Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights:#1 The opening years of the twentieth century seemed to promise continued Victorian peace, prosperity, and progress. But the century would soon be torn asunder by the Franco-Prussian War, the end of a century of Pax Britannica, and all its optimistic assumptions.#2 The Boxer Rebellion, which took place in China in 1900, was a demonstration of the strength of the Chinese proletariat, who were outraged by the unequal treaties that the foreign devils had imposed on them. The European powers, who were responsible for these treaties, were rocked by the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion.#3 The first arms race was between the navies of the world’s major powers, who were quickly replacing their wooden-hulled ships with ironclads. The race also offered newcomers an entrée into the world of naval warfare.#4 The Japanese were known in the West for their skill in the decorative arts, and Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, a farce on contemporary England, was extremely offensive to Japanese critics.