In this unique three-volume work, for the first time in Russia, an attempt was made to comprehend the development of world and domestic cultures as an inextricable process. Chronologically, the narrative is limited to three centuries (XVII–XIX). The author's attention is focused primarily on European, American and Russian heroes. The first volume gives a definition of civilization and talks about the most important events of the New and Contemporary times. You will meet great thinkers, writers, artists, musicians, statesmen - England, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, Belgium. Images of Galileo and G. Bruno, Newton and Copernicus, Cromwell and Charles I, Duke of Alba and William of Orange, Rembrandt and Rubens, Louis XIV and Richelieu, Elizabeth and Pompadour, Mirabeau and Robespierre, etc. will help you visually and figuratively imagine history peoples as an ensemble of outstanding personalities, events and facts. The publication includes a wealth of illustrative material and is designed for the widest readership both in Russia and in foreign countries. The book was published in the author's edition. The editorial opinion does not always coincide with the opinion of the author. The author expresses deep gratitude and appreciation to the deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation V.I. Ilyukhin for his help in publishing this three-volume work.