Introduction for Chapter 33

33 The Contemporary World in Historical Perspective

> How is our understanding of the present shaped by our understanding of the past? Chapter 33 examines the contemporary world in historical perspective. Since the end of the Cold War, many nations around the world have undergone transitions from dictatorship to democracy, and a growing number of nations have pursued free trade. These new experiences have been shaped by past struggles, and they have intensified global connections, aided by revolutions in communications and information technology. Amid these changes, stubborn regional and political conflicts remain in many parts of the world, and the experiences of poverty and marginalization continue to be widespread. But this is also a world in which, as in the past, humans have had the ability to shape, adapt, and transform the problems they confront.

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The Digital Revolution People throughout the world have embraced the ease and convenience of mobile phone technology, which has increased dramatically since the introduction of the first cellular phone in 1985. (Masterfile/Royalty-Free)

LearningCurve

After reading the chapter, use LearningCurve to retain what you’ve read.

1950s 1997
Beginning of green revolution Chemical Weapons Convention goes into effect, banning the production of chemical weapons; Kyoto Protocol on global warming
1969–1979 2000–2010
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) between the Soviet Union and United States Warmest decade in recorded history
1970 2001
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Al-Qaeda attacks on World Trade Center and U.S. Pentagon
1981 2001
UN World Health Organization International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan
1989 2003
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child U.S.-led coalition invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completes sequencing of human genome
1994
Zapatista Army for National Liberation insurrection in Chiapas, Mexico