Ch 17-20

World History is taught through the lens of Western Europeans. This is due to the fact that Western Europe and the United States are the wealthiest and powerful regions of the world. This transition happened with the colonization of the America's, increased presense in the Indian Ocean and eventually the Industrial Revolution.

As I read these chapters I am interested in the section on nationalism. The insinuation that nationalism is such a recent concept was shocking to me.  It had never occured to me while reading the earlier chapters that individuals had associated themselves more closely with their small societies or religious affiliations.  Even though the same religions developed and played out differently in different parts of the world. For example, a Muslim in parts of Africa followed a unique day to day life from a Muslim in India. With boundaries of nations being relatively stable and the end of empires, the concept of a national unity with a set of values and an associated pride, has become such a large part of our daily lives. Nationalism, like so many other developments in world history, feels like the natural way. It is the rhetoric of the 24 hour news agencies.  It is especially apparant with the upcoming election or next weeks Fourth of July celebrations. Obviously, there have been historical cases of national pride. The Greeks, Romans and the Chinese are some early examples of this.

In contrast to this realization is the fact that the nineteenth century enlightenment was the first time in human history that slavery was seen as unatural. Although slavery as a racial concept was relatively new, the ownership and subordination of other human beings existed in the most ancient civilizations. Interestingly, as the slave trade became illegal and slavery began to disapear European colonization became more controlling and racially charged. The end of slavery throughout the world, with the acception of Haiti, did little to change the lives of the enslaved. Laboring classes were often defined by their ethnic backgrounds.