Readings & Flowcharts

  • Outline of History
  • Prehistory — Prehistory, the rise of civilization, and the ancient Middle East to c.500 B.C.E
    • Prehistory to c.3000 BCE — Unit 1: Prehistory and the rise of Civilization to c.3000 B.C.E.
      • FC1 — Biological, Cultural, and Technological Evolution in History
      • FC2 — A Possible Scenario of Human Evolution
      • FC3 — A Possible Scenario for the Evolution of the Family and Gender Roles
      • FC4 — The Birth of Agriculture and its Effects
      • FC5 — The Domestication of Animals and its Effects
      • FC6 — The Rise of Cities and Hydraulic Civilizations (c. 8000-3000 BCE)
      • FC6A — Festive Dancing and its importance in History
      • FC6B — The Evolution of Early Civilized Warfare
      • FC7 — The Birth of Writing and its Impact
      • FC8 — The Birth of Metallurgy and its Impact
    • The ancient Middle East — Unit 2: The ancient Middle East (c.3000-323 B.C.E.)
      • FC9 — Farmers, Nomads, and the Spread of Civilization
      • FC10 — The Sweep of Mesopotamia's History (c.3000-529 BCE)
      • FC11 — The Cycles of the Nile & Egyptian History
      • FC11A — Egypt's Old and Middle Kingdoms (2850-2052 B.C.E.)
      • FC11B — Egypt's New Kingdom and Final Decline (1778-525 BCE)
      • FC12 — The Indus River Civilization and the Pattern of India's History
      • FC13 — Masters of the Sea: The Phoenicians (c.1200-500 BCE)
      • FC14 — The Israelites (c.2000-500 BCE)
      • FC15 — The Persian Empire (c.550-330 BCE)
      • FC16 — The Impact of Disease on Early Civilizations
  • Birth of Western Civilization — Birth of Western civilization: Greece, Rome, and Europe to c.1000 CE
    • The Ancient Greeks — Unit 3: The Ancient Greeks
      • FC17 — Bronze Age Greece: the Minoans & Mycenaeans (c.2500-1100 BCE)
      • FC18 — The Dark Age of Greece & the Rise of the Polis (c.1100-750 BCE)
      • FC19 — The Rise of Greek Democracy (c.750-500 BCE)
      • FC20 — The Rise of Sparta to 500 BCE
      • FC21 — Early Athens to c.500 BCE
      • FC22 — Greek Philosophy from Thales to Aristotle (c.600-300 BCE)
      • FC23 — The Delian League and the Athenian Empire (478-431 BCE)
      • FC23A — The Persian Wars (480-478 BCE)
      • FC24 — The Decline & fall of the Greek Polis (431-336 BCE)
      • FC24A — The Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE)
      • FC25 — Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic era (336 BCE-31 BCE)
    • Rome — Unit 4: Rome
      • FC26 — The Impact of Geography on Ancient Italy
      • FC27 — The Etruscans & their influence on Rome (c.800-500 BCE)
      • FC28 — The Roman conquest of Italy (c.500-265 BCE)
      • FC28A — Rome's Wars of Conquest in Italy (366-265 B.C.E.)
      • FC29 — The Roman conquest of the Mediterranean (264-133 BCE)
      • FC29A — Rome versus Carthage: The Punic wars (264-201 BCE)
      • FC29B — Further expansion of Roman Power (200-133 BCE)
      • FC30 — The problems of Empire
      • FC30A — The Flow of Power in the Roman Republic
      • FC31 — The Fall of the Roman Republic (133-31 BCE)
      • FC32 — The Augustan Principate (31 BCE-160 CE)
      • FC33 — The Pax Romana & spread of Roman civilization
      • FC34 — The near collapse of the Roman Empire (160-284 CE)
      • FC34A — The Consolidation of the Germanic Threat (c.100-300C.E.)
