-
1206: The Mongol Empire, which was the largest contiguous land empire in history, was founded. The Mongol Empire stretched from the edges of Europe all the way to China in the East. Ghengis Khan rose to power and headed the empire, and after this their long reign was started. This foundation led to the empire’s historic strength, and their infamous invasions and reign. This was a political change in the global environment.
-
The Dehli Sultanate was formed in 1206, which changed India politically by bringing in foreign political practices to a previously only Indian political landscape.
-
1270: The end of the Crusades. The Crusades were a political change in European and Asian societies, and they were an attempt to free the Holy Land from the Muslims. While this was not successful, it did lead to cultural diffusion and an increase of trade within the regions, which was another economic change.
-
1279: The Song Dynasty ended. The Song Dynasty reigned in China during what is widely considered to be China’s golden age, as many technological advancements were made and the empire was prosperous. Trade was high and things such as the compass were invented. This was a political and economic change for the citizens of the Song Dynasty.
-
1295: Marco Polo’s travels ended. Marco Polo traveled the Silk Road and wrote about it, and because of this the Asian culture which had long been overlooked by Europeans then became a known element of the world to the Europeans. This was a cultural change for both Asian and European societies.
-
The Ottoman Empire was important to the development of the world because it was a large hub of trade and culture in Asia, and their development impacted not only the inhabitants of their empire but also those all over the world.
-
1312: Mansa Musa came to power. Mansa Musa’s gain of power in Mali, and economically and politically changed the kingdom. He made cities more prosperous and under his rule the economy developed even further.
-
1325: Ibn Battuta started his travels. Ibn Battuta was a Muslim scholar, and created a social change around the world through his travels and spread of his culture with who he interacted with. His travels encouraged the promotion of Dar al Islam around the world.
-
Tenochtitlan was the capital of the Aztec people, and it made an economic change to the surrounding area because it became a place of economic wealth for the people of the area, and became a center for trade.
-
1346: The Black Plague starts. The Black Plague originated in Europe and spread across the world, and killed on a massive level. This was an environmental change for the citizens at this time, and hurt the world economically as well.
-
Zheng He was a Chinese explorer in the 15th century. His voyages displayed China's power and influence to the rest of the world and established ties with islamic nations.
-
The lateen sail attributed to Arab mariners was a significant advancement in maritime exploration as it allowed for an easy maneuver between directions.
-
Sultan Mehmed II led conquest to capture Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine empire, from christians.
-
Christopher Colombus’ voyage across the Atlantic to the Americas sponsored by the Spanish royalty paved the way for European colonization in the western world.
-
Vasco de Gama established a trading post in Calicut on the west coast of India. This was a major center of trade in the 15th century.
-
A process of reformations in the christian faith during the 16th century led by Martin Luther and John Calvin that resulted in the founding of protestantism.
-
As a result of the Columbian exchange, European colonizers brought smallpox disease to Native Americans, decimating the populations.
-
After conquering the Punjab, Prince Babur led his army in a battle to overthrow the Delhi Sultanate and establish the Mughal dynasty and empire in India.
-
A group of Daimyo under the power of Ieyasu ended the civil wars in japan and founded the military shogunate rule.
-
Manchu forces from north east China invaded Ming china and established the Qing dynasty under emperor Shunzhi.
-
The Enlightenment(1685 - 1815): People began looking to humans, rather than a deity, to solve their problems. John Locke discussed life, liberty, and property as core rights that a government cannot take away without due cause from anyone; community and government must work together. Since the Enlightenment challenged old ideas, this created tension in society. These ideas influenced the revolutions that were soon to come. People were fighting to end slavery and women wanted suffrage.
-
Imperialist countries began to justify their reasoning for taking over colonies, one of them being Social Darwinism. They saw international relationships as contests in which the fittest survived. This justified imperialism, because imperialists told themselves that their conquests were natural. The other main motives were exploration, economic expansion, increased political power, the diffusion of ideological beliefs, and the spreading of religious beliefs and practices to others.
-
The reasons in some ways were simple: the world population grew and transportation methods advanced. Most migrants were moving within or from Europe and Asia and many were laborers. Migrants often worked on plantations in the Caribbean or the Indian Ocean. Imperialism also facilitated these long-distance migrations. Many migrants moved within empires, such as Vietnamese workers in French Indochina moving to Paris or indentured Indian laborers moving from to British East Africa.
-
Agricultural productivity was increasing in the late 1700’s. Started in Great Britain because they had natural resources and were in a good location; also were politically positive at the time. People moved to urban areas in search of work and there were fewer farmers since technology with that was increasing. This led to an increased standard of living because consumers could buy goods at cheaper prices.
-
Great Britain was taxing the colonies because they were in debt from the Seven Years War. At first, the colonies just wanted representation but a common ground was never found. Colonial leaders issued the Declaration of Independence. This document was inspired by Enlightenment ideals, and it listed a series of grievances the colonists had with the British monarchy. Along with French assistance, the colonists won the war and their independence.
-
The Estates General consists of Three Estates: clergy, nobility, and commoners. Each estate had equal voting power, thus causing the commoners to be outvoted and get taken advantage of regarding taxation. The Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen looked to guide the French people toward natural rights, equality, and a representative government that derived its authority from the people.
