Download Unit #4 Early Modern Period

Unit #4
Early Modern Period
Global Interactions
c. 1450 – c. 1750
Unit #4 Key Concepts
• Key Concept 4.1
• Globalizing Networks of Communications and
Exchange
• For the first time the western hemisphere came
into contact with the eastern hemisphere
• World trade patterns were dramatically altered
with this contact
• Technological advancements, stronger political
organizations, and new found economic
prosperity contributed to this new globalized
world
• Comparatively, land-based empires lost power to
the sea-based powers
Unit #4 Key Concepts
• Key Concept 4.2
• New forms of social organization and modes of production
• Labor systems changed with the acquisition of colonies
in North and South America by European powers
• With the death of indigenous Amerindians a vigorous
slave trade developed imported from Africa
• Labor systems such as the encomienda and mita in
South America were adapted by the Spanish and
Portuguese
• Serfdom in Russia developed into a coercive labor
system
• Massive demographic changes took place in the
Americas resulting in new ethnic and racial categories,
such as mestizo, mulatto, and creole
Unit #4 Key Concepts
• Key Concept 4.3
• State consolidation and imperial expansion
• Compared to long-established empires, Europe
increased its power and prosperity dramatically
• Europe did not entirely eclipse the land-based powers in
Southwest Asia, Africa, and East Asia
• These former powers gained in strength, but suffered
from the old issues of land-based empires: defense
of borders, communication problems within the
empire, and maintenance of a formidable army
• By the end of this time period many of the land-based
powers were less powerful than the new sea-based
powers
• Nomads continued to play a significant role in trade and
cultural diffusion—they continued to threaten the
borders of land-based empires, but there power
diminished in light of increased travel by water
Key dates that help define
the beginning of this period
• c. 1433: Zheng He’s voyages of exploration ended
• c. 1440: the printing press developed in Europe
• 1453: the Ottoman’s took control of Constantinople
• 1492: Columbus reached the Americas
Major Developments 1450-1750 CE
• Changes in trade, technology, and global interactions
• Atlantic Ocean trade eventually led to the crossing
of the Pacific Ocean
• Europe advancements in maritime technology gave
them the edge and ability to develop new
interactions and global trade patterns
• Major maritime and gunpowder empires
• Major maritime powers included Portugal, Spain,
France, and England
• Major gunpowder empires included the Ottomans,
Ming and Qing China, the Mughal, Russia,
Tokugawa, Songhai, and Benin
Major Developments 1450-1750 CE
• Slave systems and slave trade
• As the new colonies required a labor system and
European diseases decimated the native populations,
the slave trade from Africa grew exponentially
• Atlantic Ocean trade relied on this system
• Demographic changes
• Population compositions changed as disease spread
rapidly to previously isolated people
• The demography of the New World was changed
dramatically with a system based on race and ethnicity
• The demography in certain regions of Africa were also
affected by the slave trade
• A new middle class began developing in Europe, as well
Major Developments 1450-1750 CE
• Environmental Changes
• Natural environment changed drastically, as
imported animals trampled grasslands and altered
native farming habits
• New crop exchanges meant that soil conditions
changed in many areas
• Much land was cleared for farming, including some
rainforest areas
Major Developments 1450-1750 CE
• Cultural and intellectual development
• This is the era shaped by the European Scientific
Revolution and Enlightenment
• Neo-Confucianism continued to be influential in
China
• New art forms developed in the Mughal Empire
• In Latin America, a distinctive art form developed as
European culture blended with colonial and
indigenous traditions
• Religions such as Vodun, Zen, Sikhism, and
Protestantism developed and/or spread thereby
shaping their respective socities
Civilizations of Influence c.1450-c.1750 CE
• Southwest Asia
• West Africa
• East Africa
• North Africa
• Mediterranean
• South Asia
• East Asia
• Americas
• Europe
Ottoman, Safavid
Songhai
Ethiopia