      • FC35 — Diocletian's reforms & the later Roman Empire (284-395)
      • FC36 — The collapse of the Western Roman Empire (395-c.500)
    • The Early Middle Ages — Unit 5: The Early Middle Ages
      • FC37 — The rise of the Christian Church to c.300 CE
      • FC38 — The impact of the Church's triumph (c.300-500)
      • FC39 — The Mediterranean's transition to the Middle Ages
      • FC40 — The rise of the Franks (c.500-841)
      • FC40A — Muslim Trade Links and the Rise and Fall of the Carolingian Empire
      • FC40B — The Stirrup and its Effects
      • FC41.1 — Economic Collapse After the Fall of Rome (c.500-700 CE)
      • FC41.2 — The Collapse of Political Order in Western Europe (c.800-1000 CE)
      • FC42 — The Vikings and their impact (c.800-1000 CE)
      • FC43 — Anglo-Saxon England (c.500-1066)
      • FC44 — The Byzantine Empire (c.500-1025)
      • FC45 — The decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire (1025-1453)
  • Classical Asia — Classical Asia to c.1800 C.E.: Islam, India, China, and Japan
    • The Islamic World — Unit 6: The Islamic World
      • FC46 — The rise of the Arabs & Islamic civilization (632-c.1000)
      • FC46A — The Origins of the Sunni-Shi'Ite Split
      • FC46B — Muslim civilization in Spain (711-1492)
      • FC47 — Arab math and science to c.1000
      • FC48 — The rise of the Seljuk & Ottoman Turks (c.1000-1565)
      • FC49 — The decline of the Ottoman Empire (1565-1918)
    • Indian History & Civilization — Unit 7: Indian History and Civilization
      • FC50 — The development of Indian civilization (1500-500 BCE)
      • FC51 — India from the Maurya to the Gupta dynasties (500 BCE-711 CE)
      • FC52 — The coming of Islam to India (711-c.1800)
    • Early Chinese Civilization — Unit 8: Early Chinese Civilization
      • FC53 — Early China (1500-221 BCE) and the recurring pattern of Chinese history
      • FC54 — The Qin and Han Dynasties (221 BCE-220 CE
      • FC55 — The parallel impacts of disease on Chinese and Roman history
      • FC56 — The Sui and T'ang dynasties (220-906 CE)
      • FC57 — The Sung & Mongol dynasties (906-1368)
      • FC58 — The Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-c.1800)
    • The Rise of Japanese Civilization — Unit 9: The Rise of Japanese Civilization
      • FC59 — The development of early Japan to c.700 CE
      • FC60 — Japan's Heian & Samurai eras (c.700-1338)
      • FC61 — Civil war & reunification by the Tokugawa dynasty (1338-1639)
  • Revival of the West — Revival of the West c.1000-1500 C.E.
    • High & Later Middle Ages — Unit 10: The High and Later Middle Ages in Europe
      • FC62 — Urban revival in Italy (c.800-1200)
      • FC63 — The agricultural revolution in medieval Europe
      • FC64 — The rise of towns in Western Europe (c.1000-1300)
      • FC65 — Leagues & Guilds in Western Europe
      • FC66 — Rise of the medieval Papacy (c.900-1300)
      • FC67 — The Crusades & their impact (1095-1291)
      • FC68 — Rise of the French monarchy (c.1000-1300)
      • FC69 — Anglo-Norman England (1066-1300)
      • FC70 — The Holy Roman Empire of Germany (911-c.1500)
      • FC71 — The Black Death and its Impact (c.1300-1450)
      • FC71A — The Changing Status of Women in the Late Middle Ages
      • FC72 — Schism & heresies in late medieval Europe (1347-c.1450)
      • FC73 — The Hundred Years War (1337-1453)
    • The Renaissance — Unit 11: The Renaissance
      • FC74 — The invention of the printing press and its effects
      • FC75 — The Economic recovery of Europe (c.1450-1600)
      • FC75A — The Birth of Banking
      • FC76 — The Italian Renaissance (c.1400-1550)
      • FC77 — An overview of Western Art (c.1400-1950)
      • FC77A — The Revolution in Renaissance painting
      • FC78 — The Northern Renaissance (c.1500-1600)
      • FC79 — The rise of the nation state during the Renaissance
    • The Age of Exploration — Unit 12: The Age of Exploration (c.1400-1900)
      • FC80 — Geopolitical factors in the rise of Europe
      • FC81 — Early voyages of Exploration (c.1400-1550)
      • FC82 — The Portuguese Empire in the East (c.1500-1600)
      • FC83 — The later voyages of exploration (c.1550-1900)
    • Reformation & religious wars — Unit 13: The Age of Reformation and religious wars (1517-1648)
