This title explores world history from approximately 500 C.E. to the present. Entries cover the social, political, scientific and technological, economic, and cultural events and developments that shaped the modern world.

Table of Contents

• Civilizations of Africa
• List of Illustrations
• Topic Finder
• Preface
• The Most Diverse Continent
• Map of Modern Africa
• African Union
• Agriculture
• Algeria
• Apartheid
• Art and Architecture
• Aswan High Dam
• Boer War
• British Colonies in Africa
• Civil Wars
• Colonization
• Communist Movements
• Congo
• Culture and Traditions
• Democratic Movements
• Drought
• Economic Development and Trade
• Egypt
• Environmental Issues
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Famine
• French West Africa
• German Colonies
• Imperialism
• Independence Movements
• Italian Colonies
• Language
• Liberia
• Literature and Writing
• Migration
• Nigeria
• Pan-African Movement
• Portuguese Colonies
• Refugees
• Religion
• Rwanda
• Slavery and the Slave Trade
• Society
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Sudan
• Suez Canal
• Technology and Inventions
• Tools and Weapons
• Tutsis and Hutus
• Uganda
• Glossary
• Selected Bibliography
• Civilizations of Europe
• List of Illustrations
• Topic Finder
• Preface
• Europe: A Peninsula of Peninsulas
• Map of Modern Europe
• Absolutism
• Agriculture
• Andalusia (Muslim Spain)
• Art and Architecture
• Austria-Hungary
• Balance of Power
• Charlemagne (ca. 748–814)
• Christianity
• Cities and Urbanization
• Cold War
• Communism
• Crusades
• Culture and Traditions
• Democracy and Democratic Movements
• Economic Development and Trade
• Enlightenment
• Environmental Issues
• Exploration
• Fascism/Nazism
• Feudalism
• France
• Franks
• French Revolution (1789–1799)
• Germany
• Glasnost
• Great Britain
• Holocaust
• Holy Roman Empire
• Industrialization
• INTO THE 21ST CENTURY: West Germany's Industrial Miracle
• Italy
• Jews and Judaism
• Language
• Literature and Writing
• Mercantilism
• Nationalism
• Papal States and Papal Power
• Pogroms
• Reformation
• Religion
• Renaissance
• Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union
• Slavery and the Slave Trade
• Social Welfare State
• Society
• Spain
• Technology and Invention
• Tools and Weapons
• Ukraine
• Velvet Revolution
• World War I (1914–1918)
• World War II (1939–1945)
• Glossary
• Selected Bibliography
• Civilizations of the Americas
• List of Illustrations
• Topic Finder
• Preface
• The New Continents
• Map of the Modern Americas
• Agriculture
• American Revolution
• Argentina
• Art and Architecture
• Brazil
• Canada
• Civil Rights Movement
• Colonization
• Communist Movements
• Cuba
• Cuban Missile Crisis
• Culture and Traditions
• Democracy
• Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA)
• Economic Development and Trade
• Environmental Issues
• Exploration
• Falkland Islands
• First Nations
• French and Indian War
• Government
• Haiti
• Illegal Aliens
• Immigrants and Immigration
• Inuit
• Language
• Latin American Revolutions
• Liberation Theology
• Literature and Writing
• Manifest Destiny
• Mexican Revolutions
• Missionaries
• Native Americans
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
• Organization of American States (OAS)
• Panama Canal
• Quebec Separatist Movement
• Religion
• Russian Settlements
• Slavery and Slave Trade
• Social Reform Movements
• Society
• St. Lawrence Seaway
• Technology and Inventions
• Tools and Weapons
• United States
• Glossary
• Selected Bibliography
• Civilizations of the Middle East and Southwest Asia
• List of Illustrations
• Topic Finder
• Preface
• Introduction
• Map of the Modern Middle East and Southwest Asia
• Abbasid Dynasty
• Agriculture
• Arab League
• Arab-Israeli Conflict
• Armenian Genocide
• Art and Architecture
• Baghdad
• Balfour Declaration
• Byzantine Empire
• Camp David Accords
• Crusades
• Culture and Traditions
• Economic Development and Trade
• Environmental Issues
• Gaza
• Gulf States
• Intifada
• Iran
• Iranian Revolution
• Iraq War
• Islam
• Israel
• Istanbul
• Jerusalem
• Jordan
• Language
• Literature and Writing
• McMahon-Hussein Agreement
• Mecca
• Medina
• Nationalism and Independence Movements
• Oil
• Ottoman Empire and Turkey
• Palestinian Issue
• Refugees
• Religion
• Saudi Arabia
• Slavery and Slave Trade
• Society
• Syria
• Technology and Inventions
• Terrorists, Stateless
• Tools and Weapons
• West Bank
• World War I
• World War II
• Yemen
• Zionism
• Glossary 150
• Selected Bibliography 153
• Civilizations of Asia and the Pacific
• List of Illustrations
• Topic Finder
• Preface
• Modern Challenges in Ancient Lands
• Map of Modern Asia and the Pacific
• Aboriginal Peoples
• Afghanistan
• Agriculture
• Art and Architecture
• Australia
• Bangladesh
• Brunei (Brunei Darussalam)
• Cambodia
• China
• Colonization
• Communism
• Culture and Traditions
• Democracy and Democratic Movements
• Economic Development and Trade
• Environmental Issues
• Great Leap Forward
• Imperialism
• India
• Indian Nationalism
• Indonesia
• Japan
• Korea
• Language
• Laos
• Literature and Writing
• Manchuria
• Maori
• Micronesia
• Myanmar (Burma)
• Nationalism and Nationalist Movements
• New Zealand
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Polynesia
• Refugees
• Religion
• Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)
• Singapore
• Slavery, Slave Trade, and Piracy
• Society
• Spheres of Influence
• Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
• Taiwan
• Taliban
• Technology and Inventions
• Thailand
• Tibet
• Vietnam
• Weapons
• World War I
• World War II
• Glossary
• Selected Bibliography