Crash Course Video Summary

WORLD CIVILIZATIONS
CRASH COURSE SUMMARIES
Green's Videos:
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9

Lorieann Matonti
September 21, 2015

Dr. Rihanna Rogers

Video 1
​The first Crash Course video by John Green describes the primary point of the Agricultural Revolution by using an unappealing, double cheeseburger to show all processes needed to make the burger. This model is very effective; Green walks through the hunting and gathering agricultural methods of 15,000 years ago while comparing today’s dependency on all the ingredients. Although technology has progressed throughout the agricultural industry, basic farming methods have remained consistent.
As noted by the speaker, historical records of this period are sketchy; what we do know is that people fished

and foraged as necessary, but spent more time on personal relations, artistic creation, and other meaningful activities.
The video makes a distinct comparison between the advantages and disadvantages of change in the farming process. The advantages included; the creative activity of food surplus, ability to produce different crops, feed larger populations and the ability to be practiced worldwide. The disadvantages focused on the detrimental reliance of the environment, labor-intensive and negative changes within social relationships (e.g. master and servant relationships). My greatest insight to the Agricultural Revolution was realization of the amount of growth, opportunity and development that took place during this period.

Video 2
​The second Crash Course video describes exactly what “civilization” means and why some societies are considered “civilized” while others are not.

The Indus Valley is used as the optimal model of a successful, peaceful civilization; as that area has no evidence of war. The point of this video is to express that civilizations are useful, intellectual constructs and discuss the four main characteristics. First, civilizations created surplus production, while building cities to increase labor and craft. Next, social stratification and the structure of governments brought shared values amongst people. Thirdly, the role of writing made people “civilized.” Finally, river valleys provided numerous agricultural benefits, which in turn allowed civilizations to

flourish. 
What I was able to gather from this video was that this was a peaceful, religious society that was both resourceful and productive and we rely on the knowledge of archaeologists as our primary reference to Indus Valley Civilization.

Video 3
The third Crash Course video's main point is to summarize Mesopotamia, the meaning being the 'land of two rivers'. The area was the origin of writing, taxes, irrigation, sewerage systems, and river valley cities.
The video's purpose connects the importance of knowing how to study and write, while demonstrating how these skills directly correspond to social class structure, taxes, wage-earning, trading, and early capitalism.
This video enlightened me on the basics of Mesopotamian history, social constructs, including the notion that not everyone had to have the same job skill, and that cities and rural areas fought each other often.
I also did not perceive about the Hammurabi law code or that it brought about the “presumption of innocence” and legal standardization that we now utilize today.

Video 4
​The fourth Crash Course video discusses Ancient Egypt, the main point of which expresses why it was the most influential of the river valley areas. The primary goal of the narrator is to demonstrate the importance of resource distribution and geography. The video emphasizes on how the Nile River and Great Pyramids helped shape the world opinion of the Egyptians. Because of regular, nutrient rich silt, growing was easy; cities only existed on the Nile, which often carried timber and gold (the divine medal) up and down its length to different municipality's. My biggest insight was that because the Nile was so easily subdued, no hydraulics were needed and basin irrigation created relatively little work. I appreciated the general optimism shown through the findings of contracts and understandings. Likewise, I did not realize that three similar kingdoms evolved simultaneously regardless of their geographic isolation or that these three kingdoms lasted 1,000 years longer than the existence of Christianity.

Video 6
​The next video, the sixth in the Crash Course series, showed the main period of religious text within India that turned into Hinduism and eventually Buddhism, as well as the importance of Ashoka. The intent of the lecture (and the texts' conversions) was that the Dharma, the role in one's life from birth within the caste system, explained both personal and social reasons for social cohesion.
The idea that Dharma gave the universe just the right number of careers and positions was interesting. My greatest insight here was that Hinduism was not concerned with world order itself, but instead focused on how the “fulfillment of self” leads to overall world order. Also, leaders like Ashoka (who helped create amazing pillars and animal statues) purposefully made Hinduism easy to assimilate to other religions, while combining many characteristics of past deities and Buddhism in order to gain worldwide popularity.

Video 7
​The next Crash Course video is the seventh in the series and highlighted China, its main point being that China's dynasties were so long-lasting due to the centralized governments with bureaucrats at its core, between 150 BCE and 1911 CE. The intent was to point out how long China has existed because most dynasties were successful (with the exception of a “Warring States” dynasty-less period), including a female dynasty started by Empress Wu. The Chinese wrote and recorded these events, only with “spin”; they believed that it is not what you say when you write historical accounts, but how you say accounts with purpose, in a slightly sensationalized way.
My greatest insight was the realization that a “heaven's mandate” existed as a cornerstone of Confucianism, which reduced confusion on how to behave.
This mandate led to a peaceful state and the importance of looking to the past models of sage emperors' actions like the reduction of executions, halting of book-burning, and recognizing one's place in society.

Video 9
​The ninth video in the Crash Course series discussed the substance behind the “Silk Road” and ancient trade, the overland network of trade routes connecting trade to and from India, Eurasia, Africa, Arabia, and surrounding lands. I genuinely did not know of the term “Silk Road” prior to this video, so I found this quite interesting. The term “Silk Road” encompassed all roads that merchants traveled; the further the merchant traveled, the more expensive goods would become, as merchants would often sell to other merchants along the way. The original intention here was to distribute most of China's wealth, which originated from the silk trade. The Silk Road transported everything from olive oil,wine, ivory to jade.
As Green explains, this road was likely more influential throughout history than any political power during this time.
The greatest insight for me was the realization as to why nomads could be so successful, wealthy, and disease-resistant when illness was so prevalent during this era. Also, the minimal effort it took people along the road to spread the Buddhism faith, increasing its popularity.

Bibliography

Green, John.

“2,000 Years of Chinese History! The Mandate of Heaven and Confucius: Crash Course World History #7.” World History. YouTube. Mar. 8, 2012. 12:11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylWORyToTo4&index=7&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9

—. “The Agricultural Revolution: Crash Course World History #1.” World History. YouTube. Jan. 26, 2012. 11:10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yocja_N5s1I&index=1&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9

—. “Ancient Egypt: Crash Course World History #4.” World History. YouTube. Feb. 16, 2012. 11:54. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3Wvw6BivVI&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9&index=4

—. “Buddha and Ashoka: Crash Course World History #6.” World History. YouTube. Mar. 1, 2012. 12:16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nn5uqE3C9w&index=6&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9

—. “Indus Valley Civilization: Crash Course World History #2.” World History. YouTube. Feb. 2, 2012. 9:34. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ndRwqJYDM&index=2&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9

—. “Mesopotamia: Crash Course World History #3.” World History. YouTube. Feb. 9, 2012. 12:05. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sohXPx_XZ6Y&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9&index=3

—. “The Silk Road and Ancient Trade: Crash Course World History #9.” World History. YouTube. Mar. 22, 2012. 10:30.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfe-eNq-Qyg&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9&index=9