      • FC84 — The roots and birth of the Protestant Reformation
      • FC85A — The Reformation fragments I: Zwinglianism & Anabaptism
      • FC85B — The Reformation Fragments II: Calvinism
      • FC85C — The Reformation's impact on political ideas
      • FC86 — The Catholic Reformation
      • FC87 — The Age of religious wars (c.1560-98)
      • FC88 — An overview of the Thirty Years War (1618-48)
      • FC88A — The early stages of the Thirty Years War (1618-31)
      • FC88B — The later stages of the 30 Years War (1631-48)
    • Absolute Monarchies in Europe — Unit 14: The rise of absolute monarchies in Eastern and Western Europe (c.1600-1700)
      • FC96C — The English Revolution From the Restoration Monarchy to the Glorious Revolution (1660-1688)
      • FC96D — A Comparison of English & French Histories in the 1600S
      • FC89 — The Comparative Geographies and Histories of Eastern and Western Europe
      • FC90 — Hapsburg Austria Resurgent (c.1650-1700)
      • FC91 — Brandenburg-Prussia & the Roots of Modern Germany (1640-88)
      • FC92 — The Geography and Patterns of Russian History
      • FC92A — The Early History of Russia to 1725
      • FC93 — The Rise of the Dutch Republic in the 1600's
      • FC93A — The "Tulipmania" of the 1630s
      • FC94 — Laying the Foundations for Absolutism in France and Europe
      • FC95 — The Age of Louis XIV, the "Sun King" (1643-1715)
      • FC96 — The English Revolution: (1603-88)
      • FC96A — James I, Charles I, and the Road to the English Civil War (1603-1642)
      • FC96B — The English Revolution: From Civil War to Military Dictatorship (1642-60)
    • The Age of Enlightenment — Unit 15: The Age of Enlightenment
      • FC97 — The Birth of Modern Science
      • FC98 — Unravelling the Mysteries of the Heart: William Harvey and the Discovery of the Circulatory System
      • FC99 — From Faith to Reason: Deism and Enlightenment Philosophy
      • FC100 — Enlightenment Political & Social Ideas
      • FC100A — Enlightenment Salons and the Changing Role of Women
      • FC101 — The Rise of the Modern State in Enlightenment Europe
      • FC102 — The Flow of Ideas in the Enlightenment
      • FC103 — Balance of Power Politics in the Age of Reason (1715-1789)
  • The Early Modern Era — The Early Modern era (1500-1789)
    • The Age of Revolutions — Unit 16: The Age of Revolutions (1789-1848)
      • FC108 — Revolution and Reaction in Europe (1815-1848)
      • FC108A — The Vicious Cycle Affecting Latin American History
      • FC104 — The Roots of the French Revolution
      • FC105 — Analyzing the French Revolution and Revolutions in General
      • FC105A — The Start of the French Revolution (July, 1789- July, 1790)
      • FC105B — The Revolution Heats Up (July, 1790-- Sept., 1792)
      • FC105C — Terror and Reaction (Sept, 1792-Oct., 1795)
      • FC105D — The French Revolution's Impact on Military Tactics
      • FC105E — The Results of the French Revolution
      • FC106 — Napoleon and his Impact (1799-1815)
      • FC106A — The Rise of Napoleon (1795-1808)
      • FC106B — Napoleon's Years of Triumph and Fall (1800-1815)
      • FC107 — Prussian Reforms in the Napoleonic Era and Their Impact
    • The Industrial Revolution — Unit 17: The Industrial Revolution
      • FC117A — A Brief History of Surgery
      • FC109 — The Agricultural Background to the Industrial Revolution
      • FC110 — The Technological Background to the Industrial Revolution
      • FC111 — The Start of the Industrial Revolution in Britain (c.1750-1800)
      • FC112 — Railroads and Their Impact (c.1825-1900)
      • FC113 — The Social Impact of Industrialization
      • FC114 — The Rising Status of Women in the Late 1800's
      • FC115 — Socialism and the Marxist View of History
      • FC116 — The Spread of Industrialization Beyond Britain (c.1850-1900)
      • FC116A — The Cycle of Foreign Investment and the Spread of Industrialization
      • FC117 — The Quickening Pace of Technological Change (c.1850-1900)
    • Nationalism & imperialism — Unit 18: Nationalism and imperialism in the Late Nineteenth Century
      • FC118 — Disease and the Decline of the Hapsburg Empire in the Late 1800's
      • FC119 — Nationalism and its Impact in Europe (1848-1914)
      • FC120 — The Unification of Italy (1848-1871)
