World History Atlas

Author: Zhang Zhilian, Liu Xuerong, Editors-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-04-01
Features: This atlas is a comprehensive reference map collection primarily designed to reflect major events and territorial boundaries in the development of world history. The purpose of compiling it is to provide a tool for students and teachers of universities and colleges, secondary school teachers, world history and foreign affairs professionals, as well as readers with intermediate or higher education levels to study and research world history. The contributors to this atlas are scholars who have long been engaged in teaching world history in universities. Through years of teaching practice, they deeply felt the need for a world history atlas that complements university-level teaching, reflects Chinese characteristics, and is concise and practical. China has long had the tradition of "maps on the left and history on the right." If we can incorporate the activities of people from different countries in various historical periods into the maps and compare them with China's historical events, we can gain a more comprehensive and accurate geographical understanding, thereby deepening our specific comprehension of world history. With the deepening of reform and opening-up, our interactions with countries around the world have become increasingly frequent, and the situation requires us to learn more about the national conditions of these countries, from history to the present, from politics and economics to international relations. Presenting this content in a map format not only makes it clear at a glance but also easier to remember. Furthermore, a world history atlas is also a tool needed by scholars in various disciplines, with multiple uses and reference value. The design and content selection principles of this atlas are guided by historical materialism, aiming to briefly and objectively reflect the process of world history. The selection of map sheets and the level of detail in the content are based on the four-volume edition of A General History of the World, edited by Zhou Yiliang and Wu Yujin. Although this textbook was written earlier, it has been widely adopted by universities in China over the past few decades and still has significant influence today. Of course, the atlas also maintains a certain degree of independence, meaning that it strives to improve and enhance its structure, arrangement, and content based on the four-volume edition, making it a self-contained system. The time frame for this atlas covers the Paleolithic era to the Gulf War and the Eastern European upheaval. It is divided into four parts: Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and Contemporary. The content includes events and territorial boundaries in politics, military, economy, culture, and international relations, with appropriately selected maps of people's revolutionary struggles. As a world history atlas, it naturally includes content on Chinese history, as China is an ancient civilization that has made significant contributions to the development of world history. In this atlas, Chinese history occupies a certain proportion, highlighting Chinese characteristics while also facilitating comparison with foreign history. The compilation of A World History Atlas inevitably involves historical boundaries of countries and perspectives on major historical events (including revolutionary movements). This atlas maintains a cautious attitude toward these issues. Regarding China's historical boundaries, we refer to published works such as the eight-volume Historical Atlas of China, Historical Atlas of Modern Chinese History, and Historical Atlas of Contemporary Chinese History. For the historical boundaries of other countries, especially in the modern and contemporary periods, we strive to base them on international treaties. Where treaties are lacking, we refer to historical maps published by the relevant countries or those published by the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and other countries.