Nature, Characteristics and Value of History

World History PART I: CONTENT UPDATE I. NATURE, CHARACTERISTICS AND VALUE OF HISTORY a) History is the story of man through the ages, his failures as well as his achievements b) Nature of History a. It attempts to assess, interpret and give recognition to the achievements of people It is constant controversy because historians view events from different perspectives b. Historical interpretations vary because events are considered in terms of its occurrence in time and place. c) Characteristics of History as a Discipline a. Content-oriented b. Process oriented c. Value oriented d) Value of History a. Best expressed in this saying "Knowing the past makes it easier to understand the present and less difficult to visualize the future". e) Elements of History a. Place (Geography) - location, topography, etc. affect economic development, scientific advancement, political and social systems are belief system evolved by men b. Time - people's achievement and failures are judged in the context of the period in which they live in. c. Man - the dynamic factor in History. The chief cause of the human actions is due to the nature of human being itself. II. PRE-HISTORIC PERIOD: Primitive Times. - Paleolithic Age Neolithic Age Metal Age III. HISTORIC PERIOD: - Traces the development of civilization. Ancient Period ASIA and AFRICA = cradles of civilization 1. Early civilizations developed in the river valleys a) Mesopotamian civilization (or Fertile Crescent) - along the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers b) Egyptian civilization - along the banks of the Nile River in Africa c) Indian civilization - in the valleys along the Indus River d) Chinese civilization - along the yellow river (or Huang Ho River) 2. Early religions originated in Asia a) b) c) d) e) f) Hinduism-India Zoroastrianism - Iran (formerly Persia) Judaism - Israel (formerly Palestine) Christianity - Israel (formerly Palestine) Islamism - Saudi Arabia Buddhism - India 3. Important achievements or contributions of Ancient world to civilization: A. Oriental/Eastern world 1) Mesopotamia or Fertile Crescent -- comprised of different groups Sumerians - invention of wheels; irrigation system; cuneiform writing Babylonians - unification of city states in the Fertile Crescent under Hammurabi and formulation of the Code of Hammurabi Assyrians - organized or highly centralized government Chaldeans - under Nebuchadnezzar, rebuilt the City of Babylon; built the Hanging Gardens; made Hebrew captive in what was known as the Babylonian Captivity Hebrews - settlers in Palestine (presently Israel) from the tribe of Abraham who spread the monotheistic idea (worship of one God Yahweh); Moses, a descendant of Abraham was given the Mosaic Law (Ten Commandments) by God Phoenicians - settlers of Phoenicia (presently Lebanon) who were known as ancient world's great maritime traders who gave us the alphabet of 22 letters (known as Phonetic alphabet) Persians - established the first world empire whose territory is presently known as Iran; adopted the teaching of Zoroaster 2) Egypt Built the great pyramids; invented a form of writing known as hieroglyphics; known for mummification; devised a calendar of 365 days 3) India Earliest inhabitants were Dravidians who had an organized system of settlements in Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. Aryan invasion and their settlement along the Indus River valley later gave them identity as Hindus. Hinduism evolved from the merging of Dravidian and Aryan manner of worship, main features of which are reincarnation and a rigid social class known as Caste System. 4) China Name derived from Chin dynasty founded by Shih Huang Ti who was also responsible for the construction of the Great Walls. China is also credited for the invention of printing press; for requiring civil service exams for government officials; invented gun powder; produced silk and was known for its great philosophers, Confucius (golden rule); Lao Tzu (Taoism) and Mencius. B. Western World 1) Greece A. Hellas - early name and its civilization was termed Hellenic B. Athens and Sparta - famous city states (polis) C. Homer - famous author of (Iliad and Odyssey) D. Solon, Cleisthenes and Pericles - famous Athenian reformers who laid the foundation of a democratic system of government E. Famous / Significant events: -Persian war - Athens led the Greeks in repulsing Persia -Petoponnesian War" was fought between rival Greek states Athens and Sparta. Sparta prevailed -Macedonian invasion - invasion of "barbaric" Macedonians led by Philip II who eventually became Master of Greece. His son Alexander the Great succeeded him. F. Golden Age of Greece - 5th to 4th Century BC) - attained by Athens after the Persian War. Famous personalities: Pericles, statesman, Demosthenes, orator, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, philosophers; Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes (dramatists); Herodotus (Father of History), Thycydides and Xenophon - historians; Colonium, architect of the famous Parthenon G. Alexander the Great - Successor of Philip of Macedonia, tutored by Aristotle and extended Greek empire to the East. He was responsible in blending Hellenic culture with the East and such combination was referred to as Hellenistic culture. After his death, the empire broke up into Egypt, Syria and Macedonia and by 150 BC the Romans conquered Greece. 2) Rome Romulus - legendary founder of Rome in 753 BC Etruscans - established a strong monarchy in the 6th century but their autocratic rule led to their downfall when the Romans overthrew them Romany established a Republic Two classes of people: Patricians and Plebeians Senate - the ruling body in the Republic but dominated by Patricians (upper class) Twelve Tables -a legislation which gave Plebeians (lower class) equal participation in government Punic Wars-fought by Rome against Carthage and resulted in Rome's acquisition of Spain a group of continued the First Triumvirate (Julius Caesar, Pompey, Cassius) military leaders responsible for the expansion of Rome Second Triumvirate (Anthony, Lepidus, Octavius) work started by the First Triumvirate Octavius (later known as Augustus Caesar) - was responsible for further expansion of Rome; bestowed the title "Prince?" (First citizen); crowned the first emperor of the Roman Empire under whose reign. PAX ROMANA prevailed Weak successors later split the empire into two: Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman Empire (later known as Byzantine Empire. Fall of Rome (476 A.D.) was due to the attack of Teutonic Germanic tribes. Only the Western Empire fell. Eastern Roman Empire gained strength and later on flourished as the Byzantine Empire. Medieval Period 1. Dark Ages - ushered in the Middle Ages. Barbarians from Germany dominated the Western Roman Empire after Its fall thus the grandeur of Rome was lost. 2. Franks - barbaric tribe that settled in Gaul (presently France). Their conversion to Christianity inspired them to restore Europe into a civilized world again. Charles Martel defended Europe from being dominated by the Moslems, Under Charlemagne; France expanded its territory at the same time spreading the Christian faith. In recognition of his work for the Church, he was crowned by the Pope and was given the title Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. 3. Supremacy of the Christian Church - Pope, the head of the Church was looked up to by rulers of kingdoms - Church was responsible in reviving education because monasteries had kept literary works and works of arts - The Church through its officials received material favors from monarchs and noblemen such that the Church became wealthy. 4. Feudalism - social, economic and political system characterized by strong lord and vassal relationship where the lord gave protection to the vassal and the vassal rendered services to the lord (act of fealty) Chivalry - in reference to the trait expected of a Knight where he had to manifest refinement in manners and courage and commitment in the defense of his lord. Manorial system - where economic activities revolve around agriculture to generate income for the lord. 5. Crusades - A series of military expeditions by the Christians of Western Europe during the 11th and 13th century to take back the Holy Land (Jerusalem) from the Muslims. 6. Guild System Modern Period 1. Renaissance - this movement to revive the study of Graeco-Roman classics ushered in the modern times. Humanism of the Greeks and Romans was revived such that liberalism characterized this period. 