2000 Years of World History: The history of human civilization told in one breath, unrestricted by national boundaries. Written for the general aud/Chao C. Chien
Descriere
Description2000 Years of World History is a new presentation of the history of the world. The history of the world's civilizations is told in one continuous run with minimum emphasis on the separation of nations. National histories serve the needs of individual nationals. American history deals with those events considered significant to America, and likewise French history focuses on those that have meanings to the French. However, studying the histories of the Americans, the French, and others does not equate with studying the history of the world. No nation is an island. Past events of a country, its history, were intrinsically interwoven with those of other countries, be it through cultural exchange (the spreading of the knowledge of paper-making, use of gun powder, etc.), diplomatic intercourse (evangelizing of religions, the opening of Japanese ports by Matthew C. Perry, etc.), or conflict (no example needs to be given).National histories, because of their preoccupation with national interests, often place secondary emphasis on events beyond that scope, and that can lead to bias; bias in the sense that our understanding of such events can take on a skewed perspective. This prejudice can further be slanted due to nationalism. That is the root of the Walter Benjamin quote: "History is written by the victors." The writers of national histories tend to shine their nations in good light. That leads to the coloring of good and evil, and right or wrong. The fact is, historical events should not be understood in such moralistic terms. They should be presented as facts-not even interpretations of facts, but facts based on evidence. We should let the history users draw their own conclusions on these events of the past and make their own moral determination, rather than imposing on them our notion of moral values. An example would be the ongoing conflict in Syria. The United States is backing the rebels against the Syrian government, and the president of Syria, Bashar Hafez