Universal History
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History is the universal set of facts and processes that have been developed in the past of mankind. The discipline that studies the history of the world is history.

Table of Contents
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1 Origin of Humankind
2 Albores of civilization
2.1 Revolution farm
2.2 Social structure
2.3 Metals
2.4 Culture and religion
3 Civilizations and empires
3.1 Large ancient empires
3.2 empires of Eurasia.
3.3 Middle Ages in Eurasia
3.4 Africa before Europeans
3.5 America Precolombina
4 Interconnection of the world
4.1 Steps towards a unified world
4.2 Europe and the rest of the world: origin of imperialism
5 The industrial world
5.1 The great revolutions
5.2 Industrialismo and colonialism
5.3 Class middle and consumer society
5.4 Early human pressure on the environment
5.5 Wars world
6 Era Atomic and the information society.
6.1 The bipolar world
6.2 Exploration of outer space
6.3 Information Society
6.4 The globalized world
 


Origin of Mankind [edit]
Main article: Palaeolithic
The humans appeared on Earth for more than 400,000 years during the Paleolithic period. This followed a long period of evolution. At the time, the Earth was plunged into an Ice Age, with a colder climate rather than at present.

 
Human Migration around the globe (the numbers indicate the millennia BC)
The ancestors of humans, such as Homo erectus had used simple tools for millennia, but at this time, the tools have improved, they became more precise and complex. At some point, people started to use the fire for cooking and heating. They also developed the language, as well as funeral rites. During this period, all humans lived on hunting (in the first instance of carroñeo) and gathering, being nomads, the key element is not producing their own livelihood.

For some 50,000 years, humans set out to conquer the planet in different branches from Africa. A branch reached Australia. The other came to Central Asia, and then bifurcarse into two, one to Europe, and the other rose to cross the Bering Strait and came to America. The latest areas to be settled were the islands of Polynesia, during the first millennium AD.

The most literal creationists argue this scheme, based on the first chapters of Genesis, but the scientific evidence strongly supports not only the origin of man in Africa and its gradual expansion over the globe, but it has come to determine that the story of Genesis is an adaptation of ancient legends collected from the Mesopotamian epic of Gilgamesh, and thus could hardly have a divine content (though many do not want to accept).


Albores of civilization [edit]
 
Disc of Nebra sky

Agricultural Revolution [edit]
Main article: Neolithic
With the discovery of agriculture and animal husbandry man begins to cultivate various cereals such as rice, wheat and corn, or as potato tubers, in various regions of the globe between the fifth and sixth millennium BC Thus, no longer dependent on hunting, fishing and gathering, it becomes self-sufficient, and it allows you to take an inactive lifestyle (although certain activities such as grazing require the practice of nomadism or semi-nomadismo). In Japan we find an early development of aquaculture. Also changing dietary habits: it is discovered bread, and alcoholic beverages. As a clarification to read here before, we can add real future for the knowledge that plants like potatoes or potato, as it was originally met by the Spanish conquistadors discovered that the plateau cundiboyacence, where it is today Santa Fe from Bogota, capital of Colombia, after the foundation of Santa Marta on the Caribbean Sea, then transladandola towards Europe, like other palntas like corn, and many more that, like the first were exclusively from America, therefore before the discovery of a new continent, these hacian not part of the diet for the rest of the world known until then.

First Cities: Jericho, Catal Huyuk, El Obeid.
Related articles: urbanization, city.

Social structure [edit]
As urban settlements were growing, society became increasingly complex. Above farmers resulted in a class of merchants, soon sent expeditions to foreign lands and founded colonies to trade. Temples were also developed, which took its responsibility under the guidance of the different communities. Somewhat later emerges as a separate civilian power of the religious, embodied by the figure of secular kings working closely with bureaucracies priestly sometimes quite large: for example, the Egyptian pharaoh and the scribes.

One consequence of all this was the invention of writing, in several parts of the world simultaneously and independently, and that for the first time allowed the knowledge stored more safely than by the oral tradition, while allowing developing government bureaucracy. The first scripts were ideográficas, but quickly evolved into phonetic systems, the Phoenicians taking credit for creating the antecedent of the modern alphabet. Examples are the hieroglyphs or writing cuneiforme. The Inca empire was the ingenious solution of the quipus. In general, the majority of the peoples of the earth known scriptural or some system of symbols drawn or written around the year 1000 of the Christian era.

At the same time, development in navigation led to the first bold exploration expeditions. From Egypt departed expeditions to the country's Punt, and travelers Phoenicians reached England, and probably turned to Africa. For their part, the Polynesians began a slow and relentless march by the Pacific Ocean to colonize places as far away as Hawaii and Easter Island.

Related articles: Galera.