2. Age of Revolutions: a. Intellectual Revolution - started with the age of enlightenment or age of reason b. Scientific Revolution - where discovery and inventions took place This ushered in the Age of Discovery and exploration of territories. c. Industrial Revolution - marked by change in economic life. Hard labor was replaced by machineries. Industrial Revolution started in England and it is still in progress today. Commercial Revolution was an offshoot of Industrial Revolution. d. Political Revolution - This revolution is aimed at changing government. This was an offshoot of the spread of liberal ideas. Two Famous revolutions; French Revolution (1789-1799); American Revolution (1775-1783). e. Religious Revolution - Reformation - a move started by Wycliffe and Hus and pursued by Martin Luther aimed at reforming some practices of the Christian Church. Counter-reformation - a movement undertaken by the Catholic Church to reform its own ranks. GLOBAL WARS World War I - immediate cause was the assassination of Archduke Frances Ferdinand of Austria on June 28, 1914. Warring groups: Triple Entete (Allied Powers) composed of England, France and Russia; Triple Alliance (Central Powers) composed of Germany, Austria and Turkey. United States declared neutrality but joined the Allied Powers when Germany torpedoed the British ship "Lusitanian" where several Americans were on board. World War II (1939-1945) - war of ideology (Democracy vs. Totalitarianism). Immediate cause was invasion of Poland by Hitler on September 1, 1939. Warring groups were: Allied Powers (England, France and Russia) and Axis Powers (Germany, Italy and Japan). Axis powers advocated Totalitarianism (Hitler's Nazism; Mussolini's Fascism and Hirohito's Totalitarianism). United States entered the war in 1941 when Japan bombed its biggest military base in the Pacific on December 8, 1941. US entry turned the tide of the war in favor of the Allied Powers to where US sided. Germany and Italy readily surrendered in early 1945- War finally ended after US decided to drop atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 when Japan refused to peacefully surrender. Postwar Period - characterized by cold war between US (democracy) and USSR (communism). Cold War is a state of diplomatic tension or war of nerves without resulting to actual fighting. Struggles for supremacy between US and USSR were manifested in Korean War (North and South Korea). Benin Crisis (East and West Germany); Vietnam War (North and South Vietnam); Space race; Arms Race. In 1949 Mainland China came under communist rule when Mao TseTung successfully entrenched himself in power, President Chang Kai-Shek was forced to go in exile in Taiwan (Formosa) and continued to administer the nationalist government there. This conflict between Mainland China and Taiwan raised the issue of "One China or Two China policy". League of Nation was replaced by United Nations in October 24, 1945. 1991 saw the disintegration of USSR when Mikhail Gorbachev advocated the "glasnost and "perestroika". East and West Germany also united. As the world moved towards the 21st century, globalization was pursued. The five areas emphasized are: 1. Globalization of markets 2. Globalization of communication 3. Globalization of culture 4. Globalization of ideology 5. Political globalization September 11, 2001 - the world was shaken when the World Trade Center in New York City US was destroyed where thousand of people died. Suspected brain of such terrorist attack was Osama Bin Laden who to this day is still being hunted. I. Asian Studies A. Asia: Geographical features and its development Geographical Features World's largest continent (17,139,000 sq. miles – nearly1/3 or the earth’s land). Geographically it is compact and unified Boundaries: Ural mountains from Europe; Red Sea and Suez Canal from Africa It is a continent of physical contrast Mt. Everest, world's highest mountain (29,028 ft); Dead Sea (1,292 ft. below sea level) as the lowest Term Asia was derived from an early Aegean term ASER which meant "sunrise". ASIA was first used by Pindar, a Greek poet. Regional Divisions of Asia South Asia - centered on the Indian subcontinent. It includes India, Pakistan. Ceylon, Afghanistan, Himalayan kingdoms of Nepal, Bhutan and Indian protectorate, Sikkim Southeast Asia -- a relatively recent term that came into usage during World War II. It covers Burma (Myanmar), Thailand. Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and Philippines East Asia - China and Taiwan (Formosa), Korea, Japan. This region is more often referred to as Far East by the Westerners because it is the part of Asia Southwest Asia - known to Westerners as the Near East for these are countries nearest to Europe. More recently, Westerners refer to this region as Middle East for it is midway between Western Europe and East Asia. These include Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. People's Republic of South Yemen, Kuwait and the Tracial States. B. Asia in World History Asia is the biggest continent It has very important economic potentials (varied resources) It also has demographic potentials - more than half of the world's population is in Asia where there is low death rate. high birth rate and longer life expectancy Asia was the seat of the world's civilization Asia's nationalism is a powerful force which is shaping the future of Asia and the world Asia is the home of religions C. Pre-historic Asia 1. Earliest man - Asia is said to be the place which has yielded the greatest number of fossils of simian species. Ramapithecus fossils were discovered in Pakistan and in the Yunnan Province in China. Ramapithecus fossils is said to be the closest to man. - Earliest man's capacity for production was Shown through the development of tools. Technology divides the evolutionary period of culture into: •Stone Age •Bronze Age •Iron Age - Activities engaged in during Stone Age: food gathering, hunting. Mastery of fire was a great step in man's emancipation from the environment 2. Peopling of the Pacific was the greatest feat of colonization. Migration took place in Southeast Asia, Australia and its island neighbors in the great Oceans (Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia) D. Birth of Civilization -Bronze Age (3,000 BC - 1800 BC) saw the birth of civilization -Early civilization started in the river valleys: Tigris-Euphrates - Mesopotamia Nile - Egypt Indus - India Yellow River - China -Characteristics / Indicators of Civilization existence of political system -division of labor / occupation became specialized system of writing -organized trade -existence of class structure - monumental architecture -representational art Development of religions a) b) c) d) e) f) g) Hinduism Buddhism Christianity Islamism Judaism Zoroastrianism Shintoism - India India Israel Saudi Arabia Israel Persia (presently Iran) Japan E. Warrior Groups Responsible for the Unification of the Peoples of Asia 1.HUNS (from Neolithic Period to about 1200 A.D.) also known as ‘Hsiung Nus’ Horse riding people, semi-nomadic who attempted to move towards the fertile lands of China. They were based in Mongolia then extended to Manchuria, Central Asia and even reached as far as the Slavic territories to Germany and Spain in the 5th century. Greatest leader was Attila who upon reaching Rome was persuaded by Pope Leo the Great to give up his plans to take Rome. 2. MONGOLS Based in Central Asia (near Lake Baal), they lived in small groups of few families. Basic social and political units were patriarchal dans: spiritual life was focused on loyalty to cian. Polygamy necessitated the acquisition of wives outside of the clan and in most cases, wives were obtained through seizure. Genghis Khan (or Chinggis Khan) was formerly known as Temujen. He acquired the name Genghis or Chinggis (meaning "universal ruler") after successful conquest were made by him. His empire extended as far as Middle East and Europe. They were noted for espionage and psychological warfare 3. OTTOMAN TURKS – 11TH Century Original home near Gobi dessert, Siberia and Turkestan. "Ottoman" was derived from the third caliph Osman. They moved westward into Europe. Great leader was Sulaiman. Contribution of the Warrior Groups: 1. Advanced the knowledge of metallurgy 2. Evolved different political systems 3. Fostered international trading F. Development of Empires 1. Persian Empire (West Asia) Recognized as the first biggest empire, especially during the time of Cyrus, Captivity of Babylon, the capital of the Chaldean empire in 539 BC signified the ascendancy of this Aryan race over the older cultures. The empire included the Iranian Plateau, the Fertile Crescent, Anatolia, Sogdania, Egypt (conquered by Cambyses). Darius moved westward through the Balkans only to be repulsed by the Greeks in the famous Battle of Marathon. Eastward, Persian reached as far as Punjab in India. - Persian empire was known for its organized political system where the empire was divided into political units known as satrapes ruled by satraps. This satrapes could be the equivalent of present day provinces. Zoroastrianism was advocated most especially during the time of Darius, when he declared that sovereignty was granted to him by Ahura Mazda because he advocated this god's teaching which was to act righteously and justly to all men. Lengua franca was Aramaic, serving as language of official communication - Persia developed a system of communication by providing road network where messengers of the Great King rode back and forth from satrapes 2. Indian Empire (South Asia) - - Indus