Arab, Ottoman
Ottoman
Mughal
Ming, Qing (Manchu),
Tokugawa Shogunate
Aztec, Inca, influence from
Western Europe
Muslim, Iberia (Portugal and
Spain
Important Migrations and Trade areas
and technology c.1450-c.1750
• Migrations
• Europeans to the Americas
• Africans to Southwest Asia, Europe, and the
Americas
• Trade Regions
• Atlantic World
• Indian Ocean
• South China Sea
• Russia
• Technology
• Alphabet, moveable-type printing press, telescope;
microscope, steam engine, factory textile machines
European Exploration Expands
• Factors leading to the Europeans Crossing the
Atlantic
• Advances in ship design and navigation
• Europeans developed new technologies in
ship building techniques and navigation
acquired from the Indian Ocean networks
• Items of improvement included rudders &
sails, the compass, more accurate maps,
and the astrolabe
• These came from Asia
Astrolabe
Enabled astronomers to calculate the position of the
Sun and prominent stars with respect to both the
horizon and the meridian; thus is was used to
determine latitudes
European Exploration Expands
• Factors leading to the Europeans Crossing the
Atlantic
• Another big factor was the desire to spread
Christianity
• Competition had grown from Christian
encounter with Islam
• Portugal and Spain had completed its
“Reconquista,” (reconquering) the Iberian
Peninsula from Muslim control
• Their goals included the spread of
Christianity to South and East Asia
European Exploration Expands
• Factors leading to the Europeans Crossing the
Atlantic
• The Protestant Reformation 1517 had
created a new missionary zeal in the Iberian
Peninsula
• Opposition to Catholic doctrines came
from both Muslims and Protestants
causing new missionary efforts
• Catholic monarchs wanted to convert the
world to Catholicism before their
counterparts could oppose them
European Exploration Expands
• Factors leading to the Europeans Crossing the
Atlantic
• Trade was a major factor
• Europeans could see how trade with Asia
could enhance their wealth and country’s
treasury
• The flow of silk, new technology, and
spices was transforming regions and
developing new cities as trade hubs
• Finding a fast route to Asia was a strong
motivation for sea-exploration
European Exploration Expands
• Advantages for Western Europeans Crossing
the Atlantic compared to Russia & China
• Western Europe had excellent access to the
Atlantic for sea-exploration
• Russia had not developed a warm water
port as yet and was focused on land
expansion
• Zheng He’s ship exploration was
overpowering, but Ming advisers felt the
goods traded were of little value to China
and their fear of northern invasions put
their resources into northern border
defense
Portugal and Spain lead the way
• Portugal and Spain had key geographic locations for
access to the Atlantic
• Portugal’s relative location to Africa made it a natural
exploration site.
• Spain had just accomplished a century-long struggle
to restore the Iberian peninsula to a Christian state
and obviously had the zeal to establish their influence
beyond its natural borders
• Italy had the key geographic location in the
Mediterranean to control East-West trade, so both
Spain and Portugal had highly motivate interest to
find another route to Asia
Portugal & the West Coast of Africa
• Prince Henry the Navigator from Portugal
created sent multiple voyages down the coast
of Africa
• In 1488 Portuguese ships rounded the Cape of
Good Hope and for the next ten years
Portuguese mariners and Arab merchants
traded in the Indian Ocean
• 1498 Vasco da Gamma made it to India and
the Portuguese worked to develop trading
posts (forts)
The Spanish route to the East
• Assuming that Afro-Eurasia was the only land mass
on earth, it was logical to assume that sailing west
would allow you to arrive near India
• Portugal and solidified much of the Indian Ocean
trade routes down and around Africa and Italy
controlled the Mediterranean, so Spain going west
was logical
• Columbus’ voyage solidified the phrase the three
“G’s” – God, Glory, and Gold
• Columbus’ landing in Cuba was most fortuitous
and it was know as the “West Indies” with Indians
• Columbus’ mistake would lay a foundation of
wealth for the Spanish crown through its
agricultural and silver mines of the New World
The Columbian Exchange
• What exactly is the “Columbian Exchange” in
world history jargon?
