Global History and Geography Block ______

Name ______Date ______

Why do we study history?
Why are historians important?
Why are artifacts important in helping us understand our past?
What is a possible disadvantage of oral history?
Why does history, written or oral contain biases?
Why were the earliest civilizations located along river valleys? (What did river valleys provide people?)
Why do mountains and deserts provide protection to civilizations?
If mountains and deserts provide protections to civilizations, what are they considered?
What are two ways to classify Belief Systems?
What are some characteristics that help distinguish one’s culture?
What is an example of cultural diffusion?
Label the hierarchy for a school district:

Does land = wealth = power still exist today? Explain.
How do governments provide stability, organization, and security society?
What other types of political systems/governments are there?
What is an example of a resource that is scarce?
What must people do if this resource becomes extinct? / WORLD HISTORY I: Concepts Unit
I. Social Studies
A.History – History tells the chronological (in order of time) story of the human race and its many civilizations. In order to understand the world today, it is necessary to study the significant events of the past. We need know the many ways people have grown, developed, resolved problems, and responded to their environment.
B. Historians – Historians (people who study the past) examine the ideas, actions and words of our ancestors (elders) as well as the great political (government), geographic (study of the earth), economic (monetary systems), religious (belief systems), and cultural forces (customs of a people) that have shaped their lives. Studying these patterns help us to understand their impact on the contemporary (modern) world and our lives.
C. Historical Evidence - Objects left by our ancestors
1. Types:
a. Documentary evidence: Written records of a people, their books, reports, letters and government documents (Magna Carta, The Iliad)
b.Epigraphs: Inscriptions on monuments
c.Artifacts - Objects made by man: artifacts, physical remains of a people, tools (objects created for a purpose) weapons, clothes, $, household goods, and food. (Archeologists)
d.Graphic - Art, architecture (a standing structure), sculpture, jewelry and interior decoration people used.
D.First Historians - Pre-history (Time before written records)
a. Oral history - Stories of the past (word of mouth) Relied on memory rather than written records
b. Long historic poems/sagas - Odyssey, Iliad, Epic of Gilgamesh
E. Written History: As time went on, written history became more common.
a. Literacy rates - Few people could read because Only the wealthy could afford an education and books were handwritten and very expensive.
b. Monks and priests preserved history - copying ancient manuscripts and writings
c. Advances in Technology - Johan Gutenberg invented the printing press, making books cheaper and more affordable to the masses
d. Effects of the printing press
1. Educated classes of people emerge
2. Schools flourish
3. Libraries are founded
e. Impact of Education - provides people a means to improve their lives by providing them with the knowledge of how to perform a specific vocation or job. (Education is the key to Social Mobility)

II. Geography

A. Geography - Has a large impact on the people living in a certain area. It determines what is grown and the food available, what clothes to wear, what shelter will be necessary and what resources are available.
B. Impact of topography on people – Geographic features impacts the development of people’s culture.
C. Examples:
a. Mountains: Protection from invasion and protection from harsh weather
b. Deserts: Protection from invasion, lack of farming, lack of communication.
c. Rivers: Ideal for farming, trade, food, communication. Leaves area open to invasion
III.Belief Systems
a. Types of belief systems:
1. Polytheism - People who believed in more than one god. Examples of a polytheistic religion include: Hinduism, Animism, Shinto
2. Monotheism - People who believed that there is only one god. Examples of a monotheistic religion include: Judaism, Christianity and Islam
IV. Social Systems
A. Culture: A People’s way of life determined by their ethnic background, language, and belief system.
B. Cultural Diffusion - When nations or cultures exchange good and ideas
C. Ethnocentrism - Because many ancient civilizations were isolated (alone) from each other, they believed that their culture was the best or superior to other cultures/people.
D. Social Classes/Hierarchy - A ranking of individuals according to their place socially, politically and/or economically in society.
E. Examples: Label two examples of hierarchies:
Feudal Hierarchy:

King/Queen

Lords

Vassals

Knights
Peasants
F. LAND = WEALTH = POWER - In ancient times the more land one owned meant the more wealth they had, which in turn gave them more power.
G. Traditional Societies - Societies that based their livelihood on agriculture and herding, generation after generation were known as traditional societies
V. Political Systems
A. Government – Provide stability, organization, security and to provide an orderly society.
B. Codified Laws - Laws that are written down –
C. Impact of Codified Laws - So there are no questions as to what the laws says and whom it applies to (gives order to society)
D. Examples of political systems:
a. Democracy – Government where the people have the power
b. Monarchy – Government ruled by a king or queen
Ec
VI. Economic Systems:
A. Economy – The system or range of economic activity of a country, region, or community produces, distributes and consumes goods
B. Scarcity – Not having enough of a resource
C. Impact of Scarcity:
1. Interdependence - When one nation relies on another?
D. Examples of Economic Systems:
1. Barter System – Economy based on the exchange of goods (trade) rather than the exchange of money.
2. Market Economy – Economy based on the forces of supply and demand
3. Command Economy - Economy that is controlled by the government