Metals [edit]
Main article: Age of Metals
In this period, men learned to work metal. This tool allows more durable and effective than those of flint and other stone materials. This will cut down forests for manufactured axes, swords for the war and new building materials. The first stage of this industry is in most parts of the planet chalcolithic around 4000 BC, it is the work of copper, then alloys of copper and tin or lead lead to bronze less malleable and harder, a great leap occurs with the foundry in high-temperature ovens iron. All of these metals were known to man pre-neolítico but he did not know the techniques for processing and handling, which require high temperatures. Previously it was thought that the peoples of the Age of Metals were prehistoric, but today we know that many of them were already highly civilized.

Steps of the Age of Metals: Copper Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age.
Related articles: Sword, plow.

Culture and religion [edit]
The first manifestations of religion arose because at the time of Neanderthal Man. They were associated with cults archaic practices type chamánicas. The first large-known religion was the worship of the Great Mother Goddess, dominant in Eurasia until well advanced the history of civilization. Walking time, with the development of society, patriarchal emerged cults. Also, as local cultures and rituals were entrecruzándose arose complex mythologies and epic cycles.

The development of writing enabled the emergence of cultural life. Thus was born the literature. The works are preserved oldest epics. Somewhat later comes wisdom literature. The scientific study of history is later, and we will have to wait until Greeks as Thucydides or Herodotus (V century BC) for which it is separated permanently from the literary and religious tradition.

The first major outbreak occurred philosophical toward the sixth century BC, when it agreed, and probably knew their respective doctrines, the figures of Pythagoras of Samos, Tales of Miletus, the Second Isaiah, Zarathustra, Buddha, Confucius and Mahavira. They are not the first in their respective traditions, but who agreed to a more "globalized" than their predecessors.

Science was the monopoly of the upper class, often priests, and the low people had no access to it. In this tiemmpo became the first astronomical observations, developed Medicine, and the need to measure the earth and accounting and tax business led to the development of Geometry and Arithmetic. The ancient Greeks even managed to lay the foundations of Algebra.

Ancient Religions: Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Atonismo, Buddhism, Hinduism.
Mitologías ancient Greek mythology, Babylonian mythology, Egyptian mythology, Chinese mythology, Japanese mythology, mythology Aztec, Inca mythology.
Epopeyas ancient epic of Gilgamesh, the Bible, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Ramayana.
Other related items: Prophet, Philosophy, Philosophy presocrática, Upanishadas.

Civilizations and empires [edit]
Main article: Ancient History

Large ancient empires [edit]
 
Great Pyramid of Giza
 
Machu Picchu
Since the Third Millennium BC arose great civilizations, creating empires ever larger. The main nucleus of civilization were:

Former China. Some rivers Yangtsé and Huang-Ho emerged culture Xia and Shang culture. This fell to the invaders Zhou, who ruled China during the first half of the first millennium BC. At the end of the period grew Zhou two major philosophies, Confucianism and Taoism. In turn, in the sixth century BC, is trizó in several kingdoms, which were consolidated for the first Qin and the Han Dynasty after 206 BC, it is called the First and Autumn period, and the Kingdoms Fighters.
Former India. In northern India, the Indo river, emerged the cities of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa. Their culture fell to the invading Aryans. India consolidated its position as a society of caste; started parallel development of a rich religious philosophy that concrete found in the Vedas and Upanishadas. In the late fourth century BC, a warrior named Chandragupta unified India, giving stability under the Maurya Empire.
Ancient Egypt. Around the River Nile emerged several Neolithic settlements, the nomos, that by the year 3100 BC They were consolidated into one great empire. The Egyptians, builders of the Pyramids among other things, lived isolated from the rest of the world until the invasion of the Hyksos. In response, the Egyptian army crossed the Sinai Desert and expanded to the Euphrates River, speaking squarely in the politics of the Middle East.
Mesopotamia. Successive settlements (El Obeid Eridu) led to the civilization, to the fourth millennium BC In the third millennium BC He stressed the civilization of the Sumerians, culture handed over to civil wars to be consolidated under warlords as Lugalzagisi, Sargón of Akkad, Urnammu and Hamurabi. After Hamurabi, which led to a climax Babylon, the region fell into the hands of the invaders kasitas, was depressed and culturally, to resurface in the Assyrian Empire.
Hatti. In the eighteenth century BC, Anatolia was dominated by the people of the Hittites, who created a vast empire that under Shubiluliuma and his successors, was able to compete with Egypt.
Crete and Mycenae. In the second millennium BC, on the island of Crete emerged talasocracia that ruled the Aegean until about 1,450 BC, when their capital was sacked by the Cnossos aqueos. The main settlements were aqueos Mycenae and Tiryns; became famous for the Trojan War, and finally succumbed against other invaders, dorios, by the year 1100 BC
Western Europe. A number of cultures were developed in Europe, leaving as the testimony megaliths, giant stone monuments such as Stonehenge. Around the year 1000 BC, the major settlements were Halldstat and La Têne.
Hebrews and Phoenicians. Finish the might of Egypt and Hatti, several cultures emerged in Palestine. The Jews were under strong Solomon, and dominated the Philistines, their eternal enemies installed on the coast, then fell, but the Bible bequeathed to posterity. On the coast of Lebanon flourished Phoenician, a town of merchants who sailed to England in search of trade, and whose scions of Carthage came to form a great empire: the Empire Cartaginés. In Syria were strong principalities Aramaeans, but later succumbed to the Assyrians, they survive their language far beyond the time of Christ.
Assyrian and Chaldean. By the eighth century BC Assyrians, a town in northern Mesopotamia, launched a vast military expansion against Palestine and even Egypt. In 612 BC They were defeated by a coalition led by the Chaldeans, the Empire Caldeo ruled Mesopotamia until 538 BC, when they were defeated by the Persians.
Ancient Greece. After a Dark Ages, when it flourished Homer and Hesiod, the Greeks launched a large geographical expansion, which led them to form colonies around the Mediterranean Sea. Jonia first, after Athens, Alexandria and the last were luminaries of civilization, where philosophers, scientists and artists held major intellectual creations.
Etruria.
Celts. The Celts were aposentaron in Western Europe during the First Millennium BC, and its culture spread from Spain to Poland, and from England to Turkey. Finally, were defeated by the Romans, and only one survived stronghold, in the remote Ireland, until it was wiped out by the Vikings.
See also:

