Chapter 15 Notes
The West and the Changing World Balance
I. Introduction A. 1400 – world in period of transition 1. Downfall of Arab caliphate 2. Spread of Mongols 3. Who would take new international trade role? Maybe China? B. But…Enter the Europeans – finally, they’ve been behind everyone for 8000 years 1. Italy, Spain, Portugal took leadership role 2. Americas couldn’t respond to European invasions C. Key question – why did different civilizations react differently? 1. This could be a key question – notice the word differences a. This class just loves to compare civilizations
II. The Decline of the Old Order
A. 1200 – Middle East run by Byzantine Empire (North) – Arab Empire (South) 1. But…Turks took over Byzantines in 1453, 1258 Mongols - Caliph
B. Social and Cultural Change in the Middle East 1. Religious leaders gained power over artistic leaders in Arab world a. New piety – think about orthodox Muslims today b. Religious art themes c. Rationalism of Greece (Hellenism) now seen as bad, a threat 1. …don’t think this is just Arab world, Europeans getting scared of logic/rationalism as well 2. Economic shifts a. As centralized power slows, provincial leaders (landlords) get more power 1. Hmmm…what an interesting pattern I’ve never seen before b. But…bad things resulted 1. Lower agricultural yield 2. Less taxes 3. Less trade 4. Indian Ocean trade still strong c. A gradual decline, not sudden like in Rome d. But…even though politically weak, other political areas took more power 1. Ottoman Turks took over control – more powerful than before
C. A Power Vaccum in International Leadership 1. Ottoman Turks not an international leader like Islamic caliphate 2. Mongols provided next global leader a. Encouraged interregional trade b. Exchanged technology/ideas c. End of empire turned to seaborne trade, as land trade less protected
D. Chinese Thrust and Withdrawal 1. Ming “brilliant” dynasty took over 1368-1644 a. pushed out Mongols first b. re-established tributary links with Southeast Asian states 2. State-sponsored trade expeditions a. Admiraly Zhenghe – 1405-1433 led vast, unparalleled fleet 1. Former eunuch – why do you think leaders like eunuchs for advisors? 2. Brought fleet of 28,000 troops – scared the willies out of local leaders b. Eventually brought back – threatened the Confucian bureaucrats 1. Remember – they don’t like merchants having power 2. Other reasons – cost a. Money better spent building Beijing, fighting Mongols 3. What if Chinese kept trading? Lost chance to be world power a. Dainty little European ships no match b. Followed Chinese pattern of spending money internally, practically 1. Not like West, where power is judged by expansion 4. Instead – worked on infrastructure – population increased, manufacturing improved 5. Arabs on decline, Mongols dying out, China not stepping to the plate…leads to…
III. The Rise of the West
A. Why is their rise surprising?
1. Still awed by other bureaucracies
2. Church under attack
3. warrior aristocrats softened life – ridiculous tournaments/armor
4. lives of ordinary Europeans falling apart a. famine b. vulnerable to bubonic plague 1. China’s population hit by 30% 2. Europe lost 30 million a. Led to strikes/peasant uprisings B. Sources of Dynamism: Medieval Vitality 1. Why was Europe still strong? a. Strong regional governments created during feudalism b. Military innovations thanks to Hundred Years War 1. Nonaristocratic soldiers – regular guys not paid boy gov’t 2. Paid by central gov’t = more taxes = more central power c. Growth of cities – helped commerce d. Church content with capitalism – notice alliteration e. Technology improving – metalwork C. Imitation and International Problems 1. Technology pushes expansion a. During Mongol period –
