Second edition by Robert B. Marks
Welcome to a brief history of the modern world as we know it, and how it came into existence. Over the course of less than six centuries through globalization, the rise and fall of empires, revolutions, the discovery of The New World, war, trade, slavery, disease, geography and several other factors this book provides, you will come to understand the progression to the modern world.
The Biological Old Regime was a time in which the population was controlled by the agriculture. Most people of this time lived on the land and produced food for themselves. The land was mostly rural and lack of availability to produce food from it lead to centuries of population waves. The climate also played a major role in food production. The Agricultural Revolution which started in modern day Iraq known then as the Fertile Crescent lead to a change in society from hunter-gathers to agriculturalist. Raising their own animals and growing their own food which lead to a surplus in food. That allowed certain social groups to eat without having to produce food. Which led to taxes by the ruling elite. From this cities and towns arose where the elite could separate themselves from the agriculturists while providing them with protection. Through writing the development of accounting, calendars, and population census came about. Cities were not self-sufficient so they often traded with others. The world began to make great changes after the discovery of the New World. It linked the eastern part of the world with the western part and every part in between developing new oceanic routes and a world trading system. The New World gave Europe a valuable commodity in silver in which they were able to trade for goods. At this time China had better and cheaper manufactured goods and were the most technologically advanced. But they did not have a fuel source. The Industrial Revolution and its labor saving devices