fertility from floods.

    • Irrigation techniques for food production.

Fertile Crescent

  • Defined by James Breasted: region where early civilizations formed. Geography provided rich materials and led to cultural exchanges and conflicts.

Accomplishments of Major Cultures

  • Egyptians: Advanced pyramids, hieroglyphics, papyrus paper, decimal system, mathematics.

  • Sumerians: First wheel, irrigation, cuneiform writing, timekeeping systems.

  • Babylonians: Code of Hammurabi, a pioneering legal text.

  • Assyrians: Horse-drawn chariots, organized military.

  • Persians: Religious tolerance and advanced language systems.

  • Phoenicians: Navigators, purple dye makers, phonetic alphabet developers.

Notable Ancient Cultures in India and China

  • Indus Valley: Developed zero, caste system, and early Hinduism.

  • China: Early agricultural civilization, silk production, and pottery.

Civilizations of Mesopotamia

  • Cultures: Sumerians, Amorites, Hittites, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians.

  • Autocracy with tyrannical rulers; legacies include myths, religious systems, and mathematics.

Notable Contributions of the Sumerians

  • Invention of writing, the wheel, first libraries, legal codes, and epic storytelling.

Kushites

  • Located in Nubia; matrilineal descent; polytheistic, with a significant religious influence from Egypt.

Minoans and Mycenaeans

  • Minoans: Developed trade, Linear A writing, advanced architecture.

  • Mycenaeans: Conquerors rise, led to Greek mythology's development.

Dorian Invasion

  • Hypothetical fall of Mycenaeans, leading to the rise of classical Greece.

Spartans vs. Athenians

  • Contrasting societies and governments; military focus in Sparta vs. democracy and cultural flourishing in Athens.

Contributions of Ancient Greece

  • Theater, alphabet evolution, geometry, historical writing, philosophy's foundations.

Alexander the Great

  • Conqueror who spread Greek culture, resulting in significant cultural diffusion.

Persian Wars

  • Series of conflicts between Greeks and Persians culminating in Greek victories at Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea.

Maurya Empire

  • Established in India, known for religious tolerance, economic systems, and protective laws.

Development of Chinese Empires

  • Notable dynasties include Han, Ming, and Manchu emphasizing artistic and intellectual achievements.

Roman Empire and Republic

  • Transition from a small town to a vast empire, incorporating diverse cultures and technologies.

Byzantine Empire

  • Emerged from the Eastern Roman Empire, with significant contributions in law (Code of Justinian) and culture.

Impact of the Nicene Creed

  • Addressed Trinity beliefs, influencing Christian doctrine during the Byzantine Empire.

Factors Leading to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire

  • Challenges by Germanic tribes, internal political issues, and dwindling governance efficiency.

Iconoclasm and Eastern Orthodox Conflict

  • Struggle over religious images within the Byzantine context.

Viking Invasions

  • Spread of culture, language, and structural changes in England and Europe; establishment of trade routes.

10th-Century Events

  • Dark Ages in Europe; significant developments in the East with Islamic and Byzantine growth.

Feudalism and the Black Death

  • Feudalism structure; impact of the Black Death leading to labor demand shifts and nation-state growth.

Influence of the Roman Catholic Church

  • Education and political power amidst societal changes in post-Roman Europe.

Crusades

  • Initiated by Byzantine needs; led to changing powers in the Holy Land and cultural exchanges.

Indian Political Developments

  • Gupta Empire's achievements post-Maurya; rise of Tamerlane in the 14th century.

Ming and Japanese Governance

  • Ming Dynasty isolationism; Japanese feudalism with samurai influence.

  • Ming - civil service exams, confucian,

Development in Africa

  • Ghana and Mali empires as trade hubs, with Islamic influence shaping culture and scholarship.

History of Islam

  • Expansion under Muhammad; creation of unified empires and literary advances in the Middle East.

Africa

  • Ghana rose as trade century in 9th centure - 12th century. Traded Gold and salt.

  • Mali emerged as a powerful empire in the 13th century, known for its wealth from gold and its influential leaders like Mansa Musa, who expanded trade networks and fostered cultural development. The Songhai Empire succeeded Mali in the 15th century, further enhancing trade routes and cultural exchange across West Africa. The period also saw the rise of notable cities such as Timbuktu, which became a major center of learning and commerce, attracting scholars and traders from various regions.

Ottoman Empire

  • Growth through tolerance and unity; vital cultural interchange across religions and societies.

  • Renamed Constantinople to Istanbul and established it as the capital in 1453, which became a hub for trade and culture between Europe and Asia.

Renaissance

  • Rebirth of interest in ancient cultures; emergence of realism in art and literature under the Medici influence after the Dark ages and bubonic plague.

Renaissance Contributions

  • Artists and authors like Leonardo, Michelangelo, Shakespeare; printed works by Gutenberg revolutionized literature.

Reformation

  • Martin Luther: 16th Century German Monk who became a key figure in the Protestant Reformation, challenging the practices of the Catholic Church and advocating for a return to biblical teachings.

  • 95 Theses: A list of propositions for an academic discussion that Martin Luther nailed to the church door in Wittenberg in 1517, criticizing the sale of indulgences and other church practices. led to protestant reformationand the emergence of new denominations that diverged from traditional Catholicism.

  • council of trent: address issues and reform of the roman catholic church

Scientific Revolution

  • Major impacts on science through thinkers like Newton and Galileo challenging established church doctrines.

Enlightenment Ideas

  • Philosophy centering on reason, ethics, and government based on social contracts (Rousseau).

American vs. French Revolution

  • Independence movements with differing outcomes; clash between monarchies and republics.

Events of the French Revolution

  • Key figures and events leading to shifts in power from monarchy to revolution.

  • declaration of the rights of man and citizen: rights should be universal

Industrial Revolution

  • Transformation of society from agrarian to industrial; rise of cities and economic conflict.

Russian Revolution of 1905

  • Causes stemming from czarist rule led to demands for change culminating in the October Manifesto.

Vietnam

  • Indochina war: vietnam independendence from france in first indochina warresulting in the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and setting the stage for continued conflict.

Genocides

  • The Armenian Genocide: 1914-1918 Systematic extermination of the Armenian population by the Ottoman Empire during World War I, resulting in a significant loss of life and displacement.

  • Holodomor Genocide: 1932-1933 Ukranians suffered famine caused by Stalin. Millions starved to death

  • Cambodia: 1975-1979: Khmer Rouge (communist group)