World History II Blog

Europeans and Asian Commerce The voyage (1497-1499) of the Portuguese mariner Vasco da Gama in which Europeans sailed to India for the first time was no accident. the outcome of a deliberate effort to explore a sea route to the East by slowing down the West African coast around the tip of South Africa to finally across the Indian Ocean in 1498. Desire to look for tropical spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, pepper. Chinese Silk and Indian Cotton. Silver and Global Commerce Silver trade gave birth to a genuinely global network of exchange. Spanish America alone produced perhaps 85% of the world's silver during the early modern era. Chinas huge economy demanded greats amounts of Silver. Much of silver shipped across the Atlantic to Spain was spent in Europe. The largest mine in the world was in Bolivia, with horrible conditions for the miners. Latin America´s silver enriched the Crown, making Spain the envy of its European rivals only during the 16th century. ...

European Empires in the Americas Spanish focused their empire-building efforts in the Caribbean and then, in the early 16th century to the mainland, with stunning conquests of powerful but fragile Aztec and Inca empires. Portuguese established themselves along the coast of present-day Brazil. British, French, and Dutch launched colonial settlements along the eastern coast of North America. Comparing Colonial Societies in the Americas “Old World” gave the rise to a “New World” in the Americas. Their colonial empires: Spanish, Portuguese, British and French did not simply conquer and govern societies but rather generated new societies. European rulers viewed their realms through the lens of the economic theory known as mercantilism – encouraging exports and accumulating bullion precious metals: Silver and Gold. Which were believed to be the source of national prosperity The Steppes and Siberia: The Making of a Russian Empire Europeans were building their empires in...

An Early Modern Era? The beginnings of genuine globalization, elements of distinctly modern societies, and a growing European presence in world affairs. The most obvious expression of globalization laid in the oceanic journeys of European explorers and the European conquest and colonial settlement of the Americas. global slave trade - use metals to buy a way into Asian trade routes transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people (Columbian Exchange) created new networks of interaction with global implications carry Christianity beyond Europe - world religion slave trade scientific revolution A Late Agrarian Era? limited political and military power missionaries and merchants controlled by China/Japan Islam was spreading faster

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