From the megaliths and menhirs at Carnac and the mound-builders of the Mississippi to the conflict in East Timor and the fall of the Soviet Union, this superb volume covers every significant historical event and location. Alongside the major rulers, commanders, and politicians, many biographies are included for those whose ideas, inventions, and discoveries have shaped world history. The Encyclopedia also provides succinct outlines of the major historical and social movements and ideologies, explaining the ideas and phenomena which have "made history," including capitalism, fascism, human evolution, war, women's suffrage, and urbanization.