from chapter 13, China, Islam, and the America sections are mentioned in the previous post, to wrap things up, I want to highlight a passage from p.594: "Few people in the fifteenth century lived in entirely separate and self-contained communities. Almost all were caught up, to one degree or another, in various and overlapping webs of influence, communication, and exchange. Such interactions represent, of course, one of the major concerns of world history. What kinds of webs
or networks linked the various societies and civilizations of the fifteenth century?"
These webs/networks include Empires, such as the Mughal and Ottoman empires, as well as religion-based links and trade networks.
these links formed the foundation of the "Modern Era" and directly led to what we are as a species today; the links persist world-wide, and with the advent of the World Wide Web in the last three decades, the globalization has truly been expanded tot he point where "few people in the world lived beyond the cultural influences, economic ties, or political relationships of a globalized world." p.597
As for chapter 14, I am more than familiar with Americas/European/Africa histories, as they were all inextricably linked during 15-18th centuries, and i've studied Western Civ, US history, and Modern European History extensively in the past.
New part for me were Asian events, including:
1582: Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci arrives in China
16th century conflict between Ottoman and Safavid empires & the Flourishing of Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar
1644: the Ming/Qing transition in China
1742: Ottoman printing press closed due to impiety
1750's: Chinese territorial expansion in Inner Asia
18th century: Fragmentation of Mughal empire & Wars of Islamic renewal in West Africa
Of course, with all this globalizing interaction among peoples and cultures, Global commerce flourished as well, which brings me to chapter 15. from p. 674, "Despite their growing prominence in long-distance exchange, Europeans were far from the only active traders. Southeast Asians, Chinese, Indians, Armenians,Arabs, and Africans likewise played major roles in the making of the world economy of the early modern era."
What drove Europe to stick its nose into Asia? did it not have enough from Africa and the Americas? well, on p. 675, "the desire for tropical spices—cinnamon,nutmeg,mace, cloves, and, above all, pepper—which were widely used as condiments and preservatives and were sometimes regarded as aphrodisiacs. Other products of the East, such as Chinese silk, Indian cottons, rhubarb for medicinal purposes, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, also were in great demand." these could not be found elsewhere.
To this day, one thing that puzzles me about the Russian Empire is how, having lasted for the entire Modern Ear as a sustained Empire and world power, and stretching from Poland to Alaska, failed to conquer more territory. the English, French, & Spanish chopped up the Americas, the Dutch & Spanish traded in the Philippines, heck, even the Portuguese had Brazil. What did Russia have? some tiny piece of Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, which it later sold to the US for next to nothing in the 19th century?! All im saying is, its seems that until the 18th century, Russia was in a prime position to engulf the rest of Europe, especially given the turmoil cause by wars in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.
or networks linked the various societies and civilizations of the fifteenth century?"
These webs/networks include Empires, such as the Mughal and Ottoman empires, as well as religion-based links and trade networks.
these links formed the foundation of the "Modern Era" and directly led to what we are as a species today; the links persist world-wide, and with the advent of the World Wide Web in the last three decades, the globalization has truly been expanded tot he point where "few people in the world lived beyond the cultural influences, economic ties, or political relationships of a globalized world." p.597
As for chapter 14, I am more than familiar with Americas/European/Africa histories, as they were all inextricably linked during 15-18th centuries, and i've studied Western Civ, US history, and Modern European History extensively in the past.
New part for me were Asian events, including:
1582: Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci arrives in China
16th century conflict between Ottoman and Safavid empires & the Flourishing of Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar
1644: the Ming/Qing transition in China
1742: Ottoman printing press closed due to impiety
1750's: Chinese territorial expansion in Inner Asia
18th century: Fragmentation of Mughal empire & Wars of Islamic renewal in West Africa
Of course, with all this globalizing interaction among peoples and cultures, Global commerce flourished as well, which brings me to chapter 15. from p. 674, "Despite their growing prominence in long-distance exchange, Europeans were far from the only active traders. Southeast Asians, Chinese, Indians, Armenians,Arabs, and Africans likewise played major roles in the making of the world economy of the early modern era."
What drove Europe to stick its nose into Asia? did it not have enough from Africa and the Americas? well, on p. 675, "the desire for tropical spices—cinnamon,nutmeg,mace, cloves, and, above all, pepper—which were widely used as condiments and preservatives and were sometimes regarded as aphrodisiacs. Other products of the East, such as Chinese silk, Indian cottons, rhubarb for medicinal purposes, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, also were in great demand." these could not be found elsewhere.
To this day, one thing that puzzles me about the Russian Empire is how, having lasted for the entire Modern Ear as a sustained Empire and world power, and stretching from Poland to Alaska, failed to conquer more territory. the English, French, & Spanish chopped up the Americas, the Dutch & Spanish traded in the Philippines, heck, even the Portuguese had Brazil. What did Russia have? some tiny piece of Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, which it later sold to the US for next to nothing in the 19th century?! All im saying is, its seems that until the 18th century, Russia was in a prime position to engulf the rest of Europe, especially given the turmoil cause by wars in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.
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