本书以马克思主义唯物史观为指导，全面系统地阐述人类历史的发展进程，揭示历史矛盾运动的客观规律，以及人类社会不可逆转的进步趋势，同时准确、系统、生动地揭示自史前到21世纪初这一漫长历史时期人类社会的丰富图景。 内容包括政治、经济、文化、科学、思想、艺术、军事、外交、社会，以及生态环境的历史演变等各个方面，既有对人类历史进程的总体把握，也有对重大历史事件和时代关怀的专题性阐述，使读者能够清晰、扼要地了解世界历史发展的整体脉络和主要问题。 (Guided by the Marxist historical materialism, the book makes an all-round and systematic exposition to reveal the development process of human history, the objective laws of historical contradiction movement as well as the irreversible trend of progress of human society; at the same time, it accurately, systematically and vividly reveals the rich picture of human society from prehistoric period to the early 21st century.The contents include the historical evolution of politics, economy, culture, science, ideology, art, military, diplomacy, society and the ecological environment and other aspects. Not only is there an overall grasp of human history, but there are also topicality of major historical events and solicitude for the eras, thus enabling the reader to clearly and briefly gain an understanding of the overall context and the main problems of world history development.)