Concise Atlas of World History

by Patrick O'Brien

Overview

Synthesizing exceptional cartography and impeccable scholarship, the Atlas of World History traces 12,000 years of history with 450 full-color maps and over 200,000 words of text. Its outstanding features include:
* More than 200 illustrations and tables
* Longer essays on worldwide trends, political developments, and military conflicts, highlighting the most significant socioeconomic, cultural, and religious themes for five pivotal historical periods
* Devotion to the rich past of Africa, Asia, and the Americas
* Cross-references and an 8,000-entry index with alternative name forms permitting movement through regions and time periods with the utmost of ease
The Atlas of World History is sure to appeal to a wide audience of history and geography buffs and scholars, as well as students.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195219210
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/07/2002
Edition description:	Concise
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	11.70(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.25(d)

Table of Contents

	Foreword	10
	The Ancient World	12
	The Human Revolution: 5 Million Years Ago to 10,000 BC	16
	From Hunting to Farming: Asia 12,000 BC-AD 500	18
	From Hunting to Farming: Europe 8000-200 BC	20
	From Hunting to Farming: Africa 10,000 BC-AD 500	22
	From Hunting to Farming: The Americas 12,000-1000 BC	24
	From Hunting to Farming: Australia and the Pacific 10,000 BC-AD 1000	26
	The First Civilizations: Mesopotamia and the Indus Region 4000-1800 BC	28
	The First Civilizations: Egypt 3500-2180 BC and China 1700-1050 BC	30
	Civilizations in Mesoamerica 1200 BC-AD 700	32
	Cultures in South America 1400 BC-AD 1000	34
	The Mediterranean and the Gulf Region 2000-1000 BC	36
	Empires and Traders 1200-600 BC	38
	Classical Greece 750-400 BC	40
	The Achaemenid and Hellenistic World 600-30 BC	42
	The Birth of World Religions 1500 BC-AD 600	44
	First Empires in India 600 BC-AD 500	46
	First Empires in China 1100 BC-AD 220	48
	Peoples of Central Asia 6000 BC-AD 500	50
	Eurasian Trade 150 BC-AD 500	52
	The Roman Empire 500 BC-AD 400	54
	Barbarian Invasions of the Roman Empire 100-500	56
	The Medieval World	58
	Religions of the Medieval World 600-1500	62
	Kingdoms of Southeast Asia 500-1500	64
	The Byzantine Empire 527-1025	66
	The Spread of Islam 630-1000	68
	The First Slavic States 400-1000	70
	East Asia in the Tang Period 618-907	72
	Frankish Kingdoms 200-900	74
	Peoples of the European Steppe 350-1000	76
	The Vikings 800-1100	78
	States and Trade in West Africa 500-1500	80
	States and Trade in East Africa 500-1500	82
	Civilizations in Mesoamerica and South America 500-1500	84
	East Asia 907-1600	86
	The Muslim World 1000-1400	88
	The Holy Roman Empire 962-1356	90
	France, Spain and England 900-1300	92
	The World of the Crusaders 1095-1291	94
	The Decline of the Byzantine and Rise of the Ottoman Empires 1025-1500	96
	The Mongol Empire 1206-1405	98
	The Economy of Europe 950-1300	100
	Urban Communities in Western Europe 1000-1500	102
	Crisis in Europe and Asia 1330-52	104
	Europe 1350-1500	106
	Cultures in North America 500-1500	108
	The Inca and Aztec Empires 1400-1540	110
	The Early Modern World	112
	The European Discovery of the World 1450-1600	116
	Europeans in Asia 1500-1790	118
	Spain and the Americas 1492-1550	120
	The Colonization of Central and South America 1500-1780	122
	The Colonization of North America and the Caribbean 1600-1763	124
	Slave Economies of the Western Hemisphere 1500-1880	126
	The Growth of the Atlantic Economies 1620-1775	128
	The Rise of European Commercial Empires 1600-1800	130
	European Urbanization 1500-1800	132
	The Development of Science and Technology in Europe 1500-1770	134
	Africa 1500-1800	136
	Ming and Manchu Qing China 1368-1800	138
	Tokugawa Japan 1603-1867	140
	The Ottoman and Safavid Empires 1500-1683	142
	India Under the Mughals 1526-1765	144
	European States 1500-1600	146
	The Expansion of Russia 1462-1795	148
	Sweden, Poland and the Baltic 1500-1795	150
	The Habsburg Empire 1490-1700	152
	The Reformation and Counter Reformation in Europe 1517-1648	154
	Revolution and Stability in Europe 1600-1785	156
	The Development of Warfare in Europe 1450-1750	158
	The Age of Revolutions	160
	The American Revolution 1775-83	164
	Revolutionary France and Napoleonic Europe 1789-1815	166
	The Industrial Revolution in Britain 1750-1850	168
	The Industrialization of Europe 1830-1914	170
	Revolution and Reaction in Europe 1815-49	172
	The Habsburg Empire: Expansion and Decline 1700-1918	174
	The Unification of Italy and of Germany 1815-71	176
	The Decline of the Ottoman Empire 1683-1923	178
	Russian Territorial and Economic Expansion 1795-1914	180
	The Westward Expansion of the United States 1783-1910	182
	The American Civil War 1861-65	184
	The Industrial Growth of the United States 1790-1900	186
	The Development of Canada 1763-1914	188
	Independence in Latin America and the Caribbean 1780-1830	190
	Latin America and the Caribbean Post-Independence 1830-1914	192
	The British in India 1608-1920	194
	Southeast Asia in the Age of Imperialism 1790-1914	196
	Late Manchu Qing China 1800-1911	198
	The Modernization of Japan 1867-1937	200
	The Development of Australia and New Zealand Since 1790	202
	Africa 1800-80	204
	The Partition of Africa 1880-1939	206
	World Trade and Empires 1870-1914	208
	World Population Growth and Urbanization 1800-1914	210
	The Twentieth Century	212
	The Build-Up to the First World War 1871-1914	216
	The First World War 1914-18	218
	Outcomes of the First World War 1918-29	220
	The Russian Revolution 1917-39	222
	The Republic of China 1911-49	224
	Latin America 1914-45	226
	The Great Depression 1929-33	228
	The Rise of Fascism 1921-39	230
	The Second World War in Europe 1939-45	232
	The War in Asia 1931-45	234
	The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe 1945-89	236
	Western Europe Since 1945	238
	The United States Since 1900	240
	The Role of the United States in the World Since 1945	242
	The Cold War 1947-91	244
	The Breakdown of Empires Since 1945	246
	South Asia Since 1920	248
	Southeast Asia Since 1920	250
	Japan Since 1945	252
	The People's Republic of China Since 1949	254
	Africa Since 1939	256
	Latin America Since 1945	258
	The Middle East Since 1945	260
	The Former Republics of the Soviet Union Since 1989	262
	Eastern Europe Since 1989	264
	United Nations Peacekeeping Since 1945	266
	Human Rights Since 1914	268
	The Position of Women Since 1914	270
	The World Economy Since 1945	272
	Changes in Population Since 1945	274
	Patterns of Health and Ill-Health Since 1945	276
	Standards of Living Since 1945	278
	The Changing Environment Since 1945	280
	Transport and Communication Since 1945	282
	Timecharts	284
	Events, People and Places	308
	Index	340
	Bibliography	364
	Acknowledgements	368

