Experiencing World History
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EXPERIENCING WORLD HISTORY EXPERIENCING WORLD HISTORY • Paul V. Adams, Erick D. Langer, Lily Hwa, Peter N. Stearns, and Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks a NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS new york and london NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London © 2000 by New York University All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Experiencing world history / Paul V. Adams . [et al.]. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8147-0690-8 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0-8147-0691-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. World history. I. Adams, Paul Vauthier. D20 .E975 2000 00-008518 New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. Manufactured in the United States of America 10987654321 CONTENTS Preface vii 1. Seeing World History as Human History 1 part i Human History from Origins through the Early Civilizations 21 Timeline 26 2. Human Population and Migration Patterns 28 3. Culture and Politics in Early Societies 49 4. Gender Structures: Introduction through Early Civilizations 66 5. Work and Leisure in the Preclassical Period 77 Epilogue 86 For Further Reading 89 part ii The Classical Period, 1000 b.c.e.–450 c.e. 91 Timeline 96 6. Populating the Earth 99 7. Culture and Politics in the Classical Period 117 8. Gender Structures in Classical Civilizations 141 9. Work and Leisure in the Classical World 155 Epilogue 170 For Further Reading 174 part iii The Postclassical Period, 450–1450 c.e. 177 Timeline 182 10. Populating the Earth, 500–1500 c.e. 185 11. Culture and Politics in the Postclassical Period 203 12. Gender Structures in the Postclassical Period 216 v • CONTENTS • 13. Labor Systems and Leisure in the Postclassical Period 232 Epilogue 248 For Further Reading 251 part iv Early Modern World History, 1450–1750 253 Timeline 256 14. Population of the Earth: Growth, Decimation, and Relocation 259 15. Culture and Politics in the Early Modern Centuries 284 16. Gender Structures, 1450–1750 294 17. Labor and Leisure in the Early Modern Period 309 Epilogue 321 For Further Reading 324 part v The Long 19th Century, 1750–1914 327 Timeline 330 18. Populating the Earth: Explosion, Migration, and New Controls 333 19. State and Culture in the Century of Imperialism 346 20. Gender Structures, 1750–1914 357 21. Work and Leisure amid Industrialization and Imperialism 370 Epilogue 386 For Further Reading 388 part vi The Contemporary Period, 1914– 391 Timeline 396 22. The Population Explosion of the 20th Century 400 23. Upheavals in Politics and Culture 423 24. Gender Structures, 1920–2000 445 25. Labor and Leisure in the 20th Century 459 Epilogue 475 For Further Reading 478 Index 481 About the Authors 497 vi PREFACE This book offers a distinctive approach to aspects of world history, focus- ing on how ordinary people experienced some of the big changes that re- sulted from the formation and evolution of civilizations and from larger global processes such as the spread of agriculture and the rise of missionary religions. A number of excellent world history textbooks already exist. Each has its own flavor, but it is fair to say that most cover some fairly stan- dard territory. This book attends to that standard territory—it briefly sums up conventional developments and can certainly be used in conjunction with other treatments—but concentrates primarily on a different domain, the domain of social history on a world scale. How people worked and played, how they reacted to the physical and biological environment, how they organized relations between men and women—this is the stuff of the treatment that follows. The result brings world history to a different level, combining a sense of some of the big shifts in global framework with an interest in the ways in which people lived. This is a genuine world history in the sense of focusing on a global ge- ography and a wide range of societies. It uses a familiar chronological framework, highlighting periods such as the classical age or the centuries of industrialization and imperialism. As world history with a difference, however, it joins with the other new discovery field in history—the field that has opened new understandings of issues such as male-female rela- tionships and the role of sports in leisure or as an expression of popular cul- tural values. This is an area that has been hard to fit into world history pre- viously because of a predominant focus on leading political systems, wars, and formal intellectual life. Bringing this area front and center inevitably recasts the way in which even standard world history features, such as the role of governments, can be understood. The authors thank a number of individuals who have helped the book along. Craig Lockard offered a useful critical reading of an earlier draft. vii • PREFACE • The staff at New York University Press and its editor, Niko Pfund, pro- vided vital encouragement and a host