Sept 10 Flashcards
What is presentism in historical analysis?
A lens of looking at history with the bias of the current outcomes
Presentism can lead to anachronistic interpretations of historical events.
What is the primary focus of the first chapter of ‘Forging the Modern World’?
How trade and universal experiences shaped connections between nations
It distinguishes modern nations from empires or nations of the 15th century.
What does the term ‘modernity’ imply according to the text?
The act of making something, implying human action, whether deliberate or not
Examples include making products in factories or creating a mess.
How does Marx describe the relationship between people and history?
People make their own history, but not under circumstances they choose
This highlights the influence of existing conditions on historical agency.
What major characteristic defines the modern period in history?
A discernible break from the Middle Ages
This break signifies profound transformations in societal structures.
What time frame do historians typically use to define the modern period?
A roughly five-century period following the Middle Ages
This period is often divided into early modern (1500-1800) and late modern (1800-present).
What significant changes were evident in societies during the modern period?
Linked societies, population increases, technological achievements, and changes in state organization
These changes were driven by evolving modes of production and consumption.
What role do science and technology play in modernity?
They are central to the concept of modernity
Advances in these fields incentivized and built on societal changes.
According to Karen Armstrong, what made modern developments like democracy possible?
An industrial society with the means to duplicate resources indefinitely
This reflects the economic foundations of modern political structures.
What struggles are associated with modernity?
Struggles for justice, equity, and equality for oppressed groups
These social and cultural movements characterize the modern experience.
True or False: Modernity can be simply characterized as improvement.
False
History includes moments of regression and violent destruction, not just progress.
What is noted about the recorded history of the modern period?
It is extremely short compared to the thousands of years of the Middle Ages
Despite its brevity, the modern period has been marked by rapid and significant change.
What transitional period does the fifteenth century represent in a global perspective?
A newly emerging dynamism across Africa, Asia, and Europe
This contrasts with the view of the Middle Ages as stagnant.
What trade system emerged by the first century BCE that influenced the fifteenth century?
The Silk Roads system
It facilitated trade and cultural exchange across vast distances.
What types of goods and exchanges characterized the Silk Roads by the fifteenth century?
Trade in hides, wool, spices, and slaves, along with cultural practices, technologies, philosophies, and religions
These exchanges enriched isolated communities.
What urban development occurred during the late Middle Ages?
A growing and increasingly interconnected process of urbanization
This laid the groundwork for modern urban centers.
