Modern World History

Modern World History

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Modern World History

World History from the Mid-15th Century to the Present

K-12 Schools & Districts

Public Libraries

Universities & Colleges

About This Product

Modern World History offers a comprehensive look at world history from the mid-15th century to the present. Thousands of subject entries, biographies, images, videos and slideshows, maps and graphs, primary sources, and timelines combine to provide a detailed and comparative view of the people, places, events, and ideas that have defined modern world history. Focused Topic Centers pull forward interesting entries, search terms, documents, and maps handpicked by our editors to help users find a starting point for their research, as well as videos and slideshow overviews to offer a visual introduction to key eras and regions. All the Infobase history databases in a collection are fully cross-searchable.

Get a FREE TRIAL of Modern World History.

  • Comprehensive Coverage: With Modern World History, researchers can delve deep into their topics or examine different perspectives through event and topic entries, primary sources, images, videos, general and topic-specific timelines, biographies, original maps and charts, and more.
  • Easy Access to Content: Featured content in Modern World History is handpicked by our editors to inform research and provide guided entryways into the database, plus convenient links to key areas are at the top of every page.
  • Editorially Curated Topic Centers: Modern World History features specially selected content on different eras and themes of history—including articles, shareable slideshows, videos, primary sources, and more—that provides a starting point for research.

Regions covered include:

    • Africa
    • Asia and Oceania
    • Europe
    • Middle East
    • The Americas

Eras covered include:

    • The First Global Age: 1450–1770
    • An Age of Revolutions: 1750–1914
    • A Half Century of Crisis: 1900–1945
    • Promises and Paradoxes: 1945–Present

Subjects covered include:

    • European Renaissance
    • European Enlightenment
    • British Industrial Revolution
    • French Revolution and Napoleon
    • Mexican Revolution
    • Rise of Nazi Germany
    • Indian Independence Movement
    • Apartheid in South Africa
  • Suggested Research Topics: Each Topic Center in Modern World History includes handpicked selections showcasing the best resources for each topic—including in-depth overview essays—and providing guidance for research.
  • Primary Sources: Modern World History includes hundreds of primary sources, many with introductions that provide context and background—perfect for strengthening critical-thinking skills.
  • Videos, Images, Maps, and Slideshows: Modern World History’s videos, images, original maps, and original, interactive whiteboard-friendly slideshows offer a fascinating visual introduction to key topics and themes, stimulating interest and providing convenient overviews and “lecture launcher” material.
  • Biographies: Under “Featured People,” Modern World History includes helpful lists of Enlightenment thinkers, women in world history, Renaissance painters, and dictators and tyrants. Each list includes dates of birth and death, a brief descriptor of the person’s achievements, and a link to relevant search results.
  • Themes in Modern History: Modern World History’s Themes in Modern History section explores 26 major themes in modern world history century by century. Organized around such critical subjects as economy and trade, government organization, migration and immigration, religion, science and technology, social organization, and war, the essays trace the progress of modern history across the world, fostering critical conceptual thinking and allowing students to focus on a particular theme in one era and then examine that theme across the span of modern world history. Discussion questions for each theme encourage students to think critically.
  • Pro/Con Articles: Editorially selected articles on many high-interest controversies in history can be found in Modern World History, enabling researchers to grasp the essence and importance of every conflict and the reasons Americans debated them.
  • Overview Essays: Modern World History includes substantial and thorough overview essays giving extensive background on relevant historical topics and eras.
  • Book Chapters: Chapters from authoritative print titles written by noted historians complement the thousands of encyclopedia entries, biographies, definitions, and other resources Modern World History provides. Book chapters allow for original thinking and are ideal for an in-depth study of a topic.
  • Authoritative Source List: Modern World History features a complete inventory, by type, of the extraordinary amount of expertly researched and written content in the database, including articles from a wealth of award-winning proprietary and distinguished print titles, primary sources, images, videos, timelines, and a list of contributors to the database—information researchers can trust.
  • Curriculum Tools: This section of Modern World History features writing and research tips for students and educators, including:
    • Advice on analyzing and understanding editorial cartoons, primary sources, and online sources
    • Guides for presenting research, including avoiding plagiarism, citing sources, completing a primary source worksheet, summarizing articles, and writing research papers
    • Educator tools, including advice on preventing plagiarism and using editorial cartoons in class.
  • Full Cross-Searchability: Modern World History is fully cross-searchable with any combination of the other Infobase History Research Center databases to which your institution subscribes.