      • FC121 — The Unification of Germany (1848-1871)
      • FC122 — European Imperial Expansion in Africa (c.1870-1914)
      • FC123 — British Rule in India (c.1600-1947)
      • FC124 — The Decline of Imperial China (c.1800-1911)
      • FC125 — The Emergence of Modern Japan (1868-1937)
  • The Early 20th Century — The upheavals of the early twentieth century (1914-45)
    • War & revolution — Unit 19: War and revolution in Europe (1914-20)
      • FC126 — The Causes and Outbreak of World War I
      • FC127 — Total War (1914-1918)
      • FC128 — The Results of World War I
      • FC129 — Background to the Russian Revolution
      • FC130 — The General Course of the Russian Revolution
      • FC130A — The Russian Revolution and Civil War (1917-20)
      • FC130B — The Communist Dictatorships of Lenin & Stalin (1920-39)
      • FC130C — A Comparison of the French and Russian Revolutions
    • Depression, Fascism, & world war — Unit 20: Depression, Fascism, and world war (1920-45)
      • FC131 — Post War Boom and Bust (1920-29)
      • FC132 — The Great Depression (1929-39)
      • FC133 — Benito Mussolini and the Rise of Fascism in Italy (1919-25)
      • FC134 — Adolf Hitler and the Rise of Nazism in Germany (1919-39)
      • FC135 — The Road to World War II (1919-39)
      • FC136 — World War II in Europe (1939-45)
      • FC137 — World War II in the Pacific (1941-45)
      • FC137B — The Evolution of the State in the Early Twentieth Century
  • The World Since 1945 — The World Since 1945
    • The Post-War World (1945-60) — Unit 21: The Post-War World (1945-60)
      • FC138 — A New Balance of Power and Cold War (1945-1948)
      • FC139 — New Rules for A New Game: the Evolution and Anatomy of Cold War Crises
      • FC140 — The Early Cold War (1948-53)
      • FC140A — Decolonization in South-east Asia after World War II
      • FC140B — India Since World War II
      • FC141 — Missed Opportunities: the Aftermath of Stalin's Death (1953-56)
      • FC142 — Postwar Conformity and the Seeds of Dissent in the 1950s
      • FC142A — The Beats and the Counter-culture cycle (c.1950- )
      • FC142B — The Evolution of the Supermarket and its impact
      • FC142C — A Short History of Advertising
      • FC142D — Background to the 1960s
      • FC143 — The Height of the Cold War (1957-72)
      • FC143A — The Vietnam War
      • FC144 — The Nuclear Arms Race (1945-2001)
      • FC145 — Fragmentation and Counterculture in the 1960s
      • FC145A — The Civil Rights Movement
    • Cold War & New World Order — Unit 22: The later Cold War and the "New World Order" (1970-2000)
      • FC146.1 — Israel and the Arabs I (1948-73)
      • FC146.2 — Israel and the Arabs II (1973-2001)
      • FC146C — Iran (1872-2006)
      • FC146D — Colonial and Post Colonial Egypt
      • FC147 — An Overview of the Chinese Revolution (1949- )
      • FC147A — A more detailed look at the Chinese Revolution
      • FC147B — China Since the Cultural Revolution
      • FC148 — Detente, Yuppies, and the 1970s
      • FC148A — The Women's Liberation Movement (1920-)
      • FC148B — The US and Latin America
      • FC148C — The Desocialization of America since 1945
      • FC149 — The 1980s and the End of the Cold War
      • FC150 — Globalization in the 1990S
      • FC151 — Colonial and Post Colonial Africa since 1870
      • FC151A — Colonial and Post Colonial South Africa
      • FC151B — Colonial and Post Colonial Somalia
      • FC151C — Colonial and Post Colonial Mozambique
      • FC151D — Colonial and Post Colonial Zambia
      • FC151E — Colonial and Post Colonial Ivory Coast
      • FC151F — Colonial and Post Colonial Senegal
      • FC151G — Colonial and Post Colonial Mali
  • US History
    • US1 — The Development of American Culture and Ideologies
    • US2 — The American Colonies & the British Empire (1607-1763)
    • US3 — Protest and Rebellion (1763-83)
    • US4 — The Constitution and Early Republic (1783-1812)
    • US5 — The War of 1812 & American Reform (1812-37)
    • US6 — The Market Revolution in the North and West (1815-55)
    • US7 — The South (1815-55)
    • US8 — Expansion and Sectional Tension (1846-61)
    • US9 — The American Civil War
  • Historical Parodies
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