History is a weapon. The powerful have their version of events, the people have another. And if we understand how the past was forged, we arm ourselves to change the future.
This is a history of struggle, revolution and social change: of hominids, hunters and herders; of emperors and slaves; of patriarchs and women; of rich and poor; of dictators and revolutionaries. From the ancient empires of Persia and Rome to the Russian Revolution, the Vietnam War, and the 2008 Crash, this is a history of greed and violence, but also of solidarity and resistance.

Many times in the past, a different society became an absolute necessity. Humans have always struggled to create a better life. This history proves that we, the many, have the power to change the world.

Series Preface

Introduction

1. Hunters and Farmers c. 7 million-3000 BP

2. The First Class Societies c. 3000-1000 BC

3. Ancient Empires c. 1000-30 BC

4. The End of Antiquity c. 30 BC- AD 650

5. The Medieval World c. AD 650-1500

6. European Feudalism c. AD 650-1500

7. The First Wave of Bourgeois Revolutions 1517-1660

8. Absolutist Europe and Capitalist Globalisation 1660-1775

9. The Second Wave of Bourgeois Revolutions 1775-1815

10. The Rise of Industrial Capitalism c. 1750-1850

11. The Age of Blood and Iron 1848-1873

12. Imperialism and War 1873-1918

13. The Revolutionary Wave 1917-1928

14. The Great Depression and the Rise of Fascism 1929-1939

15. World War and Cold War 1939-1967

16. The World on Fire 1968-1975

17. The New World Disorder 1975-2008

18. Capitalism's Greatest Crisis? The Early Twenty-First Century

Conclusion: Making the Future

Timeline

Sources

Bibliographical Notes

Select Bibliography

Index