History of the Entire World (Ancient, Medieval, Modern) | World History Documentary

Made In History2 minutes read

Tokyo is the most populous city globally, while Red Rock in Ontario has a population of under 900. The text covers world history, starting from Earth 85 million years ago to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, detailing key events and civilizations across the globe.

Insights

  • Tokyo, Japan, with over 37 million residents, is the most populous city globally.
  • The Earth's history is a treasure trove of stories, with each meter of land holding countless tales.
  • The Neolithic Revolution marked a shift from nomadic to settled lifestyles through agriculture.
  • The fall of empires like the Western Roman Empire and the Gupta Empire signaled the end of the ancient world.
  • The Ming Dynasty in China saw urbanization, trade with Europeans, and a shift towards a silver-backed economy before internal conflicts led to its decline.

Get key ideas from YouTube videos. It’s free

Recent questions

  • What is the most populous city globally?

    Tokyo, Japan, with over 37 million residents.

  • When did Homo sapiens evolve?

    Homo sapiens, our species, evolved around 150-200,000 years ago.

  • What was the Neolithic Revolution?

    The Neolithic Revolution transitioned humans from nomadic to sedentary lifestyles through agriculture.

  • What marked the end of the ancient world?

    The fall of empires like the Western Roman Empire, China, and the Gupta Empire.

  • What was the impact of the industrial revolution?

    The industrial revolution transformed society, shifting from manual labor to machine-based manufacturing.

Related videos

Summary

00:00

"Exploring Earth's History Through Human Evolution"

  • Tokyo, Japan, with over 37 million residents, is the most popular city globally.
  • Red Rock in Ontario, Canada, has a population of under 900.
  • The Earth's history is rich, with every meter of forest, desert, or ocean holding unfathomable tales.
  • The project aims to explore world history, starting with Earth 85 million years ago.
  • The hominini branch diverged from gorolini, leading to the emergence of apes and orangutans.
  • Homo habilis, with brains similar to chimpanzees, began using crude stone tools.
  • Homo erectus, with larger brains than Homo habilis, created better tools and tamed fire.
  • Homo sapiens, our species, evolved around 150-200,000 years ago.
  • The Neolithic Revolution transitioned humans from nomadic to sedentary lifestyles through agriculture.
  • The Ancient Period saw the rise and fall of civilizations like Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Persia.

18:22

Ancient Empires and Civilizations Rise and Fall

  • Aksum grew steadily from 100 CE to 940 CE and was one of the first empires to convert to Christianity.
  • Aksum was known as the home of the Queen of Sheba and is believed to be the location of the Ark of the Covenant from biblical stories.
  • The Nok culture in modern-day Nigeria, existing from 1000 BCE to 200 CE, created full-size terracotta figures, with some showing Pharaonic elements possibly influenced by the Egyptians.
  • The Sahel, located between the Sahara and the savannah, housed the Jenne-Jeno urban center near the Niger River Valley in Mali, existing from 250 BCE to 900 CE.
  • The Indus Valley Civilization inhabited the region from 3300 BCE, firmly establishing their hold by 2600 BCE but disappearing and being replaced by 1700 BCE.
  • The Vedas were composed during the thousand-year Vedic period in Northern India, leading to the emergence of 16 smaller kingdoms known as the Mahajanapadas in 500 BCE.
  • The Nanda Empire emerged from Magadha, one of the Mahajanapadas, but was dissolved by 322 BCE, paving the way for the Maurya Empire lasting until 184 BCE under Ashoka the Great.
  • The Gupta Empire in India ushered in a golden age for Indian culture and sciences but fell to the Hunas, leading to the decentralization of power in North India.
  • The Yellow River Valley in China, considered the fourth cradle of civilization, saw the rise of the Xia Dynasty around 2070 BCE, followed by the Shang Dynasty until 1046 BCE.
  • The Zhou Dynasty in China, claiming legitimacy through the Mandate of Heaven, expanded into the Yangtze River region, leading to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, culminating in the unification of China under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE.

