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Ch14-Empires and Encounters
Between China, Russia, and the United States, the dominant empires lied in Europe. The significant colonies were Spain, Portugal, Britain, and France. Within these empires, there were vast changes such as old societies were being destroyed and new ones were being built. Soon the imperial stage of early modern era started to spread in places like Siberia and Russia suddenly started to expand attributing to their empire in both Asia and Europe. As we can see the early modern era was an age of empire. With in the empires, borders were being crossed, people from different cultures started mingling which started to represent a new stage in globalization and new arenas cross cultural encounter.
Out of all the empires, the Europeans one were always and still are at an advantage. Being maritme, these empires were closer to the Americas. Also to add the Atlantic winds blew them in the right direction as well. Once the Americas were discovered some would disagree to call it the “new world” since there was already civilization and societies living on this land. Not only did the Europeans conquer and govern these people, they built wholly new societies. These European colonies all had mercantilism in common, providing closed markets and manufactured goods to their mother country. Russia and the Asian empires were all emerging at the same time as well. Russia quickly grew the biggest state emerging from two decades of Mongol rule.
CH 15- Global Commerce
One main significant component in commerce back between 1450 and 1750 was the slave trade market. That is just one many components that ties into the global commerce along with trading goods, people interacting with other people with different cultures, traditions, and background. Once the global commerce started, there were definitely pros and cons. Joined empires created new relationships between one another, disrupted old patterns, brought distant people into contact, enriched some, and even degraded or enslaved others.
When the silver and global commerce was discovered is when exchange between countries really exploded. This trade was the first direct and sustained link between the Americas and Asia in which initiated a web of Pacific commerce that grew consistently over the centuries. Some goods that impacted the global commerce were silver, textiles, spices, and later added furs. At one point, there was a high demand for furs in which decreased the population of some certain animals. While all these were goods, then hit the Atlantic Slave trade which brought much controversy and changed societies significantly, both the mother countries, colonies, and also Africa itself. The slave trade brought much controversy as there is still racism today rooting back to the Atlantic Slave trade then.
CH 16- Religion and Science
Religion has always been a strong aspect of the people all over the world. Christianity being the more dominant religion, people all across seas had beliefs in common, there was some sort of higher power that created earth and everything in it. Yet suddenly, there was a scientific revolution that spurred in Europe which scientist began to investigate. Over time the scientific theory spread as much as Christianity once did, it almost became a new religion. There was no longer a “one way street”, many started to question their religion even abandon it.
The birth of modern science took place in around mid-sixteenth century. The scientific revolution influence people to start question the existence of human kind, even to question the power of the church which hadn’t been ever done before. People began to think independently rather than what their ancestors and most people followed traditionally.
CH 17- Atlantic Revolutions and their Echoes
What started as the first revolution of the France back in 1775, not only completely changed the history of France but also influenced many other nations to do the same. Revolutions like the American, Haitian, Latin Americas, and more to follow, all were inspired by the French. The ideals that animated these Atlantic Revolutions inspired efforts in many countries to abolish slavery, extend the right to vote, and even to increase the rights for women. Countries saw that their people were going to fight in what they believed in and a revolution wasn’t out of sight. Specially after all the colonization, the colonies started to form their own identities and wanted to be freed from the mother country which likely ran the government corrupted in the colonies. Most colonies wanted expression of republicanism, greater social equality, and national liberation from foreign rule. Beyond the government, there was three patterns of abolitionist fought for the end of slavery, nationalist hoped to do away with disunity and foreign rule, and lastly feminist tried and tried to not be inferior the men.
Ch 18- Revolutions of Industrialization
Industrialization was first introduced in Britain in the late 18th century, has been generally accepted by most countries as for the wealth it generates and for the power it conveys. Although India for some time was not in favor of it, Gandhi a spiritual leader of India who had led his country to freedom from Great Britain resented the idea of Industrialization. He favored small-scale, village-based, handcraft manufacturing instead of the modern industry. What I found most interesting was that Gandhi was a great leader to his people, and mostly all of India praised him and agreed with his beliefs. Although, the text mentions once Gandhi passed, India turn to Industrialization quickly, and there was a large power plant releasing black smoke near where he was cremated. This surprised me because you would think that his people would honor him and continue to be loyal to him even after his passing.
