HS201 / European History

Mr. Manno

1500
No indication that Europe would dominate the world

in the future.
Eastern Empires wealth & vast armies
Europes landscape was not that fertile nor was it
populousIce to the north and water north and west
Europe was never united under one secular or religious
leader.
Up and coming powers: Spain, France, Englandall
had internal struggles and considered each other rivals
rather than a united front against Islam.

Ming China
Most advanced civilization of pre-modern

timespopulation of 100-130 million (Europe 50-55

million)advanced political and agricultural system.
Printing press.huge libraries
Trade and industryextensive trade routescommerce
helped by the use of paper currencyIron industry
125,000 tons per annum (larger than the output of GB
during the IR of the 1800s)
Gunpowder / Cannons
Magnetic Compass / helped with exploration & trade

Ming ChinaCont.
Naval warfareMing navy had 1,350 combat vessels

and many private ships

Admiral Cheng Ho 1405 & 1433 overseas
expeditionsInteresting point: the Chinese never
plundered nor murderedunlike their European
counterparts.
After 1433 there was an imperial edict banning the
construction of seagoing shipsCheng Hos ships
wasted away as China turned to an isolationist position
supported by their Confucian bureaucracy.

Ming ChinaCont.
Chinese did not like trade and the acquisition of private

capital because they had little control over the merchants.

Despite these internal issues that would appear to stunt
growth, there were still some tremendous technological
advances.
Unfortunately, some advisors believed that the canal
system, ironworks and navy were not necessary so they
began to decayuse of paper currency was discontinued
Merchants suffered because overseas trade was banned.
Even after the Ming Dynasty was replacedthe steady
decline could not be stopped

The Muslim World

Ottoman Empire expansion=threat to Christendom
Formidable army domains stretched from the Crimea to

the Balkan Peninsulaby 1529 they were besieging Vienna.

Also a threatOttoman Navyactive along the North
African Coast and were raiding ports in Italy, Spain, and
Balkan Peninsula.
Official faith/culture/language = unity
Advanced in Science & Industry
14 million strong / strong bureaucracy

Ottoman Empire 1580

The Muslim WorldCont.

Ottoman Turks would eventually become isolationist
Any further expansion would have an enormous cost in

men and money

By the late 1500s, the empire was overextended
After 1566, there reigned 13 incompetent sultans
Too highly centralized
Merchant class - taxes and seizure of property.
Free thought forbidden
Imports yes exports no

The Muslim World

Plagues hurt population because they did not adopt

new containment methods.

Mogul Empire
Sheer size / military genius / sophisticated banking &

credit system
Muslim elite ruling poverty-stricken peasants
Hinduism
Became a victim of British imperialism
Problems with unsanitary conditions because of
religious taboosrodents and insects could not be
killedbubonic plagues

Mogul EmpireCont.
Internal rather than external problems were the root of

the decay

Two Outsiders-Japan & Russia

Japan geography an asset protection from a land

invasion
Power structure clan-based feudal lordships and the
emperor
Profit from East Asian trade
Japanese pirates plundered Chinese and Korean coasts
Welcomed goods from western traders
Importation of European armaments would change
the political landscapethose who could purchase
muskets and cannons would have power

Japancont.
Warlord Hideyoshitried to conquer Korea

twicefaileddied in 1598civil strife in Japan

After a few yearspower was consolidated in the hands
of Ieyasu and fellow shoguns of the Tokugawa clan
Shoguns decided to cut themselves off from the
outside worldtrade and travel not encouraged
samurai warriors now had a life of ritual and
boredom

Russia
Far removed from the West
Muskets and cannons from the West would help

Russia become a Gunpowder Empire and throttle

expansion.
Despite borrowing some things from the West, Russia
was still technologically and economically backward.
Problems: Climate, Distances between cities, poor
communication system, military absolutism of Czars,
Monopoly of education by Church, serfdom
Despite problemsRussia would survive & expand

The European Miracle: Thesis

There was a dynamic involved which contributed to

Europes commercial and military primacy in world affairs.

This dynamic was driven chiefly by economic and
technological advances and was always interacting with
other variables such as social, structure, geography, and the
occasional accident.
The following factors served as vital forces in advancing the
political, military and economic strength of Europe. Their
interaction with one another collectively represents the
dynamic which impacted the course of historical
development in Europe.

Europe 1500

Political Fragmentation
Even the Romans had problems with this
Fractured landscape/Geography great plains,

mountains, multiple fertile zones, varied climates,

waterways
Scattered population centers usually centered in
fertile valleys
Variety of economic and military centers
Religious antagonisms and national tensions
Competition military and economic

Resources
Bulk products timber, grain, wine, wool, herring
Surrounded by ocean helped to promote the

shipbuilding industry
Varied climate = varied products (regional product
specialization) ex. Oranges/South Apples/North
Growing population (labor is considered a resource
and one of the factors of production)

Trade/Exploration
Once people experienced the incentivesit could not be suppressed.
Rough seas required strong 3 mast shipsslow---but could carry large

loads
Incentivesprofitgloryrivalryproducts from the new world
Mercantilism/Development of Mercantile economybankers, arms
dealers and artisans became essential to society.
Methodical development, financing (credit & banking system),
organization for sea exploration(centralized nation-states)
Some leaders tolerated merchants / some did notmost leaders began
to see the benefits of a market economy

Military
Antagonisms (proximity of states, religious and national

differences) helped to fuel the arms race, innovation and

invention)
Commercial success requires a strong militaryland and
naval support for trade
Nation-States=organization, administration, and strength
Gunpowder Empires new techniques of warfare allowed
for certain nations to dominate rivalsknowledge and
possession of gunpowder
Access to materials and knowledge available to all (trade
routes, printing press, trade diffused information and
goods)

Misc.
Since shipbuilding skills were known by allit was

hard for any power to monopolize maritime power

Printing Press
Greek and Roman civilizations passed on heritage via
educated elite
Sense of Europe as a united Christendom against
barbarians of the rest of the world infused continent
with a feeling of purpose.
Personalities (inventors, men of letters)

Misc. Part II
Medieval institutions (church, laws, class system,

educated clergy)
Chance/Luck
Snowball Effect
Cannons on sailing vessels changed warfare helped
Europe advance around the worldNew tactic no
boarding fight with artillery
Sense of adventure personal gain

Misc. Part III

Worldwide Products: gold, silver, whale oil, sugar,

tobacco, rice, furs, timber, potato, fish

Bulk products created many jobs and stimulated the
shipbuilding industry
Beginnings of a primitive global economy???
Science & Technology Improvements: navigation
tables, telescope, barometer, compass, iron industry,
astronomy, medicine, physics, engineeringall helped
to fuel expansion