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Modern Travel in World History uses three themes-technology, mass movements and travelers-to examine the history of the modern world from the fifteenth-century transatlantic explorations to the impact of the global COVID pandemic of the twenty-first century.
This book focuses on both the evolving nature of travel, from land and sea routes in the 1500s to the domination of planes and cars in the modern world, and the important stories of travelers themselves. Taking a global perspective, the text places travel within the larger geopolitical, social, religious and cultural developments throughout history. It emphasizes not only the role of technology innovation in the ways people travel but also how those changes affect social structures and cultural values. Tom Taylor explores the journeys of well-known travelers as well as ordinary people, each with different perspectives, through the lens of gender, social class and cultural background, and considers how fictional travelers define the importance of travel in the modern world. Why people set out on the sojourns they did, what they experienced, who they met and how they understood these cross-cultural encounters are important to not only understanding the travelers themselves but the world they lived in and the world their travels made. Several maps help illustrate important routes and destinations.
This book will be of interest to students of world history and literature.
List of contents
0. Introduction, 1. Global Travel and the Making of the Modern World, 2. The Jesuits and the Making of a Global Missionary Order, 3. Travelers and Travel in the Islamic World, 4. The Atlantic Slave Trade, 5. Enlightened Travelers and the Search for Laws of Nature, 6. The Industrial Revolution and Global Transportation, 7. Global Migration in the Nineteenth Century, 8. Political and Social Reformers in the Nineteenth Century, 9. Travel and Imperialism, 10. Cars, Planes and Cargo Ships: The Twentieth Century, 11. War and Revolutions in the Early Twentieth Century, 12. Dictatorships, The Great Depression and World War Two, 13. Cold War Conflicts, Youth Rebellions and Decolonization Movements, 14. Continuity and Change After the End of the Cold War
About the author
Dr. Tom Taylor has performed over 1,000 weight-loss surgical procedures, but was always concerned about the risks facing this vulnerable group of patients. There may now be alternative methods that are potentially safer than and as effective as major surgery.
Summary
Modern Travel in World History uses three themes – technology, mass movements, and travellers – to examine the history of the modern world from the fifteenth-century transatlantic explorations to the impact of the global COVID pandemic of the 21st century.
Report
Honorable mention for the 2023 World History Connected Book Award