Ancient Egypt: Zero Dynasty, Old Kingdom, mastaba, pyramid hieroglyphics type, pharaoh, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom.
Mesopotamia: Sumer, Empire Akkadian, Babylonian, Elam, kasitas, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persian Empire.
Ancient Greece: Crete, Mycenae, Troy, Dark Ages, Homer, Polis, Jonia, Medical Wars, Athens, Sparta.

Empires of Eurasia. [Edit]
Towards the end of the first millennium BC, for a number of circumstances, all civilized regions of Eurasia were combined in various empires:

Persian Empire. The Persians were an Indo-European people originating in Iran. His empire unified a large territory between Greece and India, including Egypt and Central Asia (Transoxiana), between the years 538 BC and 330 BC.
Realms Helenísticos. After the macedonian Alexander the Great conquered all the old Persian Empire and spread Greek culture, the region fell into the hands of several kingdoms, the most important being that of Lágidas (Tolomeos) in Egypt and the Empire Seléucida in Syria and Mesopotamia. Both remained, the first better than the second, until Roman times.
Roman Empire. The Romans came in the peninsula italics, and then imposed on Etruscan and Carthaginians, conquered the entire Mediterranean Sea, which governed in an unrestricted between 31 BC and 395, when the latter which fraccionó a definitive into two halves. At the same time, the Romans conquered the territories of Gaul, Hispania and Britannia, and came to control Germany for a while.
Childbirth sasánidas. Desplomado Empire Seléucida, the Kingdom Childbirth emerged in Persia, who ruled between 226 BC and 221. Deliveries in turn were succeeded by the sasánidas, whose rule lasted until the conquest of the Muslims in 651.
Bactria and Kushan. In Central Asia, for its part, sinking to the Empire Seléucida Greeks became independent and created the kingdom of Bactria, after which invaded India and destroyed the Maurya Empire. When the Greek kingdom of Bactria slumped in turn, were replaced by the Kushan Empire.
Han Empire. In an environment almost completely different apart from timid contacts for Central Asia, China was unified for about four hundred years by two dynasties, and Han Han Previous Post, among II centuries BC and AD II.
Saving the case of China, whose historical development ran across lanes aside, the centuries III, IV and V were of great political upheavals, partly because of the internal decay of the kingdoms, and partly because of pressure from the barbarians beyond its borders, like the Germans or the Huns. Of these shocks, only the Byzantine Empire (seriously breached between the time of Justinian and the Leo III Isaurio), the Empire Sasánida and Empire Gupta of India managed to survive. This collapse traditionally mark the passing of antiquity to the Middle Ages.

Ancient Rome: Etruscans, Roman Republic, Wars Púnicas, Roman Empire.

Middle Ages in Eurasia [edit]
Main article: Middle Ages
In the fall of great empires, great religions of ecumenical character, which transcended nationalism of primitive worship to become Religions open to all humanity, are transformed into engines of civilization of Europe and Asia: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and the Mahayana Buddhism. At its surrounding cluster is a new series of civilizations, from Ireland in the far west, to Japan in the East. The Christian world, after succumbing to the Germanic invasions, is divided into two branches: the Byzantine Empire to the east and west feudal world. Thus, Europe saw the so-called Middle Ages. All this happened in the passage of centuries IV to VII.

The activity of the prophet Muhammad, who preached between 610 and 632, galvanized tribes of the Arabian peninsula, who launched a series of military campaigns that lasted continuously for over a century (since the conquest of Mecca in 630 until the Battle River Sizes 751). We built a great empire, which spanned from Central Asia to Spain. Under the Arabic domain, many cultures, such as the Byzantine, Persian and Greek were mixed, and during the period of the Caliphate Abasida (750-1258), the Middle East experienced a period of great splendor. After the abasidas go into decline, with the outbreak of the Seljuk (tenth century), Islam continued to expand even more remote regions, including Central Africa or Indonesia, while its c