• This term is used to classify the transfer of
animals, plants, diseases, and people
between Europeans and Amerindians (Native
Americans in both North and South America)
after the arrival in the Americas of explorer
Columbus in 1492
• It is a two-way exchange
The Columbian Exchange and
its Global Effects
• Animals and Plants of the Columbian Exchange
From Afro-Eurasia to the Americas
• Europeans brought horses, pigs, chickens, cows,
sugarcane, bananas, wheat, and rice
• Horses would end up changing the cultures of
almost every Native American group
• Sugarcane plantations throughout the Caribbean
helped create rich European kingdoms and
The Columbian Exchange and
its Global Effects
• Animals and Plants of the Columbian Exchange
From the Americas to Afro-Eurasia
• Europeans returned with few animals that had a
global impact, but plants would have a large
effect
• Potatoes that became popular in Europe as it stored
well and could grow in all types of soil
• Maize became a staple in both Africa and China
• These items were responsible for population growth
• Other items included tomatoes, tobacco, and chili
peppers
The Columbian Exchange and
its Global Effects
• Diseases resulting from the Columbian Exchange
• Greatest effect on the native peoples of the
Americas was the introduction of diseases
• Smallpox was a killer of entire villages and created a
devastating change in demographics, unparalleled in
human history
• Perhaps as many as 90% of the American population
died from European diseases
• Depopulation made conquest by the Europeans much
easier (Cortez was aided greatly by this in
Tenochtitlan
The Columbian Exchange and
its Global Effects
• People migrated to the Americas during the
Columbian Exchange
• Most people migrated voluntarily, but many Africans
were forcibly moved as slaves
• Spanish explores were not settlers and few women
made the voyages
• Mixed race children were born out of Spaniards
and native women (mestizos)
• Eventually European women made the trip
creating “pure-born” Spanish. A new social
hierarchy was established based on race
The Columbian Exchange and
its Global Effects
• Religions of the Columbian Exchange
• Christian missionaries accompanied the
explorers and settlers to the Americas
• Frequent baptisms were held without regard
to any spiritual learning or requirements by
the Catholic clergy in both Spanish and
Portuguese territories
• Traditions of native faiths began weaving with
the newly appearing Christianity (Syncretism)
The Columbian Exchange and
its Global Effects
• Precious metals of the Columbian Exchange
• Gold from central America went straight to the
Spanish crown
• Silver from Peru became the metal of global exchange
• Japan came into this network as it too had silver
mines
• China and India began accumulating silver as it was
their goods that were most sought after
• A new global network of exchange was established
with silver
Latin America and the Atlantic World
• Social Shifts in Latin America
• Latin America became a blended society of
European, African, and Native American cultures
• Economics and the Atlantic World
• Using the term “Atlantic World” means the
interaction of four continents on both sides of the
Atlantic: North America, South America, Europe,
and Africa
• Latin America is part of the Atlantic World
• England, France, and the Dutch followed Spain
and Portugal in constructing colonies in the New
World
• All held islands in the Caribbean with sugar
plantations and competed globally
Latin America and the Atlantic World
• Economics and the Atlantic World
• 13 English colonies
• The coastal North Atlantic colonies of North
America were really an after thought—they
really didn’t have the wealth capacity of sugar
plantations
• Biggest commodity from the colonies on the
upper region of North America was fish, in
particular Cod
• Cod was immensely popular on both sides of
the Atlantic
• European monarchs showed some interest in
establishing colonies near Cape Cod
Latin America and the Atlantic World
• Economics and the Atlantic World
• Triangle Trade
• This term is an over simplified term to
describe the interchange and trade of sugar,
rum (from sugarcane), and cod that was
shipped to Europe and exchanged for silver,
which in turn went to Africa and exchanged for
slaves. Slaves were then sent to the Americas.
