Includes bibliographical references and index.

The earliest human societies to 2500 B.C.E. -- The rise of the state in Southwest Asia and the Nile Valley 3200-500 B.C.E. -- The foundation of Indian society, to 300 C.E. -- China's classical age to 221 B.C.E. -- The Greek experience 3500-100 B.C.E. -- The world of Rome 750 B.C.E.-400 C.E. -- East Asia and the spread of Buddhism 221 B.C.E.-800 C.E. -- Continuity and change in Europe and Western Asia 200-850 -- The Islamic world 600-1400 -- African societies and kingdoms 1000 B.C.E.-1500 C.E. -- The Americas 2500 B.C.E. -1500 C.E. -- Cultural exchange in Central and Southern Asia 300-1400 -- States and cultures in East Asia 800-1450 -- Europe in the Middle Ages 800-1450 -- Europe in the Renaissance and Reformation 1350-1600 -- The acceleration of global contact 1450-1600 -- The Islamic world powers 1300-1800 -- European power and expansion 1500-1750 -- New worldviews and ways of life 1540-1790 -- Africa and the world 1400-1800 -- Continuity and change in East Asia 1400-1800 -- Revolutions in the Atlantic world 1775-1825 -- The revolution in energy and industry 1760-1850 -- Ideologies of change in Europe 1815-1914 -- Africa, the Ottoman Empire, and the new imperialism 1800-1914 -- Asia and the Pacific in the era of imperialism 1800-1914 -- The Americas in the age of liberalism 1810-1910 -- World War and revoluion 1914-1929 -- Nationalism in Asia 1914-1939 -- The Great Depression and World War II 1929-1945 -- Decolonization, revolution, and the Cold War 1945-1968 -- Liberalization 968-2000s -- The contemporary world in historical perspective.