Editorial Reviews

This useful resource is also dangerously absorbing, allowing readers to pore over charts, maps and short articles on such subjects as the golden age of Athens, the 16th-century expansion of the Mughal Empire through India, the foreign policy of Mao Zedong and the break-up of the Soviet Union. This overview of human history, with 450 maps and 160 illustrations, begins with the emergence of Homo sapiens and culminates with the post-WWII era, moving among various regions of the globe in chronological order. It's divided into sections on ancient, medieval, early modern, Enlightenment and 20th century history, with easy-to-read two-page entries covering such subjects as "Barbarian Invasions of the Roman Empire, 100-500" and "The Development of Australia and New Zealand Since 1790." The section on postwar life includes charts showing migration patterns, female enfranchisement, distribution of wealth across the globe and changes in the environment. O'Brien, a professor at the London School of Economics, has done a fine job editing this concise edition, an excellent gift book for students of history. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

A synopsis of the world's political, social, and economic history, this title contains 450 color maps, as well as some other photographs and illustrations. Each of the five major chapters-"Ancient World," "Medieval World," "Early Modern World," "Age of Revolutions," and "Twentieth Century"-begins with a general introduction, followed by two-page segments summarizing different geographic regions and major trends or events. The book ends with an extensive index and a bibliography. The maps illustrate battles, conquests and exploration, trade, agriculture and industry, political boundaries, conflicts and colonies, urbanization and migration, and the spread of languages and religions. Given its tremendous scope, the text functions primarily as an overview, with the maps providing the real value. Therefore, it is puzzling that maps are not listed; a subject classification of maps would have greatly enhanced the book's usability. Despite the air of objectivity, certain omissions are noteworthy, e.g., in the segment on Latin America since 1945, the Cuban Revolution is relegated to an image caption, and mention of Colombia is curiously missing in the map on U.S. intervention in the region. Likewise, U.S. political intervention to further its economic objectives in the Middle East is altogether omitted, while the "War on Terrorism" and the events of 9/11 receive marked attention. Suitable for high schools, this may be too simplistic for students on the university level.-Anna Youssefi, Rice Univ. Lib., Houston, TX Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-This well-designed atlas is divided into five parts: "The Ancient World," "The Medieval World," "The Early Modern World," "The Age of Revolutions," and "The Twentieth Century." More than 450 color maps illustrate major themes and events of history; some photographs are included. Within the separate sections, an effort has also been made to look at religion, economic welfare, trade, technology, health, and human rights. The extensive index is cross-referenced, and the four-page bibliography is organized by topic, then continent. This concise edition is exactly the same as the original publication (Oxford, 1999), minus the time charts and the encyclopedic entries for 600 significant events, people, and places. The index was not modified to reflect all these omissions. To accommodate this edition's smaller size, the font has been significantly reduced, making it difficult to read. Stick with the original.-Peg Glisson, Mendon Center Elementary School, Pittsford, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

This reference presents the story of humanity as it evolved in its physical setting. From the first homo sapiens to the present, it presents the latest research into Asian, African, South and North American and European history. Each section deals with a particular era (the ancient, medieval, and early modern worlds; the age of revolutions; and the 20th century) and begins an introduction pointing out the main themes of the period, followed by coverage of the specific regions and events with maps, text, illustrations, and captions. Contains cross-references, and about 600 illustrations (color maps, photographs, and diagrams). Oversize: 9x11.5<">. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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