Several Questions about the backstory for DC's "Final Crisis"?

I've been trying to catch up with Batman comics after hearing about "Batman RIP" and the new "Batman & Robin", but after reading "Final Crisis" I'm completely lost. I don't know any of the backstory, so I have no idea who the Monitors are, what Darkseid's "Anti-Life" thing is, or what the hell the Japan sections are about. Other than that, though, I've pretty much got it. =)
 
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