The city : a world history / Andrew Lees.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lees, Andrew, 1940- author.

Series:

New Oxford world history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cities and towns--History.

Cities and towns.

History.

Cities and towns--Growth--History.

Cities and towns--Growth.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

x, 145 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2015]

Summary:

The City: A World History tells the story of the rise and development of urban centers from ancient times to the twenty-first century. It begins with the establishment of the first cities in the Near East in the fourth millennium BCE and goes on to examine urban growth in the Indus River Valley in India, as well as Egypt and areas that bordered the Mediterranean Sea. Athens, Alexandria, and Rome stand out both politically and culturally. With the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, European cities entered into a long period of waning and deterioration. But elsewhere, great cities-among them, Constantinople, Baghdad, Chang'an, and Tenochtitlán-thrived. In the late Middle Ages and the early modern period, urban growth resumed in Europe, giving rise to cities like Florence, Paris, and London. This urban growth also accelerated in parts of the world that came under European control, such as Philadelphia in the nascent United States. As the Industrialization spread in the nineteenth century, cities grew rapidly. Their expansion resulted in a slew of social problems and political disruptions, but it was accompanied by impressive measures designed to improve urban life. Meanwhile, colonial cities bore the imprint of European imperialism. Finally, the book turns to the years since 1914, guided by a few themes: the impact of war and revolution; urban reconstruction after 1945; migration out of many cities in the United States into growing suburbs; and the explosive growth of "megacities" in the developing world. This book offers a fascinating account not only of urban growth but also of urban spaces and urban life and ways in which men and women have viewed them. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Origins and Locations of Early Cities, 3500-500 BCE 1

Chapter 2 Great Cities, 500 BCE-300 CE 15

Chapter 3 Decline and Development, 300-1500 30

Chapter 4 Capitals, Culture, Colonization, and Revolution, 1500-1800 45

Chapter 5 Urban Growth and Its Consequences in an Age of Industrialization, 1800-1914 62

Chapter 6 Colonial Cities, 1800-1914 79

Chapter 7 Destruction and Reconstruction, 1914-1960 94

Chapter 8 Urban Decline and Urban Growth since 1950 110.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780199859542

019985954X

9780199859528

0199859523

OCLC:

903688795