-
Haitians were inspired by the success of the American and French Revolutions. People enslaved by the French colony revolted against the white masters in 1791. Toussaint L’Ouverture led maroon communities (various groups across the island) against the French authorities. Leaders redistributed land to formerly enslaved people.
-
When China outlawed the importation of opium from British-controlled India, the British government went to war with China to force them to accept these addictive drugs sold by their merchants. Britain’s victory in the First Opium War (1839-1842) not only allowed British firms to sell opium in China but also granted Britain special trading rights in China and led to Hong Kong, an island just off the coast of southern China, becoming a British colony.
-
In 1857, Indian soldiers employed by the East India Company with support of the leaders of independent Indian states rebelled against British control. This event is known by many names, including the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Great Rebellion of 1857, First Indian War of Independence, Indian Mutiny, and Sepoy Mutiny. The British defeated this rebellion, leading to India becoming a crown colony, as the British Parliament declared the Queen of England to also be Empress of India.
-
Japan had self-imposed isolation for approximately 200 years (from roughly 1650-1850) because they valued their own traditions over foreign influence. Around 1850, U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry, with the power of industrialization behind him, sailed to Japan and demanded trading rights. This starts the Meiji Restoration, which involves Japan modernizing and industrializing. Japan ended feudalism and unified as a nation under a constitutional monarchy.
-
The Cherokee Nation was a new state formed in response to imperialism at the beginning of this period. At the end of the period, with the United States, a much more powerful state, the Ghost Dance movement on the Great Plains used a new religious vision to oppose cultural imperialism.
-
The overthrow of the Qing, China’s last imperial dynasty. The revolution was followed by a period of political chaos culminating in the Chinese Civil War, in which the communist People’s Liberation Army, led by Mao Zedong, defeated the anticommnist Kuomintang, led by Chiang Kai-Shek, expelling them to the island of Taiwan. (political)
-
The Russian Revolution began with the abdication of Russia’s last Tsar, Nicholas II. His abdication was followed by a provisional government, which was weak and failed to effectively govern Russia. On October 25, 1917, Marxist revolutionaries, lead by Vladimir Lenin overthrew the provisional government, declaring the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the world’s first communist state, which eventually became the Soviet Union. (political)
-
Women's suffrage: The Women’s suffrage movement in America was a long fight for women to gain the right to vote and in 1919 the movement was successful in rallying enough support for the 19th amendment which was officially ratified in 1920.
-
USSR Five-Year Plans: In order to industrialize and keep up with Western Europe and the United States, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin instituted a series of economic plans which had the goal of rapidly increasing industrial development and collectivising agriculture. The plans lead to widespread famine, especially in Soviet Ukraine, where the majority of the USSR’s agricultural production took place. (Economic)
-
Known to German totaliarian dictator Adolf Hitler as the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question”, the Holocaust was the state-sposored genocide of around six million Jews, alongside other groups such as the disabled, homosexuals, and prisoners of war.
-
The atomic bomb, an unparalleled horrific weapon, was used twice during World War II by the US against Japan. It signaled the beginning of a new era of fighting, an era of total war.
-
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is a military alliance between the United States, Canada, much of Western and central Europe, Greece, and Turkey. It was created primarily to stop the spread of communism. It was the first peacetime military alliance between Europe and the US. West Germany’s decision to join NATO in 1955 drove the Soviet Union to create the Warsaw Pact.
-
Korean War: Fought between 1950-1953, the Korean war was an armed conflict fought between the US-backed Republic of Korea led by dictator Syngman Rhee and the USSR-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, led by communist leader Kim il-Sung. The Korean War, along with the Congolese crisis, is a perfect example of a “proxy war.” The US’s involvement in the war was mainly to show ideological domination over communism.
-
The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance between the Soviet Union and the various “people’s republics” of Eastern Europe, such as Romania and Czechoslovakia. It stationed Soviet defense forces in these countries. Not only did it serve as a barrier between the Soviet Union and the capitalist West, it also served as a way for the USSR to consolidate power in its satellite states.
-
Much like the Soviet Union and its Five Year Plans, the Great Leap Forward was an attempt by Mao Zedong’s Communist government to bring the newly founded People’s Republic of China’s economy up to par with the US and Western Europe. Unlike the Soviet method, the Great Leap Forward principally emphasized manual labor as opposed to machinery. The Great Leap Forward failed miserably, and, with the help of three consecutive years of poor harvest, caused widespread famine in China.
-
1971 Greenpeace was established in Canada to oppose nuclear testing in Alaska. greenpeace has since become a leading organization in the fight for climate change action.
-
HIV AIDS EPIDEMIC: 1981 aids originated in America and spreads across the globe, with no cure yet, aids was a deadly disease in the 80s but is now treatable.
-
Glasnost and Perestroika were political and economic reforms respectively which were instituted by the USSR’s last leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. Glasnost, meaning “openness,” allowed Soviet citizens to be somewhat more critical of the Communist Party and the government, while Perestroika, or “restructuring”, intended to reform the Soviet economy. These reforms, contrary to their intentions, actually hastened the collapse of the Soviet Union.
-
End of Apartheid: Apartheid in South Africa was the discrimination on the basis of race and it was legal until anti-apartheid movements opposed the system of institutionalized racism and in the 90s apartheid was made illegal.
-
In 1997 the First form of a Social Media platform was created called SixDegrees.com where people could create profiles and network with other people online.