A History of the Early Contemporary World.pptVIP

An introduction to the study of the contemporary world history 1905 – 1945 Li Shian This lecture concentrates on general movements affecting the world as a whole, to describe the underlying forces of history: population growth, the technological revolution, nationalism, imperialism, wars, revolutions and the like. The enormous impact made by social and economic changes in the 20th century have to be dealt with. The first half of the 20th century was a period during which intercontinental rivalries frequently play a role in world history, the interrelationships have to be precisely showed. Industrial power ceased to be a virtual European monopoly. Two devastating wars occurred, the first furthered the triumph of the new revolutionary ideology of communism. The significance of the Second World War is particularly emphasized. main points, contents and clues Historical epochs do not coincide strictly with centuries. Although the beginning of contemporary world is too better dated to 1871, the year of 1905 is significantly importance. The reasons are as follows a. The end of the imperialist wars in 1905 meant the beginning of imperialist , or Jingoism domination of the world. b. The Russian Revolution in 1905 exerted a great influence to the later development in the world. c. Albert Einstein and his theory of relativity published in 1905, which caused revolution both in scientific and in humanitarian areas, and thus have been changing the world. Therefore the year of 1905 marks the beginning of a new era. A. The setting a. On the European continent, German unification upset the balance of power in the Europe. Germany had become by far the most powerful military nation and was rapidly advancing industrially. b. In Eastern Asia, during the 1890s, a modernized Japan waged her first successful war of aggression against China. c. In the Americas, the foundations were laid for the emergence of the U