The study of mankind’s history is the most important study there is. The Five Principles of Civilization: A Student’s Guide to World History employs five major ideas to help the student sort out all the dates, places, and names they will encounter in a college-level introductory World History Course. The physical environment, food production, intercultural competition, trade and cultural attitudes and traditions are presented as a useful framework through which individual civilizations and the totality of human Civilization can be analyzed and understood.
Maps, illustrations, and charts accompany the text. Each chapter is accompanied by a detachable assignment worksheet. The book concludes with a descriptive list of suggested works by prominent historians in the field of World History. The Five Principles of Civilization is designed to accompany any standard World History textbook and to provide “food for thought” suitable for class discussion and short writing assignments.
Prologue
PRINCIPLE 1 Geography is Destiny
PRINCIPLE 2 Agriculture Creates Civilization
PRINCIPLE 3 Clashes of Culture Drive Innovation
PRINCIPLE 4 Trade is the Lifeblood of Civilization
PRINCIPLE 5 Mentality is Destiny
Annotated Bibliography
Curtis
Morgan
Curtis F. Morgan is Professor of History at Laurel Ridge Community College, Middletown, VA.