THE divisiongivesHistory consists of chronological divisionof the studied events in five stages that are found in textbooks. This fragmentation was created by the historians in order to facilitate the understanding and analysis of historical events, which has become an important method of study in this discipline. However, the chronological division is criticized by some historians.
The most common division of History comprises the following phases:
Prehistory
Old age
Middle Ages
Modern age
Contemporary age
Stages of History
phases |
Start |
Termination |
Prehistory |
- |
4000 a. Ç. |
Old age |
4000 a. Ç. |
476 d. Ç. |
Middle Ages |
476 d. Ç. |
1453 |
Modern age |
1453 |
1789 |
Contemporary age |
1789 |
- |
Criticism of the division of history
It is important to consider that this classification is a definition carried out by modern historians with the intention of facilitate the study and teaching of history from a chronological perspective. This division, therefore, groups events by the passage of time and stipulates milestones that determine the beginning and end of each phase.
We should not have a fixed view of historical periods and the milestones that stipulate the passage from one period to another. Therefore, it is important to understand that Europe did not assume the basic characteristics that defined it in the Middle Ages in 476, but in that year an important event began the transformations that, over the centuries, shaped the Middle Ages.
Some criticism are made to this division, since it uses only chronology as a tool to carry out the division of the contents of History. Also, she is criticized for being eurocentric and focus only on aspects related to events directly related to the European continent. Currently, there are historians who debate alternatives to the excessive use of chronology as a tool for teaching and studying history.
Here's some basic information about the division of history.
Prehistory
Prehistory follows the events related to the emergence of the first hominids and its evolution. From this period, the development of these hominids and the tools used by them in their survival are studied. It is also analyzed the different species of hominids until the emergence of the homo sapiens sapiens.
The milestone that stipulates the end of this period is the emergence of writing, around 4000 a. Ç. To learn more about this period of history, go to:Prehistory.
Old age
The Ancient Age had as its beginning the emergence of writing, around 4000 BC C., and this period follows all the civilizations of Antiquity, such as the mesopotamian peoples, Hittites, Phoenicians, Hebrews, Persians, Chinese, and the great focus of this period is on the classical peoples, that is, greeks and romans, the peoples considered with the greatest intellectual advancement of all Antiquity.
The landmark you placed end this period was the invasion of Rome by Heruli, a germanic people, and the removal of Romulus Augustus from the Roman throne in 476 d. Ç. With this, the Western Roman Empire ended and Western Europe began a phase of great transformations that led to the formation of the medieval.
Accessalso: The influence of the Romans today
Middle Ages
THE Middle Agesnamed after the renaissances who considered this period as a time that was in the middle of the Rebirth and the period of classical civilizations. the Middle Ages extended from 476 to 1453, and the establishment of this period considers the way in which Western European society developed.
During this period, the development of feudalism in Europe, through the process of ruralization of Europe after the end of the Western Roman Empire. With that, there were new power relations, like suzerainty and vassalage, and the functioning of society became radically different from the way it operated in Rome.
THE Catholic church it had great influence over society and played an important role in sustaining kings. From the 11th century onwards, the urban and commercial renaissance in Europe it paved the way for the social transformations that led to the development of mercantilism, called by some commercial capitalism. These transformations were also caused by crises, such as the 14th century crisis.
On other continents, however, the situation and ways of life were different from those in Europe. Here in America, for example, the end of the Middle Ages marked the heyday of pre-columbian civilizations: you incas and the aztecs. The milestone that ended this phase is the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453.
Accessalso: Crusades - important event of the medieval period
Modern age
The Modern Age is the phase of transition from feudalism to capitalism. O mercantilism was how that transition happened. The development of mercantilism was related to the commercial development that Europe began to experience from the 12th century onwards. The “closure” of Constantinople, when the city was conquered by the Muslims, led Europeans to look for alternatives to their trade and from that came, in part, the impetus for Great Navigations.
In the modern age, the power of the church began to be questioned and the importance of reason began to take precedence over faith. The Renaissance is an example of this and brought an important flowering in the arts, for example. The emergence of Enlightenment it was another phase of this process of scientific and rational development of Western society.
Europeans arrived in Europe and started to conquest of the american continent (there are historians who call it an invasion). The indigenous peoples of America were decimated and the Europeans imposed a system of intense exploitation on that continent. Indigenous and African slavery became common.
The Catholic Church has suffered a major setback in Europe with the Protestant Reforms, movement initiated by Luther, in order to reform the Church from what he understood as deviation/failures of the institution. The development of ideals based on rationality and the defense that all men are equal led to events such as French Revolution. THE Bastille fall it was, in fact, the landmark that ended the Modern Age and started the contemporary phase of History.
Contemporary age
It's the current phase. It began with the French Revolution, an event that radically transformed Western society and popularized ideas such as “men's equality before the law”. Although this equality defended at the time was still far from ideal, it initiated movements that led humanity to the current state of valuing the human being in all aspects.
In the Contemporary Age, European colonies in America won their independence, but the Europeans are over colonizing Africa and Asia when the industry emerged. Colonization, in general, was harmful, and colonized places, even today, reap the consequences of this exploitation.
The development of capitalism gave rise to protest movements that brought together workers in defense of their interests against the intense exploitation carried out by the bourgeois. This gave rise to movements like the socialism, which influenced humanity to the point of communist revolutions taking place in various parts of the world in the 20th century.
The 20th century was marked by two great world wars and by big onesgenocides. These events led to the emergence of institutions whose main objective is the preservation of peace, although the world is still marked by conflicts.
Accessalso: Cold War - one of the main events of the second half of the 20th century
Brazilian History Division
The division of the History of Brazil is also a convention held by modern historians that group events into chronological periods in order to facilitate the teaching and learning of this content. Broadly, Brazilian history is divided into three periods that may have subdivisions within.
The three periods of Brazilian History are:
Colonial period(1500-1822)
Time coursemonarchic (1822-1889)
Time courseRepublican (1889-presently).
