It might also be fair to say that a lot of “global history” of the past 30 years has been written by living people with an agenda. And the rigour of their work

It might also be fair to say that a lot of “global history” of the past 30 years has been written by living people with an agenda. And the rigour of their work has not always been that high. From an English perspective it is hard to understand the disdain for the “dark ages” label. After the Romans left, people in Britain got several inches shorter and became illiterate.