35:58

"Medieval World: Empires, Trade, and Advancements"

  • Ancient civilizations like the Egyptians, Persians, Indus Valley, China, Greece, and Rome each had unique contributions and achievements in areas such as shipbuilding, engineering, surgery, mathematics, astronomy, herbal medicine, and warfare.
  • Sedentary societies based on agriculture led to a division of labor, creating a professional class of fighters and military specialists, allowing for advancements in arts like pottery, sculpture, and music.
  • The fall of empires like the Western Roman Empire, China, and the Gupta Empire marked the end of the ancient world, with the rise of barbarian tribes and the collapse of powerful civilizations.
  • Medieval Africa saw the rise of Islamic influence through trade routes, leading to the development of rich Islamic empires like the Ghana Empire, Mali Empire, and Songhai Empire in West Africa.
  • The Swahili coast in East Africa became a hub for trade in the Indian Ocean, while traditional African societies like Great Zimbabwe participated in the exchange of luxury goods.
  • The European Middle Ages were characterized by periods like the Early Middle Ages, High Middle Ages, and Late Middle Ages, with advancements in agriculture, technology, feudalism, and the rise of gothic architecture.
  • The High Middle Ages saw population growth, agricultural advancements, feudalism, and significant events like the Norman Conquest of England and the Crusades, which connected Europeans through religion.
  • The Late Middle Ages faced challenges like the Little Ice Age, the Great Famine, and the devastating Black Death pandemic, leading to widespread depopulation, revolts, and conflicts like the Hundred Years' War.
  • The Middle East transitioned from the ancient period to the rise of Islamic caliphates, the Crusades, invasions by Turkic nomads, and the eventual dominance of the Ottomans in Western Asia.
  • South Asia during the medieval period saw the decline of the Gupta Empire, the rise of the Delhi Sultanate, and centuries of Muslim rule, with trade flourishing through the Strait of Malacca and the spread of culture in Southeast Asia.

54:04

Empires, Dynasties, and Military Shifts in Asia

  • Over 100 hospitals were present in Burma, now Myanmar, during the empire of Pagan, known for using war elephants in their military.
  • Indonesia housed the Srivijaya, a powerful empire controlling the crucial trading route of the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, later taken over by the Majapahit and then the Malacca Sultanate.
  • Indonesian sailors are believed to have traveled across the Indian Ocean to settle in Madagascar off the coast of Africa.
  • The Cambodian Khmer Empire was replaced by the Siamese Ayutthaya Kingdom, and Indonesia's Srivijaya was taken over by the Majapahit and then the Malacca Sultanate.
  • China became a dominant power in the region, adopting aspects of Confucianism, Buddhism, and centralized government, leading to the Tang and Song dynasties.
  • The Tang Dynasty saw the creation of the first recorded chemical formula for gunpowder and gunpowder weapons like the fire lance.
  • The Song Dynasty focused on maritime trade, leading to an industrial revolution with machines powered by coal, causing China's population to shift southward towards trading ports.
  • China's military weakened, leaving them vulnerable to invasions from the north by the Jurchen ancestors to the Manchu in the 13th century.
  • China was divided, with the Mongols eventually annexing the country by 1279 under the Yuan Dynasty, while Japan remained independent and opened up to the West.
  • The Ming Dynasty took power in 1368, being the last ethnically Han Chinese dynasty, known for their naval expeditions and later isolation from the West.

01:11:16

Empires and Dynasties: A Historical Overview

  • The Inca Empire, known for their use of abacuses in mathematics and pyramid-like structures like Machu Picchu, had a renowned road system.
  • Oceania, divided into four sub-regions, saw migrations from Africa to Australasia and Melanesia 50,000 years ago, while migrations from Southeast Asia populated Polynesia and Micronesia later.
  • The Tongan Empire, skilled sailors using stick charts for navigation, reached its peak in the 1200s, spreading influence across the South Pacific islands.
  • Polynesians discovered New Zealand, Easter Island, and Hawaii, leading to the rise of the Maori people in New Zealand.
  • The Ottoman Empire captured Constantinople in 1453, ending the Roman Empire's 1500-year reign, marking the transition to the gunpowder era.
  • The Ming Dynasty in China saw urbanization, trade with Europeans, and a profitable silver-backed economy before succumbing to internal strife and natural disasters.
  • Japan's Sengoku period ended with Tokugawa Ieyasu becoming shogun, initiating the Edo period marked by isolationism and a strict feudal system.
  • Korea's Joseon Dynasty, established in 1392, saw the creation of the Korean alphabet and repelled Japanese invasions with Admiral Yi Sun-sin's innovative turtle ships.
  • The Mughal Empire in India, adopting Persian culture, thrived economically and artistically, eventually succumbing to the Maratha Confederacy and British colonial rule.
  • The Ottoman Empire's classical age, marked by expansion into North Africa and the Middle East, saw conflicts with Safavid Persia, while Central Asia was ruled by Turkic Uzbek confederacies.