• See the following graphic
Latin America and the Atlantic World
• Economics and the Atlantic World
• Mercantilism
• European monarchs used raw materials from the
colonies to make manufactured goods
• They then sold these manufacture goods around the
world, including back to the colonized areas
• Most important in mercantilism is a positive balance of
trade
• Therefore the monarchs would place tariffs on goods
coming in form competing countries
• In this system the governments sanctioned and worked
with private companies, like the British East India
Company and Dutch East India Company
• Governments worked hand-in-hand with this joint stock
companies for their country’s dominance
Exploration to the New World
Not the only story in this time period
• Continuities in this time period
• Religion
• Islam continued to spread, as in the period
before, into sub-Saharan Africa and into East
and Southeast
• Buddhism continued to move across
Southeast Asia and into parts of Central Asia
• Hinduism continued to be the main religion
in India
• Those not contacted by the missionaries or
advocates of these religion, still held onto
their indigenous beliefs
Exploration to the New World
Not the only story in this time period
• Continuities in this time period
• Trade
• Indian Ocean trade to continue with the
traditional merchant traders of the time period
before: East Asians, South Asians, Southeast
Asians, and East Africans
• European merchants were able to trade by
cooperation with rulers of the port cities
• By the middle of this era, the Atlantic world
trade outpaced the Indian Ocean trade
Exploration to the New World
Not the only story in this time period
• Continuities in this time period
• Agriculture
• Most people around the globe remained
farmers, more specifically, subsistence farmers
• Some farmers specialize in one crop farming for
a landowner, which began the early phase of
commercial farming
• Crops grown began to change as the new plants
from the New World, in particular, changed the
type of agricultural production i.e. corn in China
Exploration to the New World
Not the only story in this time period
• Continuities in this time period
• Migration
• Just before the beginning of the European
movement into the western hemisphere,
migration by indigenous peoples had come to a
close
• The Hawaii Islands had been settled by c.900
CE and possibly a second wave of migration
occurred there c. 1300 CE from Tahiti
• Bantu speaking people had built the Great
Zimbabwe in Southeast Africa beginning around
the 11th century and had abandoned it in the
15th
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Governments who maintained their power or
increased their power during this time period
• China
• Qing had to worry about the threat from the
north (revival of Mongols) and new power to the
west, Russia
• 17th & 18th centuries Qing mounted military
campaigns in Mongolia to end any threat from
the Mongols
• Qing worked to add land in Central Asia to
separate China from Russia
• China added Taiwan in the East China Sea in the
late 17th century
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Governments who maintained their power or
increased their power during this time period
• China
• Qing did not demand that conquered regions
become “Chinese,” but allowed local rulers to
maintain their own cultures as long as the
followed Qing polices
• Qing were tolerant of both local faiths and
customs
• Qing did, however, limit movements of pastoral
herders and let the Silk Road to disintegrate
some they became more intensified in the
Indian Ocean Trade
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Governments who maintained their power or
increased their power during this time period
• Russia
• Along with China, Russia was the other great land
empire
• Ottoman and Mughal were significant empires in
their regions, but small in comparison to China
and Russia, and not as powerful
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Governments who maintained their power or
increased their power during this time period
• Russia
• Russia’s line of leaders in this time period that
expanded Russia’s territory
• Ivan the Great – ran off the last of the Mongols
during the 15th century
• Ivan the Terrible– began the conquest of Siberia
that lasted for 100 years
• Peter the Great and Catherine the great added
territories north of the Black and Caspian Seas
• Russian migrants moved into these areas in
large numbers changing its cultural make-up
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Governments who maintained their power or