valley civilization (Harappa and Mojendro Daro) was disintegrating in 1500 BC when Aryans entered north-west of India. Aryans or Indo- Aryans were descendants of Indo-Europeans (from North Iranian plateau) Empire building was credited to the Mauryan Dynasty (321-183 B.C.), although to some historians, the Nanda dynasty laid the foundation of empire building but this was cut short by Chandragupta Maurya who usurped the throne and in him the imperial idea materialized. Political system was similar to that of Persia where the empire was divided into provinces for administrative purposes. Hinduism evolved - which was a religion that blended the aborigines (Dravidians) manner of worship and the Aryans religious beliefs and practices. Brahmannical theories influenced the characterization of Kingship Caste system was institutionalized where Indian society was divided into Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra. In 6th century BC, opposition to the rigidity of the Caste system led to the development of Buddhism and Jainism. Buddhist propagated a new concept of Dharma which emphasized tolerance and non- violence. During the reign of Asoka (3rd century BC) Buddhism was accepted because he himself had become a zealous follower. He used the Buddhist religious principles for secular purposes such that his reforms were focused on humanity in internal administration and the abandonment of aggressive war. He termed his territorial expansion as conquest of Righteousness. G. Development of Trade - Commerce between Europe and Asia began as early as the first century A.D. - Trade / Commerce was conducted through land routes and sea routes - Trade centers between 200 AD to 1500 AD were: 1. Mediterranean - West Asian Trade Complex 2. Central Asia Trade Complex 3. Strait of Malacca - Indo China Trade Complex 4. Indian Ocean Trade Complex Effects of the expansion of Trade 1. 2. 3. 4. Spread of sericulture or silk culture (The Chinese were called "Seres" or "Serices" by the Romans. These two terms may have originated from the Chinese word for silk) By the 3rd century A.D. Korea and Japan acquired the knowledge of sericulture and by the 6th century Byzantium teamed the secret of sericulture Buddhism spread to China and to the rest of Southeast Asia and Far East Christianity and Islamism found their way to China and other parts of Asia By 7th century centers of power were: o Tang Dynasty China 5. o Islam West Asia o Byzantine (Turkey) West Asia Trade played an important role in defining Asia and Asian civilization to the Western word: Earliest reference to Asia was made by Herodotus who wrote about the "nomad synethians who dwelt in Asia" Western world perceived Asia as the source of silk, spices and various exotic products Asia and Europe were linked. Goods were exchanged and migration of people took place Asian religions were spread to different parts of the world Culture was enriched II. Asia's Transition A. Age of Exploration and Discovery in Europe 1. European countries set out to explore lands for economic and military reasons. 2. Territories greatly affected were the Americas, Africa and Asia. B. Imperialism in Asia - Most countries in Asia came under colonial rule particularly those in Southeast Asia, except Thailand China was under "sphere of influence." Korea (hermit Kingdom) and Japan went out into isolation to avoid the influences of western countries but eventually were opened to allow Western countries to trade with them. C. Asia's involvement with the West dragged her into 2 global wars. In World War II Japan actively led the war in the Pacific on the side of the Axis Powers. Japan occupied most of the territories in Southeast Asia. D. After World War ft, colonies occupied by Japan came again under Western rule but were eventually given independence. Korea was divided; so with Vietnam due to ideology (Democracy advocated by USA and Communism by USSR) E. Experiences from colonial rule changed the outlook of most people in Asia. III. Great Contribution of Asia to Civilization A. Architecture and Engineering: - Great Walls - China (initial construction by Shin Huang Ti) Taj Mahal - India (constructed by Shah Jahan) - Hanging Garden - Babylon (by Nebuchadnezzar) Pyramid - Egypt (in Ancient Times, Egypt was considered part of the Orient) B. Form of Writing: - Hieroglyphics-Egypt Cuneiform-Mesopotamia Sanskrit - India C. Religions - all major religions and many other minor religions of the world originated in Asia D. Empire building E. Great Philosophers: Confucius, Lao Tzu, Mencuis