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Japan Meets the West 1853-1905
The date was July 8, 1853; the place, Yedo, a sprawling collection of wooden houses overlooking an arm of the
The Powers Carve Up China 1841 – 1914
China, that immense portion of East Asia bounded by the chilly Amur River and the hot jungles of Indo-China, by
India and the Indies 1856 – 1914
In 1856, Great Britain was at war with Russia in the Black Sea area and with the Chinese emperor in
Early Civilizations to Modern Age
Cracks in the Wall of Islam A.D. 656-750
THE FIRST three caliphs — Abu Bakr, Omar and Othman — had all known — Mohammed well. In 656, Othman,
The Abbasids: Glory and Decay 750 -1258 A. D.
UNDER THE Omayyads, who ruled from 661 to 750, Islam had grown into a mighty empire. Arabic had become its
Rival Caliphs and Amirs in the West A.D. 750-1492
IN 750, when the first Abbasid caliph ordered a wholesale massacre of the family that had ruled before him, hardly
Distant Past and New Challenges
Milestones of History
Charlemagne’s Empire Destroyed by Eastern Hordes (800-886 A. D.)
Charlemagne’s empire destroyed and dissolved in the ninth century, but the idea of “Europe” survived. By the late tenth century,
Alfred “The Great” builds England for the English (886 A. D.)
Alfred “The Great”, alone amongst the English kings, has been awarded this title. Earlier invaders of the British Isles had
Baghdad Founded (886 – 950 A. D.)
Baghdad founded and became the centre of Islamic learning and culture. England in the tenth century As a soldier, Alfred,