increased their power during this time period
• Russia
• Russia ended the age of nomadic people as it
insisted on farming instead of pastoralism
• Russia began using peasants for hard labor projects
such as building roads and other public works
projects
• Russia generally adopted a policy of religious
tolerance in the regions they conquered, just like
China, and unlike Latin America
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Governments who maintained their power or
increased their power during this time period
• Russia’s Modernation under Peter the Great and Catherine
the Great
• Peter built a new city in St. Petersburg model after the
capitals of western Europe
• Peter and Catherine modernized the military and
developed interchange with foreign experts to improve
Russia
• Catherine propagated Russia as a European nation even
though a majority of its empire was in Asia
• Catherine gave incentives for people to migrate to
Russia
• Continuity in Russia’s development included serfdom and
absolute monarchy; neither Peter nor Catherine ended
serfdom or worked for a more democratic form of
governance
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Governments who maintained their power or
increased their power during this time period
• Western Europe: Spain, England, France, & Holland
(Dutch or The Netherlands)
• These four countries created formidable sea
empires in the Americas
• The English, French, and Dutch colonies in the
Caribbean would become part of the mercantile
system. Colonies provided raw materials, which
helped build the economies and global power of
these colonizers
• France, England, and the Dutch also came with
missionary zeal, but not to the extent of the Iberian
nations
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Differences in their governing methodology
• Spain and Portugal’s monarchs were more heavily
involved the governance of their colonies than
England, France, and the Netherlands
• Viceroys became the equivalent of assistant kings
over their colonies and reported directly to the
monarch
• This system proved to be cumbersome with
every decision needed to be approved by the
monarch
• The distance between the colonies and
homeland made for delayed communication
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Differences in their governing methodology
• France, England, and the Dutch were similar to
Spain and Portugal in regard to religious polices
• They converted natives to Christianity, but were
not as insistent on immediate conversion
• Overall monarchs in the Spain and Portugal were
much more directly involved in colonial governance
• The Dutch, French and British colonies had much
more decision-making ability at the local level and
little micromanagement from Europe.
• This can be seen as a possible cause for the
American colonists to lean towards their own
independence
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Spain and Portugal's’ added territory
• Spain claimed the Philippines with Magellan’s
circumvention of the globe in the early 16th century
• Spain’s motivation for this was the location of a
base near China for trade wealth and possible
Christian conversion of China’s population
• Portugal established outposts along the Atlantic
and Indian Ocean coasts of Africa and India, but
was unable to colonize like it had in Brazil
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Absolute monarchies and a constitutional
monarchy in Europe
• Absolute monarchies existed in France, Russia, and
Spain—the kings were above the law
• England had a constitutional monarchy established
in 1689 during the Glorious Revolution
• The king worked in coordination with parliament
• This style of government would eventually
become the norm for all European Kings
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Ottoman Empire
• Ottoman Empire reached its peak in this time
period
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Ottoman Empire
• Empire went across North Africa into Southwest
Asia and into modern Turkey, reaching almost to
Austria
• Ottomans defeated the last of the Byzantine Empire
when they secured Constantinople in 1453 and
renamed it Istanbul
• The Ottoman’s did not require Christians and Jews
to convert, but they demanded non-Muslim
families in the Balkans to give up their sons for
military service
• These young boys were called Janissaries and the
recruitment system was the devshirme system
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• Ottoman Empire
• Janissaries were trained in Islam and they had
upward mobility by demonstrating loyalty and
ability
