Course Overview
Why are students required to
study world history when they have already read the history of their own
country? The answer is both simple and complex. Knowledge of local history is
not sufficient for people who will spend their lives on a relatively small
interconnected planet. This class examines many of the events from 1750 to the
present era and considers their ongoing impact on the world community. The
course also addresses economic, political, social and cultural developments
which shape our thoughts and values. In short, to understand world history is
to understand our past, present and future.
SCIENCE CHALLENGES THE PAST
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STOP: Complete Section A Questions
Life in the Middle Ages (450 A.D. – 1200 A.D.)
For centuries Western Europe
relied on the Roman Empire for order, protection and principles. However, when
Roman roads and Roman laws collapsed, the Roman Catholic Church became the
civilizing force throughout all of Europe. Although the Church would
continuously battle to maintain its predominant position, it succeeded in
establishing monasteries, strengthening the powers of the Pope and overcoming
opposition of the Germanic tribes. For almost one-thousand years Europeans
based their thoughts, decisions and academic studies on the Bible. It became
the primary source for information during the Middle Ages, an era which also
became known as the Age of Faith.
Much of the scientific
inquiry of the Middle Ages centered on alchemy, a blend of chemistry,
philosophy and magic. However, the scientists of the ancient world continued to
be regarded as the ultimate authorities in their fields. The writings of
Aristotle, a Greek philosopher and physicist, were accepted without question.
His theory that there could be no movement without a force gained the approval
of the Roman Catholic Church since it fit the concept that God moved the
universe. Ptolemy, a Roman citizen of Egypt, remained the world’s most noted
astronomer for centuries after his death. He advocated the idea that the earth
was the center of the universe with the planets and the sun following circular
patterns around it. The medieval knowledge of medicine was also based on the
writings of the past. Galen, who served a doctor to gladiators and the Roman
Emperor Marcus Aurelius, theorized that the liver was the most significant
organ in the human body and believed that the heart pulled blood from the veins
and did not pump it to the rest of the body. Although this concept was
eventually found to be incorrect when dissection became an accepted form of
scientific study, Galen’s writings made valuable additions to the medical
field. Even though most people in the Middle Ages looked to the past and the
Bible for knowledge and direction, the fourteenth century saw the beginnings of
change.
STOP:
Complete Section B Questions
Causes of the Scientific Revolution
The Scientific Revolution, an
era in which many new discoveries emerged in science and philosophy, did not
change established beliefs overnight. It began by affecting only a few scholars
and philosophers. However, the movement eventually spread to all people and
continues to impact our current worldview. Several factors led scientists to
challenge old, familiar theories and to develop new ones. Scholastic
institutions, such as Oxford University in England, the University of Padua in
Italy and the University of Paris in France, began to include courses in
mathematics, physics and astronomy as part of their standard curriculum. As the
Renaissance unfolded throughout the fourteenth through the seventeenth
centuries, it focused attention on living in the current world rather than
preparing for heaven. The Reformation, which demanded changes in the Roman
Catholic Church and eventually led to the formation of new churches, supported
the questioning of traditions and concepts.
Exploration also encouraged
the Scientific Revolution. In 1484, for example, Portugal appointed a
commission of mathematicians to research and to improve navigational tables for
sailors. This also resulted in a variety of new scientific instruments such as
the barometer, thermometer and telescope. The expansion of trade brought an
exchange of ideas with both Islamic and Oriental cultures. Fueled by the
invention of the printing press, the rise of modern science created an
international scientific community linked by common interests and values.
Governments also recognized the financial benefits of research and funded
national academies of science. The English crown set a precedent for this when
King Charles II granted a charter to the Royal Society of London to continue
its experiments and recording of data in the area of natural science.
STOP:
Complete Section C Questions
Why Europe?
Why did the Scientific
Revolution take root in Europe rather than other parts of the world? Arab
scholars gained an impressive array of knowledge in the areas of medicine,
mathematics and astronomy from 800 to 1400. In the centuries following the year
1000, China experienced economic growth as well as technological advancement.
However, neither of these civilizations paralleled a breakthrough equal to the
Scientific Revolution.
