Global Issues within the First Civilizations

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The First Civilizations of the world were the stepping-stone into modern society, and the original basis as to what our modern society has become. Reading through the assigned text in Ways of the World: A Brief Global History by Robert W. Strayer, in the chapter titled “First Civilizations: Cities, States, and Unequal Societies”, the reader is introduced into what evolved into the world in which we currently live in. (Please note that the writer will be referring to text from Strayer’s 2011 edition of the text, in comparison to the modern version.) The entire chapter discusses the way that the civilizations emerged, as well as how equality was eventually diminished from the society, Mesoamerica, and the six civilizations themselves: Olmec, Norte Chico, Nile Valley, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, and China. The chapter begins with asking, the general questions: “Who? What? When? Where? Why?” Giving a brief history, the first civilizations began to rise in the time period of 3500 B.C.E. and 3000 B.C.E. in the three most geographically historic regions in the world: The Middle East, Sumer, and Egypt. These places consisted of cities, political systems, and were responsible for economic input and output.
After paraphrasing the text, the reader can define the term “civilization” as something representing a new type of society due to the high rate of productivity caused by Agricultural Revolution. Along with this newfound “civilization” came positive and negative effects that affected the way the society grew (or diminished). Every society has its on issues, specifically speaking, within this time period, sexism, slavery, illness, degradation of the environment, and economic inequality. Inequality seemed to be based on the same terms of to...

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...dernized versions that our culture has evolved into were primarily based on those that are considered original. Over the millennia, we have learned to adapt and work around what was set before us to emerge into a dynamic and vastly growing civilization. We still utilize some of the methods mentioned in this document, for example, Mohenjo Daro and it’s underground sewage system, as well as the layout of it’s cities and housing grid… modern civilization has adapted this system into a more user-friendly version making it easier to operate and understand. Todays civilizations have the ability to learn a lot from history… why not take advantage of it?

Works Cited

Strayer, Robert W. "Chapter Three: First Civilizations (Cities, States, and Unequal Socieities)." Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 85-113. Print.

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