• The expansion of the Ottoman Empire ended with a
failed attempt to subdue Vienna, Austria in the
early 16th century
• The Ottomans were in a politically precarious
position as a part-European and part-Asia empire
• The conquering of Constantinople by the Ottomans
fueled the sea-base excursions of the Spanish, as
they feared a blockade of trade routes—thus the
drive to find a new way to India
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• New Governments in Asia and Europe
• New governments in other regions during this time
period were Tokugawa Japan, Mughal India and the
Netherlands (their expansion in southeast Asia and the
Americas)
• Tokugawa Japan
• In the mid-16th century Japan was functioning under
the feudal system with no strong central government
• Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and England sent
missionaries and merchants who were welcomed at
first, but eventually turned out by the Tokugawa
Shogunate
• The Japanese were most interested in European guns
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• New Governments in Asia and Europe
• Tokugawa Japan
• The Tokugawa family united Japan through military
conquest
• The leader of the government was a military commander
called the Shogun
• Tokugawa Shogunate ruled Japan until the mid 19th
century
• It considered the influence of outsiders to be
detrimental and it aggressively began expelled all
foreign influence—Christian coverts were brutally
persecuted
• Japan set the course for isolationism allowing only one
Dutch ship into its port a year—this lasted until Admiral
Perry forced intrusion in the mid 19th century
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• New Governments in Asia and Europe
• Mughal India
• In the early 16th century Muslims from Central Asia,
who claimed to me descendants of Changes Khan,
entered South Asia and founded the Mughal Empire
• “Mughal” comes from Mongol
• Mughal’s greatest ruler was Akbar who extended
religious tolerance to the 75% Hindu population
• In the next timer period, c.1750- c.1900 the British
would arrive and relegate the Mughal leaders to
perfunctory duties
• The Mughal’s were a religious minority in a Hindu
land—Taj Mahal was built by a Muslim
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• New Governments in Asia and Europe
• Netherlands
• The rise of the Netherlands was due in part to a very
pro-business government—little regulation, including
favorable bank loans
• The Dutch began their global sea exploration about
100 years after the Iberians (Spain & Portugal)
• They sent warships and soldiers under the flag of the
Dutch East Indies Company, also known as the VOC,
to take Portuguese outposts in the Indian Ocean
Governments c. 1450- c. 1750 CE
• New Governments in Asia and Europe
• Netherlands
• The came to dominate the “Spice Islands” in
Indonesia— “Dutch chocolate” and “Java” came from
these islands
• The Netherlands main trade focus was in Indonesia,
but they also had sugarcane plantations in the
Caribbean
• The Dutch sent colonists to North America and
colonized modern-day Manhattan Island and called it
New Amsterdam
• In 1660 the British took it and renamed it New
York
Collapse of Empires c.1450-c.1750
• Aztecs
• Aztecs rose in the 14th century in Mesoamerica
establishing their capital in Tenochtitlan,
positioned in the middle of Lake Texcoco
• Used a unique farming method growing plants
on Chinampas (floating islands)
• Aztec Empire increased its size by conquering
adjoining tribes and demanding tribute in the
form of food, precious metals, feathers, and
jewelry
• The empire was not centralized, but rather
developed as tributary states; meet your tribute
demands and you can live as you were
Quetzalcoatl
Chinampas
Collapse of Empires c.1450-c.1750
• Aztecs
• Religion was central to the Aztecs as the perceived
themselves as descended from the gods—they had
100s of gods
• Quetzalcoatl --represented by a feathered serpent
(Montezuma would think Cortes was the return of
Quetzalcoatl)
• Human sacrifice was a key aspect of their religious
tradition—the perceived need to keep the sun
rising by human blood
• By the 16th century Aztecs faced internal struggles
with their tribute states and Cortez arrived from
Spain
• Cortez united the disgruntled tribute states and
along with smallpox defeated the Aztecs in less
than one year
Collapse of Empires c.1450-c.1750
• Inca
• Inca Empire was the largest empire in the
Americas before the Spanish arrived
• Inca Empire lasted for about 100 years from mid15th century to mid 16th century
• It stretched along most of the Pacific coast of
South America
