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World History in a Week: The Big Picture

Explore the key milestones and revolutions in human history, from the emergence of hominids to the Industrial Revolution and globalization. Discover the impact of key events and advancements on human civilization.

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World History in a Week: The Big Picture

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  1. World History in a Week:The Big Picture

  2. When did Humans arrive on the scene? • Age of hominids? 7 million years • Age of homo sapiens? 500,000 years • Neanderthals? 140,000-50,000 y.a. • Separate evolutionary line: First genocide? • Cro-Magnon? 40,000 y.a. (fully modern anatomy)

  3. Hominid Development?

  4. Three Great Human Revolutions • The Great Leap Forward • Agricultural (Neolithic) Revolution • Industrial Revolution

  5. Hunter-Gatherers • Humanity’s only “economic” activity for at least 90% of our existence. • Low population densities (small groups of 40-60; 1 person/ mi2) • Largely egalitarian - every person performs essential functions.

  6. Great Leap Forward When? 50,000 b.p. Emergence of: • Fish hooks, Arrows, Bows, Needles, Engravers, Awls • Art • Jewelry (Beads at first) • Navigation/Boating? (Australia from New Guinea) Proposed Causes: • Voicebox development / language • Brain organization change Lascaux Caves, France

  7. Overkill Hypothesis • Large, slow, or tame animals become extinct shortly after hunter-gatherer arrival in New World, Polynesia, Australia / New Guinea. • Flightless birds, giant cave bear, ground sloth. Giant Extinct Moa, New Zealand Skeleton of Giant Ground Sloth, Los Angeles

  8. Neolithic Revolution Domestication of Plants and Animals • Seed Agriculture - Fertile Crescent, western India, northern China, Ethiopia, southern Mexico (11,000 b.p.) Rice, wheat, and corn account for more than 50% of world calories today. Tigris River Valley irrigation, Turkey

  9. Neolithic Revolution Domestication of Animals • Dog was probably first. • Early domesticated animals: cattle, oxen, pigs, sheep, goats, guinea pigs, llama • role in agricultural production and success • Relationship to success of particular cultures: Indo-European Horsemen

  10. Neolithic Revolution Primary effects: • Urbanization • Social Stratification • Occupational Specialization • Increased population densities Teotihuacan

  11. Human Expansion and Ancient Empires Urbanization and increased efficiency lead to population growth and increased density, which leads to need for more space. Ancient Examples: • Aztecs, Maya • Chinese Warlords / Dynasties • Polynesians • Roman Empire • Muslim / Ottoman Empire Human and environmental costs are inevitable.

  12. Human Expansion Urbanization and increased efficiency lead to population growth, which leads to need for more space.

  13. Human Expansion Urbanization and increased efficiency lead to population growth, which leads to need for more space.

  14. Agricultural and Industrial Societies Accelerate Extinctions • Flightless birds, whales, otters • U.S. Passenger Pigeon Mauritius, Indian Ocean Dodo Bird discovered in 1598, extinct by 1681. Dodo Bird, Mauritius, Indian Ocean

  15. Age of European Discovery, Exploration, and Colonization 1492 - 1771: • Bartholomew Dias (Portugal), 1488 - rounds Cape of Good Hope • Columbus, 1492 (Spanish/Italian) - first of four voyages to “New World” • Vasco De Gama (Portugal), 1498 - reaches India • Magellan (Portugal), 1519 - First Circumnavigation • James Cook (England), 1768-1771 - voyages in Pacific / Polynesia; end of era of Discovery The geographical knowledge acquired was crucial to the expansion of European political and economic power in the 16th Century.

  16. Captain James Cook

  17. Industrial Revolution 1733, First Cotton Mill opens in England 1793, Eli Whitney invents cotton ‘gin 1800, steam engines become common (steamboats, locomotives) 1837, Morse and two Brits, independent of Morse ) invent telegraph 1908, Henry Ford delivers first Model T 1945, First Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima Geographic Effects? Migrations? Land use?

  18. Global Communications and Transportation Revolution Technology: • Containerization of Cargo (1950s) • Inexpensive International Air Transport (1960s - present) • Internet and earlier Arpanet (1960s) • Personal Computer (1980s) • Satellite Communications (1990s) Geographic Effects?

  19. Human Population Growth World Population Clock

  20. Globalization • The increasing interconnectedness of different parts of the world through common processes of economic, political, and cultural change. The economic, cultural, and environmental effects of globalization are highly contested. Panama, 1997

  21. Transnational Corporations • These companies conduct business in many countries, moving products and capital rapidly across national borders.

  22. End of Slides

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