Contemporary World History,
7th Edition

Part I: NEW WORLD IN THE MAKING.
1. The Rise of Industrial Society in the West.
2. The High Tide of Imperialism: Africa and Asia in an Era of Western Dominance.
3. Shadows over the Pacific: East Asia Under Challenge.
Part II: CULTURES IN COLLISION.
4. War and Revolution: World War I and Its Aftermath.
5. Nationalism, Revolution, and Dictatorship: Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America from 1919 to 1939.
6. The Crisis Deepens: The Outbreak of World War II.
Part III: ACROSS THE IDEOLOGICAL DIVIDE.
7. East and West in the Grip of the Cold War.
8. The United States, Canada, and Latin America.
9. Brave New World: The Rise and Fall of Communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
10. Postwar Europe: On the Path to Unity?
Part IV: THIRD WORLD RISING.
11. Toward the Pacific Century? Japan and the Little Tigers.
12. The East Is Red: China Under Communism.
13. Nationalism Triumphant: The Emergence of Independent States in South and Southeast Asia.
14. Emerging Africa.
15. Ferment in the Middle East.
Part V: THE NEW MILLENNIUM.
16. Constructing a New World Order.

• William J. Duiker

  William J. Duiker is liberal arts Professor Emeritus of East Asian studies at The Pennsylvania State University and a former U.S. diplomat with service in Taiwan, South Vietnam and Washington, D.C. At Penn State, he served as director of International Programs in the College of Liberal Arts and as chairman of the East Asian Studies Committee. He has written extensively on the history of Vietnam and modern China, including the highly acclaimed COMMUNIST ROAD TO POWER IN VIETNAM (revised edition, Westview Press, 1996), which was selected for a Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award in 1982-1983 and 1996-1997. He is also the author of CHINA AND VIETNAM: THE ROOTS OF CONFLICT (Berkeley, 1987), U.S. CONTAINMENT POLICY AND THE CONFLICT IN INDOCHINA (Stanford, 1995), SACRED WAR: NATIONALISM AND REVOLUTION IN A DIVIDED VIETNAM (McGraw-Hill, 1995) and HO CHI MINH (Hyperion, 2000), which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2001. While Dr. Duiker's research specialization is in the field of nationalism and Asian revolutions, his intellectual interests are considerably more diverse. He has traveled widely and has taught courses on the history of communism and non-Western civilizations at Penn State, where he was awarded a Faculty Scholar Medal for Outstanding Achievement in 1996. The College of Liberal Arts honored him with an Emeritus Distinction Award in 2002. Dr. Duiker received his doctorate in Far Eastern history from Georgetown University.

• Each chapter now opens with a "Connections to Today" question that prompts students to find the links between the past and the present -- helping them appreciate the relevance of history to their own lives.

• Focus questions are included at the opening of key sections to help students check their understanding of important concepts.

• A series of critical thinking questions added at the end of each chapter gives students a useful overview as well as guides them to the key subjects in that chapter -- maximizing their study time and course success.

• Focus questions are provided with every chapter image, giving readers visual context to improve their comprehension of text material.

• "Historians Debate" sections are included in every chapter, giving readers insight into the various ways in which historians examine events.

• Substantially expanded, Chapter 16 "Constructing a New World Order" provides an extended discussion of issues of current interest, including civil rights, the growth of the women's liberation movement, the impact of globalization and technological change on the world economy, the current crisis affecting liberal democratic societies and the challenge of climate change.

• "Spot maps" appear in numerous chapters, offering students an up-close view that provides critical details on smaller areas not apparent in the larger maps. Many spot maps are also available on the Book Companion Website and include commentary and critical thinking questions.

• Timelines clearly highlight and contrast different cultures and nations, helping readers gain a comparative view of the development of world history. Timelines also appear on the Book Companion Website with commentary and image links to help students further their understanding.

• "Film & History" features present a brief analysis of the plot as well as the historical significance, value and accuracy of several films, such as "Suffragette" in Chapter 1; "A Passage to India" in Chapter 5; "The Lives of Others" (originally titled "Das Leben Der Anderen") (2006) in Chapter 10; "The Bridge of Spies" in Chapter 7; and "The Last Emperor" (1987) in Chapter 12.

• Challenging students to think critically and analytically, primary source documents in every chapter expose readers to the historian's craft while allowing the book to be used as the sole text for the course. Assignable questions appear at the end of each primary source box. Topics include A Plea for Women’s Rights (Ch. 1); Program for a New China (Ch. 3); The Four Freedoms (Ch. 6); Out of the Doll's House (Ch. 8); Toward a United Europe (Ch. 10); Love and Marriage in China (Ch. 12); and Stealing the Nation's Riches, an excerpt from Ayi Kwei Armah's "The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born" (Ch. 14).

• Helping readers engage with text content, chapters open with a brief vignette to pique students' interest in the region under discussion, while part-ending "Reflections" features help readers organize and synthesize the material and make connections between events in different civilizations.

• Each chapter is complemented by detailed maps that help students understand the importance of geography in history. Expanded map captions encourage readers to think beyond the mere appearance of each map and to make connections across chapters, regions and concepts. Many maps are also available on the Book Companion Website.

• "Opposing Viewpoints" features present a comparison of two or three primary source excerpts to facilitate student analysis of historical documents. Accompanying focus questions help readers evaluate the documents. Topics include "To Resist or Not to Resist" (Ch. 2); "Practical Learning or Confucian Essence: The Debate over Reform" (Ch. 3); "The Excitement and the Reality of War" (Ch. 4); "Islam in the Modern World: Two Views" (Ch. 5); "Confrontation in Southeast Asia" (Ch. 7); "Students Appeal for Democracy" (Ch.12); and "The Arab and Jewish Case for Palestine" (Ch. 15).

• Coverage of numerous topics has been expanded with recent scholarship, including the rise of women's liberation (Ch. 1); traditional Chinese religion (Ch. 3); weaponry in World War I (Ch. 4); rise of the Third Reich (Ch. 6); civil rights, environmental issues and the role of science and technology in the postwar U.S. (Ch. 8); nationalist movements and the crisis of democracy in contemporary Europe (Ch. 10); conditions in China, the Arab-Israeli dispute and results of the “Arab Spring” (Ch. 15); and globalization, challenges to systems of liberal democracy and climate change (Ch. 16).

Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

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