• Expansion of the Inca Empire came through
military conquest and, like the Aztecs, they
demanded tribute
• Inca were more centralized in their conquest and
demanded defeated people, especially young
leaders to learn the Incan language
Collapse of Empires c.1450-c.1750
• Inca
• “Inca socialism” was the term given to the
governance of the Inca
• All land, food, and manufactured products
were owned by the government
• All Inca people were required to contribute a
portion of their goods to the government for
redistribution
• Inca had no writing system, but had an
ingenious accounting system using knotted
strings known as quipu
Collapse of Empires c.1450-c.1750
• Inca
• Like the Aztecs, the
Inca were facing
internal strife when
the Spanish under
Pizarro arrived in
early 1530s
• 200 well-armed
conquistadors and
small pox, once
again, decimated the
Inca
Collapse of Empires c.1450-c.1750
• Byzantine
• In 1453 the city of Constantinople was defeated by
Muslim forces from the Ottoman Empire ending a
civilization that had been on its own since the fall of
the western Roman Empire in 476 CE
• The symbolic end of the Byzantines was the Hagia
Sophia, built by Justinian in 532, being converted
into a Muslim mosque, under Sultan Mehmet II in
1453
New Political and Economic Elite Groups
• Political Elites in China
• Manchus defeated the Ming and established
themselves as the new ruling elite class
• Manchus came from the northeast corner of East
Asia, Manchuria
• Manchus established a new dynasty, Qing, but
they remained an ethnic minority throughout
their rule
• Qing adopted the components of being Chinese:
Chinese language, Confucianism, traditional
Chinese bureaucracy, and the mandate of heaven
philosophy
Manchu Homeland and Qing Dynasty
New Political and Economic Elite Groups
• Political Elites in China
• Manchus defeated the Ming and established
themselves as the new ruling elite class
• Manchus came from the northeast corner of East
Asia, Manchuria
• Manchus established a new dynasty, Qing, but
they remained an ethnic minority throughout
their rule
• Qing adopted the components of being Chinese:
Chinese language, Confucianism, traditional
Chinese bureaucracy, and the mandate of heaven
philosophy
New Political and Economic Elite Groups
• Political Elites in Latin America
• New ruling class in Latin America was the Creole elites
• Settlers in Americas born in Spain or Portugal were called
Peninsulares because they were born in the Iberian
Peninsula
• Next on the social ladder were the Creoles—those
Europeans born in the Americas
• Over time the Peninsulares diminished and the
Creoles increased in number
• Below the elites were peoples of mixed race mestizos
and mulattoes
• Racial hierarchy developed with whitest skin on top and
darkest skin on bottom
• Those with Amerindian or African features were on
the bottom
New Political and Economic Elite Groups
• Political Elites in North American British
and French Colonies
• European elites such as large landowners or
wealthy merchants established themselves at the
top of colonial society
• Beneath them were other “whites” such as small
farmers, craftspeople, and indentured servants
• Whites were always above Indians and African
slaves no matter the poverty level
New Political and Economic Elite Groups
• Economic Elites
• A new wealthy merchant class came out of European
entrepreneurs who profited from the new global trade
• Even though merchants were regarded in low esteem
in China, they enjoyed the benefits of wealth
• Outside of China merchants were often members of
the social elite
Developments in Christianity and European Science
Syncretism with Catholicism and
Local Traditional Faiths
• Christianity in Latin America adapted to local customs
• Missionaries in Latin America had great success, but
the religion that emerged was quite different from its
original form
• In Mexico many of the Christian saints took on same
responsibilities as the precolonial gods that were
previously worshiped
• In the Caribbean a mix of African religions and
Christianity merged to produce Vodun or voodoo
Developments in Christianity and European Science
Reformation divided the Christian Church and
Revived Missionary Activity
• In the 16th century Martin Luther began the Protestant
Reformation by challenging the Catholic Church, its
teachings and even the Pope’s authority
• His primary objection centered on the sale of
indulgences. Indulgences were documents proclaiming
that sins were forgiven—they could be bought from
the clergy
• Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church in Rome and