01:29:02

"Turkic tribes unite, Europe transforms"

  • Muhammad Shaibani Khan united various tribes like the Kipchaks and Naaman, bringing Turkic tribes closer to India.
  • The Pashtuns rose to prominence under the Hatake dynasty in the mid-1600s, launching invasions into India and Iran.
  • The Pashtungajis formed the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate and dealt a blow to the Safavid Empire at the Battle of Gulnabad.
  • The Afghans later established the Afghan Empire in the 1700s, halting the Hindu Maratha expansion.
  • The Humanist movement in Europe, influenced by Protagoras' idea, led to the Renaissance, focusing on human knowledge and observation.
  • The Renaissance brought advancements in sciences, arts, and literature, with the emergence of inductive reasoning and lifelike art.
  • The Scientific Revolution began with Nicholas Copernicus challenging the geocentric model, leading to advancements in various scientific fields.
  • The Catholic Church faced challenges from scientific advancements and other Christian variants, like the Hussites in Bohemia.
  • The Ottomans expanded into Eastern Europe, facing resistance from John Hunyadi of Hungary, a pivotal moment in Christian history.
  • The Spanish Inquisition, Protestant Reformation, and rise of absolute monarchs like Louis XIV marked significant events in European history.

01:47:03

Technological Revolution: From Industrialization to Global Power

  • The industrial revolution, starting in Europe in the late 1700s, led to the technological revolution lasting into the 20th century.
  • Lewis Paul developed roller spinning for cotton mills, while James Watt and Matthew Bolton improved the steam engine significantly.
  • The technological revolution saw advancements in electrical, petroleum, and steel industries, as well as transportation with the introduction of airplanes and automobiles.
  • Thomas Edison created various devices and established the first industrial research laboratory, while Nikola Tesla made significant contributions to electricity and magnetism.
  • The industrial revolution transformed society, shifting from manual labor to machine-based manufacturing, leading to exponential economic growth.
  • Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power during the French Revolution, leading France to victories but was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
  • The Congress of Vienna aimed to restore the balance of power in Europe post-Napoleonic Wars, emphasizing peace and maintaining the status quo.
  • Russia, under Peter the Great and later Catherine the Great, expanded its territory, modernizing along Western lines and abolishing serfdom in the mid-1800s.
  • The British Empire expanded, controlling territories worldwide, abolishing the slave trade, and policing the Barbary slave trade in North Africa.
  • The Victorian era in Britain, from 1837 to 1901, marked a period of prosperity, industrialization, and colonial expansion, establishing Britain as a global power.

02:05:05

Rise of Japan, World War I aftermath

  • Russian forces faced defeats, leading to Japan's rise as a world power and causing embarrassment in Russia's tsarist regime.
  • The Russian Revolution of 1905 followed, marked by civil unrest, terrorism, peasant rebellion, worker strikes, and military mutinies.
  • England entered its Edwardian age under King Edward VII after Queen Victoria's death in 1901.
  • The Second Boer War in South Africa divided Parliament into pro-war and anti-war factions, resulting in a Liberal victory in 1906.
  • The UK formed the Triple Entente with France and Russia to counter the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.
  • The Balkan League reclaimed Balkan territories from the Ottomans in 1912-1913, leading to conflicts with Austria-Hungary and Russia.
  • The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sparked World War I, with the July Crisis escalating decisions among European powers.
  • The war saw trench warfare on the Western Front, aerial combat, and over 9 million battlefield deaths, along with a global influenza pandemic.
  • The war ended with the Allied Powers victorious, leading to the collapse of the German, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman empires.
  • The aftermath included the establishment of the League of Nations, the rise of the USSR after the Russian Revolution, and the beginning of the Nanjing period in China with the KMT in power.

02:23:15

End of Cold War: US Superpower Rise

  • In the late 1980s, the Cold War began to subside as the United States, under President Ronald Reagan, established diplomatic relations with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and leaving the United States as the sole world superpower.
Channel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatar

Try it yourself — It’s free.