of practical supports. Joanne Ursen- bach assisted with manuscript preparation. Each author wishes also to thank her or his students in world history courses, who have provided guidance and (usually) enthusiasm as some of the newer approaches to world history have been worked out. viii • chapter 1 • SEEING WORLD HISTORY AS HUMAN EXPERIENCE How did the major passages in world history affect the experiences by which most people—the privileged and the ordinary alike—measure their lives? What did European contact with the Americas or the rise of Islam mean for men and women in distant areas, many of whom would never see an ocean or hear a muezzin’s call to prayer but would nevertheless be touched by these new forces? This book presents the framework of world history in terms of its impact on key facets of social behavior—the patterns of birth and death, the basic value systems by which people explain the world around them, relationships with government, interactions between men and women, and how people work and play. This focus captures two of the most exciting expansions of knowledge about the past in recent decades: the opening of world history itself and the rise of a social history aimed at exploring a range of behaviors and beliefs on the part of people at all levels of society. Introducing World History World history has gained ground for two basic reasons. First, we live in an increasingly interconnected world, in which knowledge about the ways in which other major societies have developed and about the evolution of in- ternational processes becomes increasingly vital simply to situate ourselves. Purely national history or even the history of a broader Western tradition is no longer sufficient. Second, improvements in available knowledge about other societies and about the rise of patterns such as international trade, cultural linkages, and even the spread of diseases make it possible to tell the world story. 1 • SEEING WORLD HISTORY AS HUMAN EXPERIENCE • The story is immense, and every world history account must be highly selective in what it emphasizes. World historians agree, however, on a num- ber of points that help make the task manageable. They emphasize the im- portance of human origins and early patterns of culture and migration, but they cover this framework usually in fairly sweeping terms. The first great change in the economic structure of the human species—the development of agriculture—provides an early landmark, followed by the establishment of civilization as a form of human organization. While groups that lived in different kinds of communities require attention, world history increas- ingly focuses on the nature of the most populous civilizations and the ways in which they interacted. In exploring world history and its main chronological periods, his- torians are pursuing three overlapping stories. The first story involves the gradual development of some similar human patterns, as people come to terms with changing environments. Every society, for example, has a language; every society has some kind of family structure to help organize reproduction and the raising of children. Every civilization has some kind of government. Every government, at some point, develops the idea of providing specific training for its officials and administering tests to try to make sure that talented officials are selected; when this happens varies greatly—China began the process over two thousand years ago, for example, whereas Western societies introduced their sys- tem over the past four centuries. But, despite differences in timing, there are many common features to the human record, and these must be conveyed. The second story involves the particular ways in which major civiliza- tions developed, the special twists they put on basic institutions of govern- ment, beliefs systems, social structures, even family arrangements. Because of distinctive environments and historical experiences, every civilization (indeed, every society, whether civilization or not) is unique in some ways, and the patterns of the largest societies, at least, must be conveyed. World historians acknowledge that they must omit detailed consideration of many interesting societies in order to focus on a manageable number. But they insist on the importance of civilizations as they emerged in every major inhabited area—various sites in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Amer- icas. They work on defining what the special flavor of each major civiliza- 2 • SEEING WORLD HISTORY AS HUMAN EXPERIENCE • tion was, how it compared to the features of its counterparts elsewhere, and how it changed over time. The third story focuses on the ways in which different societies inter- acted with each other, through trade, migration, cultural diffusion, delib- erate imitation, war, or explicit aversion. Certain kinds of interaction began very early in world history. Gradual contacts help explain, for ex- ample, how agriculture spread, for it was newly invented only in a few places around the world.