Includes bibliographical references and index.

Emergence. World history and human origins ; Changing environments, changing societies ; Settled societies : the emergence of cities -- Order. Ideas and power : goddesses, God-kings, and sages ; Religion and state : Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam ; Trade, transport, temples, and tribute : the economics of power ; Ties that bind : lineage, clientage, and caste ; Ordering the world : family and household ; Culture and memory ; Connections -- Transformation. Commerce and change in Asia, Europe, and Africa, 750-1500 ; Commerce and change : the creation of a global economy and the expansion of Europe ; Traditions and their transformations ; Boundaries, encounters, and frontiers ; Crucibles of change : landscapes, culture, and social life after 1500 -- Balance. Dual revolutions : capitalist industrialism and the nation state ; The tentacles of empire : the new imperialism and nationalisms in Asia, Africa, and the Americas ; Culture, power, and perspective : war and peace in the twentieth century ; Resistance, revolution, and new global order/disorder ; The crossroads of history : culture, identity, and global community.