established his own church (Anglican) because of
Luther’s influential ideas
Developments in Christianity and European Science
Reformation divided the Christian Church and
Revived Missionary Activity
• The Catholic Church countered the ideas of Luther and
ended their indulgences
• The greatest global effect of the Catholic Reformation
was the creation of the Jesuits
• Jesuits were a group of priests with an exuberant
missionary zeal
• They called themselves the “Army of the Pope”
• Jesuits were very effective in gaining converts in
Latin America and reversing gains in Poland that
were made by the Protestants
Developments in Christianity and European Science
Reformation divided the Christian Church and
Revived Missionary Activity
• Jesuit missionaries had success in China primarily
because of their academic and scientific knowledge
• The Ming and Qing emperors appointed Jesuit
diplomats from Europe as the head of their Bureau of
Astronomy
• Jesuits brought mathematical and scientific
information from Europe that the Chinese found useful
• This was symbolic of a turning point in global
leadership in technology – moving from East to
West
Developments in Christianity and European Science
Europe’s Scientific Revolution
• Since the Renaissance (1300-1600) European scientists
had been advancing in scientific and mathematical
concepts developed from trade interaction with
Muslim and Chinese scholars
• Monarchs of Europe, particularly Spain, Portugal,
England, and France, sponsored men and women to
conduct scientific research to give their countries a
competitive advantage
• Scientific Revolution’s long-term effects on Western
society were to reduce faith in divine explanations and
put more emphasis into scientific explanations
• This tendency would lead to the Industrial
Revolution
Developments in Labor Systems
• Peasant labor increased in Russia, India, and China
• Russia expanded into Siberia and began to export valuable
furs to the European markets
• Peasants were involved in trapping and the processing
of furs and also the farming of land owned by Russia’s
elite class
• In India, hand-woven cotton products were produced by
peasant men and women for export throughout Asia and
Europe
• In China, large numbers of peasants produced silk; they
cultivated silk worms, extracted the silk, and weaved it
Developments in Labor Systems
• Slavery intensified in Africa (Population changes)
• Practice of slavery continued and export of slaves to the
Americas by Europeans and north into the Mediterranean
and Indian Ocean area by Muslims intensified
• Slaves sent to the Americas worked under harsh
conditions on sugar plantations on sugar plantations in
the Caribbean and Brazil
• Life expectancy on sugar plantations was brief—three
years according to some studies.
• Massive lost of people due to forced migration out of
Africa affect demographics tremendously
• Mostly males exported, population declined, and the
patriarchal social structure was disrupted
Developments in Labor Systems
• Encomienda and Mita Systems supplemented
Slavery in Latin America
• Spanish colonists used Amerindians who survived the
disease pandemics for their labor needs
• Under the encomienda system, the Spanish Crown
granted conquistadors and Spanish settlers large
numbers of native laborers to work in the agricultural
fields and in the case of Peru, the world’s largest silver
mine at Potosi
• The Inca mita system required its population to do
public works service. This became adopted by the
Spanish, but really turned into a forced labor system
• By the early 18th century is was abolished because
of its abuses. These abuses were cataloged and
written down by the monk Bartolomé de las Casas
Developments in Labor Systems
• Indentured Servitude
• In the Americas, Europeans hired indentured servants
when slaves were not readily available
• In the English colonies of North America, an
indentured servant had to work in the colony for about
seven years in payment for his transport to America
• Most indentured servants were agricultural workers,
although some developed trade skills
• Slavery did exist in these colonies, however, most were
sent to the Caribbean or Brazil
• At the end of the servitude the indentured servant was
free of their obligations to their master (sponsor)
• Thousands of people migrated from England to the
American colonies as indentured servants
Key Terms and Concepts c. 1450-c. 1750
• Inca Empire
• European Explorations
• Columbian Exchange
• Atlantic World
• Mercantilism
• Atlantic Slave Trade
• Encomienda System
• Mughal Empire
• Syncretism in Religions
• Printing Press
• Ottoman Empire