From Plato's "Republic" and Bacon's "New Atlantis" to the May 68 revolution, globalization, and the Spanish protests of 2011-2012, this work covers the key philosophical and cultural ideas behind the utopian visions--those that have sought to create a better world--that have given shape to each historical period. Each historical period can be understood as what it was not, or what it hoped or strived to be. Discover the fascinating history of one of the most constant cultural elements that have guided the actions or decisions of many men and women: the desire to create a better world. Get a better understanding of man today and get a view of those hopes of the past that inspired him and his great projects, including the lost paradise of the Bible, the visions of Rousseau, the City of God, the May 1968 student movements, the more recent May 15 Spanish protests, and other antiglobalization movements of today.