This clearly written and engrossing book presents a global narrative of the origins of the modern world from 1400 to the present. Unlike most studies, which assume that the “rise of the West” is the story of the coming of the modern world, this history, drawing upon new scholarship on Asia, Africa, and the New World and upon the maturing field of environmental history, constructs a story in which those parts of the world play major roles, including their impacts on the environment. Robert B. Marks defines the modern world as one marked by industry, the nation state, interstate warfare, a large and growing gap between the wealthiest and poorest parts of the world, increasing inequality within the wealthiest industrialized countries, and an escape from the environmental constraints of the “biological old regime.” He explains its origins by emphasizing contingencies (such as the conquest of the New World); the broad comparability of the most advanced regions in China, India, and Europe; the reasons why England was able to escape from common ecological constraints facing all of those regions by the end of the eighteenth century; a conjuncture of human and natural forces that solidified a gap between the industrialized and non-industrialized parts of the world; the mounting environmental crisis that defines the modern world; and the ways in which the forces of globalization stress the economic and political underpinnings of the modern world.
Now in a new edition that brings the saga of the modern world to the present in an environmental context, the book considers how and why the United States emerged as a world power in the twentieth century and became the sole superpower by the twenty-first century, and why the changed relationship of humans to the environmental likely will be the hallmark of the modern era—the Anthropocene. Once again arguing that the US rise to global hegemon was contingent, not inevitable, Marks also points to the resurgence of Asia and the vastly changed relationship of humans to the environment that may in the long run overshadow any political and economic milestones of the past hundred years.
The fifth edition adds timely discussions of the two deadliest pandemics (1918 and 2019-23) and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The discussions highlight the reasons and repercussions of the two most recent global catastrophes connected with the larger framework of the book. Students who are keen to comprehend recent affairs will benefit from the additional coverage. The revision also adds three fascinating new sections titled “The China Shock,” “The Financial Crisis of 2008 and the Ensuing ‘Great Recession,” and “Death of Despair.” These three factors, according explain the rise in nationalist, anti-immigrant, and anti-China sentiments in today’s United States. It is a persuasive argument that demonstrates to students the significance of historical perspective and well-rounded analysis from both the US and China viewpoints in understanding the current US vs. China conflict. — Xiaofei Gao, University of Colorado, Denver
Terrific! Its far and away the best of its type Ive found in over thirty years of teaching. Its clear, succinct, and yet wonderfully comprehensive. It brings together all the current thinking in world history in about as nice a package as can be imagined.
(Previous Edition Praise) — Paul Solon, Macalester College
By far the best of the current world history books on the market. Its main strengths lie in its non-Eurocentric viewpoint, its clear narrative, and its brevity. I would (and have) unreservedly recommended the book to colleagues teaching in the field as well as to others seeking a quick introduction to the history of the world.
(Previous Edition Praise) — Sarah Kovner, Columbia University