  • Search by Common Core, national, state, provincial, International Baccalaureate Organization, C3 Framework for Social Studies, and College Board AP standards to find correlating articles
  • Supports 1:1 initiatives, blended instruction, flipped classrooms, project-based learning, and document-based question environments
  • Convenient A-to-Z topic lists can be filtered by Topic Center
  • Tag “clouds” for all content, linking to related material
  • Searchable timelines, including a detailed general timeline, updated monthly, plus regional and era-specific timelines
  • “National History Day” feature, with suggested searches in accordance with the theme of the NHD competition
  • Maps and graphs with descriptions
  • Real-time, searchable Reuters® newsfeed
  • Share content to Google Classroom
  • Save content directly to Google Drive
  • Single sign-on with Google or Microsoft
  • Google Sign-In allows users to easily access content with their Google credentials
  • A variety of integration options and partners, including Schoology, Canvas, itslearning, and D2L (Desire2Learn)
  • Dynamic citations in MLA, Chicago, and Harvard formats, with EasyBib and NoodleTools export functionality
  • Read Aloud tool
  • Ability for users to set preferences for default language, citation format, number of search results, and standards set for correlations
  • Persistent record links
  • Search Assist technology
  • Searchable Support Center with valuable help materials, how-to tips, tutorials, and live help chat
  • Google Translate for 100+ languages.

Topic Centers include:

  • Africa
  • Asia and Oceania
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • The Americas
  • The First Global Age: 1450–1770
  • An Age of Revolutions: 1750–1914
  • A Half Century of Crisis: 1900–1945
  • Promises and Paradoxes: 1945–Present
  • European Renaissance
  • European Enlightenment
  • British Industrial Revolution
  • French Revolution and Napoleon
  • Mexican Revolution
  • Rise of Nazi Germany
  • Indian Independence Movement
  • Apartheid in South Africa.

Export to NoodleTools Functionality Added to Selected Infobase Databases

Selected Infobase databases now feature an “Export to NoodleTools” option for citation information. This new feature can be found via the Citation pop-up window on any page users wish to cite. The databases that now have NoodleTools include: American History African American History American Ind…read more →

Check Out the New Overview Videos for Ancient and Medieval History and Modern World History

Interested in our Ancient and Medieval History and Modern World History databases? Want to see how they work? Check out the overview videos below!     Ancient and Medieval History provides thorough coverage of world history from prehistory through the mid-1500s. Modern World History offers…read more →

Modern World History: New “Themes in Modern History” Section

A new Themes in Modern History section has been added to Modern World History, exploring 26 major themes in world history by era. This approach fosters critical conceptual thinking, encouraging students to think about themes, or unifying threads, that drove historical change throughout time. Organiz…read more →

Modern World History: Single Sign-On with Google Now Available

Google Sign-In can now be turned on to allow users to sign into the Modern World History database with their Google credentials, enabling one-click log-in access using the “Sign in with Google” button. This option is turned off by default and can be activated by account administrators in the Adm…read more →

Modern World History: 2018 Updates

Modern World History is continuously updated and enhanced, increasing the educational value of this award-winning resource. Here is a recap of some of the content updates made so far this year. Authoritative sources: Added seven new volumes from the Milestones in World History series: The Chinese C…read more →

Modern World History: Guns, Germs, and Steel and More

Approximately 240 video clips have just been added to Modern World History, including clips from the three-part Guns, Germs, and Steel series by National Geographic. Based on Jared Diamond’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, this classic series follows humankind’s bumpy journey from the Ice Age to th…read more →

Modern World History: 2017 Year in Review—Updates and More

Modern World History has been updated and enhanced throughout the past year, increasing the educational value of this award-winning resource. Recent Updates and Additions: New articles: Added 700 new entries on topics spanning the entire modern world history curriculum. The authoritative sources ad…read more →

History Research Center: Exciting New Content Added

We are delighted to announce our latest update to our five Infobase history databases (History Research Center)—valuable new entries, articles, and videos. More Than 3,300 New and Updated Entries and More Than 770 New Videos (9,500+ Clips) History Research Center now features a wealth of new cont…read more →

Additional Databases Added to Infobase Search API

With the abundance of electronic resources available today, many schools prefer to access their educational assets in one place. Federated search engines and other discovery tools allow libraries to do just that—easily search through multiple content sources in their catalog at the same time. The …read more →

Library Journal Best Database

“…highly recommended…easy to use…extremely student-friendly.”
Booklist

“…a great starting point for students seeking basic background information on most world history topics…well designed and easy to navigate. The maps, images, videos, time lines and primary sources are a welcome adjunct to the other strong content from a well-known, reputable publisher…Recommended.”
Choice

“…simple to use and contains a substantial amount of information, laid out in an aesthetically pleasing manner…Recommended…”
Reference Reviews

“…[goes] into great depth…and feature[s] primary sources that are useful and often required for assignments.”
Library Journal