Bhakti As a religious concept, Bhakti means devotional surrender to a personally conceived supreme God for attaining a solution. Origin of this doctrine is traced to both Brahmanical and Buddhist traditions of ancient India, scriptures of Gita. It was for the first time in South India between 7th - 10th cents. That Bhakti grew from a more…

With the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, west Asian nations saw a vision of Independence, and a chance to throw off all traces of foreign domination. Nationalist Movements. These movements gained control of governments often in defiance of the religious authorities. This was proceeded by programs of modernization, for building highways, railroads, and schools, Subsidizing industries, and…

Under Tang rule, (8th - 19th cent: A.D) China's society and culture attained a climax. Having extended their over lordship in Central Asia, they gave a fillip to the overland trade. China exported silk, porcelain, and jade to West Asia, Europe, and India across the Silk Road. China welcomed foreign traders. Arabs, Persians, and Indians settled…

Arab migrations and mercantile activity along the east coast of Africa increased enormously, extending up to Malindi, Zanzibar, etc. The Arab trade included large-scale export of slaves, gold, ivory, etc. The Arabs brought Africa more closely into the Indian Ocean & Middle Eastern trade. The Ethiopian Kingdom It was a powerful Kingdom having many towns. The Ethiopians were…

Islam united the warring Arab tribes into a powerful empire. Arab Empire embraced Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, North Africa, and Spain. Abbasids came to power in the middle of the eighth century. They claim their descendancy from the prophet. Mohammad thereby established the most powerful and flourishing empire in the world. The Abbasside controlled important trade routes linking the Mediterranean…

Inventions of the iron stirrup and a new type of harness made cavalry warfare the principal mode of warfare. Iron-Stirrups: - It made it possible for a heavily armored person to sit firmly on a horse without falling off. It also made possible a cavalry charge with lances held tightly to the body, without the rider begin…

Serf  A peasant who worked on the land. A Serf could not any change his profession or migrate to any other area or marry without the permission of his lord master. Manor systems There is Castle in this system where the lord lived. The lord owned large tract of land. The serfs cultivated the land of the lord…

Feudal society, and feudal system of government. Here, the chiefs were the most powerful elements. They dominated large tracts of land with their military following. They also played an important part in government. The King was just like one of the more powerful feudal chiefs. The Chiefs constantly fought with one another. This led to a state…

During this period Roman Empire Collapse. The cities virtually disappeared in Western Europe. One cause of this was the absence of gold. The Romans obtained this gold from Africa and traded it with the Orient. Rather, this period was a period of agricultural expansion. This prepared the way for the revival of city life from the…

Past is reviewed to identify what parts of legacy are relevant and what factors are inhibiting growth. Ancient India witnessed the evolution of tribe-based Society to the rise of territorial states and the gradual formation of classes and castes within this state system. There developed a trend towards ownership of land followed by the desire to…