1. How did Europe catch up with the great Asian empires in economic and military power between 1492 and 1800?
2. Between 1800 and the 1960s Europe and its offshoots, especially the USA, achieved economic, military, and cultural hegemony despite devastating world wars. Why did European dominance start to decline a generation after 1945?
3. Trace the reemergence of Asia as the center of the world economy in the late 20th and early 21st century. Is the new global order providing a broader based of economic and political development than previous eras?