By Tiffany Mead

HIST140 (#50607)

• Present history of empires• When they were established

• Why they were formed

• Who created them

• How they were destroyed

• Components of empire reflects the human condition• Anger

• Brutality

• Disquiet

• Supremacy

Purpose of the book

1. Alexander the Great (336-323B.C.)

1. First great European empire

2. Roman Empire

1. Followed the murder of Caesar and the end of the Roman Republic

2. Was split into Western & Eastern empire

3. Latin Western part (27B.C.-410A.D.) was based in Rome

4. Hellenized Eastern part (27B.C.-1453A.D.) was based in Constantinople

3. Other Empires

1. British, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French

2. Chinese, Japanese, Ming

3. Russian

4. Muslim Caliphates

A Tale of Two Empires

• Conflict in our current geopolitical environment

• So-called Islamic fundamentalist versus The West

• “The struggle between Islam and the West is now, therefore, no longer one between competing religions, between peoples each of whom look upon the other as deluded and aberrant, yet all of whom belong to worlds that are mutually intelligible, worlds that are believed to be governed by the laws of a God who has revealed himself to his followers in a sacred book, the Bible on one hand, the Qur’an on the other. Today the struggle is between two mutually unintelligible worlds…” Peoples & Empires, pg. 172

• This is yet another example of one group of people’s imperialistic desire to establish a worldwide empire/caliphate.

• No empire in the past ever successfully expanded its empire by entering a land through war, and then exited by transforming the cities, building infrastructure, opening schools, providing medical care, establishing a self-governing people, and providing ongoing financial aid

• Imperialist conquerors of the past entered a land through war, killed the men, enslaved the women and children, collected their bounty, and ruled over the inhabitants.

• The West is an “empire” unlike any the world has seen before

• It threatens the credibility of the Muslim’s prophet, Muhammad, and his promises

My favorite: The Epilogue

• Compelling and thought-provoking• Reinforced concepts from other sources in the course

• Differences between people based on factors like climate, terrain, and migration

• The human race is a single species, all descendant from a single pair

• Irritating and overly poetic• Too many quotes from philosophers

• Seemingly unending sentences full of words designed to impress someone

• Recommend this book• For Big History look at empires

• Road map to our current government and geopolitical condition

Loved it and Hated it!