Transcript Lecture, 06 October

Asian and European
Transformations
Trade in Asian Ocean
Islamic Dynasties
Dynastic Change in China
European Dynasties
1600-1750
Europe in the Indian Ocean
• Building on earlier contact, after 1600
Europeans begin to have a greater
presence in the Indian Ocean
• There is fierce competition to control the
trade in various spices and commodities
• The Dutch East India Company (VOC)
takes aggressive steps to control the trade
in spices like nutmeg, cloves and pepper,
using military means to establish their
presence
Dutch settlements
established by the
VOC in the Indian
Ocean acted primarily
as centres for shipping
goods from these
areas to other parts of
the world
Islamic dynasties
• The stability of the three post-Mongol
Islamic dynasties was shaken by the
acceleration of world trade
• The Safavid Empire faced weak
leadership and invasion by Afghan tribes
which ultimately led to the demise of the
dynasty
• Both the Ottomans and to a lesser extent
the Mughals were challenged by internal
problems and the spread of European
power
The Ottoman Empire
• The Ottoman Empire’s long trend of
steady growth began to wane in this
period as the Hapsburg empire
encroached upon its gains in the Balkans
• Internally, the economy of the Ottomans
was destabilized by the circulation of
silver, resulting in inflation, development of
“black markets” and ultimately, less
revenue for the central government to
administer the state
Koprulu reforms
• By 1650, the empire was facing severe
economic pressures that were relieved
somewhat by administrative reforms that
made tax collection more efficient and put
a stop to runaway inflation
• It also briefly inspired expansionist goals
and a great siege of Vienna – but
ultimately resulted in the loss of Ottoman
control in Hungary
Koprulu Fazil Ahmed (16351676), carried on in the office
of “Grand Vizier” after his
father Koprulu Mehmed.
By holding on to this
important title, this family
became very influential over
the Sultan and shaped the
administration of his
government.
This was the first step in a
long series of administrative
moves that tied to the
Ottoman empire to outside
influences.
Mughal expansion
• The Mughals carried on the expansionist
trend after Akbar’s death, moving steadily
over the Indian sub-continent
• As the empire spread and met fierce
resistance in new territories, it also grew
intolerant of religious diversity
• After the emperor Aurangzeb’s death, the
Mughals lost much of their authority to
semi-autonomous regions
The Emperor Aurangzeb was
focused on conquest and relied
on merchants families to collect
taxes for him and lend him
money to do so
The Garden Palace of the Jagat
Seths. This family grew to
prominence as bankers and tax
collectors for Emperors. Their
name means “Banker to the World
Collapse of the Ming
• Although China was prospering,
administrative and economic problems
revealed the weakness of the Ming state
• The influx of silver to its economy caused
inflation that hit the peasants particulalry
strongly
• Combined with crop failures, the Ming
increasingly had to deal with peasant
uprisings that challenged their tax
collectors
• The Wanli Emperor
(ruled 1573-1620),
feeling powerless over
his bureaucracy, left
the running of the state
in their hands
• This led to corruption
on a grand scale
The Manchu Dynasty
• Between the 1620s and 1644 China was
plunged into a series of civil wars which
ultimately led to the formation of the Qing
Dynasty
• Ethinic Manchus numbered about 1 million
and took control of a Chinese population
of about 250 million
• Though there continuity with Ming policies,
the Manchus, a minority, asserted strong
control over their largely Han subjects
Manchu “queue” haristyle
• In an effort to
display their power
over the Han, the
Manchus forced all
Han Chinese to
adopt a traditional
Manchu hairsyle,
the queue
Tokugawa Shogunate (Edo period)
• From the middle of the 15th century Japan had
been torn apart by wars between rival military
leaders
• In 1600 Tokugawa Ieyasu claimed the title of
Shogun and created a strong centralized military
dictatorship, based in the capital city of Edo
(present-day Tokyo)
• Tokugawa leaders saw Japan through over 250
years of peace, especially compared to the chaos
of the so-called “Warring States” period
Closing off of Japan
• The Japanese resisted European methods
and customs
• After initial contact with Europeans in the
16th century, the Tokugawa Shogun in
1635 initiated a policy of seclusion – tightly
controlling all trade and cultural contact
with Europe for the next two centuries
• They saw Christian missionaries as a
threat to their way of life and were
concerned about European power
Western Europe
• Though Germany continued to be ravaged
by internal wars of religion (Thirty Years’
War), both Britain and France continued to
experience economic growth, which the
fortunes of Spain and Portugal plummeted
• The acceleration of their economies,
stimulated by increasing international ties,
led to different approaches to government
in Britain and France that shook their
medieval foundations
Louis XIV – The Sun King (1643-1715)
• Recognized the
necessity of
displaying absolutism
in lavish displays of
royal power
• He tried to show
himself as godlike,
well above the rung
of common humanity
• “L’état, c’est moi!”
England
• The English Civil War (1642-1651) gave
rise to a Puritan theocracy under Oliver
Cromwell which lasted until 1659
• Charles II had been restored to the throne
after the Protectorate fell, but his flirtation
with Catholicism made many people worry
about him
• His brother James II took the throne upon
his death in 1685 with a Catholic agenda
which Parliament would not accept
The Glorious Revolution (1688)
• Parliament invited William of Orange to
take the English throne with his wife Mary
• It was a ‘bloodless’ coup as James II fled
• William agreed to accept the English Bill of
Rights which established civil liberties like
trial by jury, habeas corpus, and that the
monarchy was subject to the laws of the
land
After the Glorious
Revolution Parliament
began to play a much
stronger role in the
creation of laws and
the administration of
the King’s government.
Conclusion
• All countries involved in the expansion of
global trade were transformed by this
experience
• In some cases is strengthened traditional
elites but also created opportunities for
new elites to emerge and to claim political
power for themselves
• This period also witness a continuing trend
of increased European power and
influence throughout the globe