Different societies meet the challenges posed by relative isolation (or by more intense contact) in different ways, with greater or lesser success. Some thrived; some disappeared

Question

What can we conclude from this about the notion of "progress" in history?

Answer 1

Answers will vary but correct responses should include: Progress in history can be measured in different ways. By meeting the challenges of isolation in their own ways, different societies learned to cope with their restrictions and make "progress" within their environment. The history of the Americas in the eleventh and twelfth centuries is scattered with stories of new frontiers, developed by new migrations or new initiatives. In a similar way in Mesoamerica, the collapse of the cities of the classic Maya did not put an end to experiments in civilization. Maya city life and state-building continued in a new environment in Yucatán in what is now eastern Mexico, where the greatest city, Chichén Itzá, began to arise in the tenth century, at about the time the lowland Maya culture withered. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, despite dealing with isolation, the effects the exchange around the Indian Ocean increased. In East Africa and Southeast Asia, new or renewed states and trading communities grew in size and influence. Meanwhile, in India, though political troubles convulsed many states, and their cultural influence shrank, trade across the ocean remained buoyant, prosperity survived, and some new or newly powerful kings emerged. Despite their remote locations at the extremities of Eurasia, both Japan and Western Europe were close enough to the major communications routes to tap into the great exchanges of culture of the time. By considering these examples, we can conclude that "progress" cannot be measured by a universal standard for all societies, but each society must be looked at individually to see the development and growth gained over time.