The West and the Changing World Balance

1. The West and the Changing World Balance C15 EQ: How did the balance of world power shift from east (Middle East and Asia) to west (Europe) by the end of the 1400s?

2. Themes: It’s a Hodgepodge Chapter!!! • 1400 – a shift in balance occurs between world civilizations • The world-wide role of Islam was in decline • China made one last attempt to influence the world before falling into isolation • Western Europe was become the dominant world region (Italy, Spain and Portugal) • The Americas and Polynesia also experienced significant changes

3. A Change in the Middle East • Byzantium and the Abbasid dynasty were gone… • Byzantium was crushed by the Ottomans, the Abbasids by the Mongols • Religious leaders began to dominate artistic endeavors…most Islamic thinkers (like Averroes) had to practice beliefs outside of the Islamic heartland (Greek rationalism) • Sufis still ran around emphasizing mystical contact with God • Economic power was in decline…agricultural productivity diminished as feudalism found its way into Muslim society • European traders overtook and avoided Muslim traders and tax revenues from trade declined (Mediterranean) • The Ottomans did not help the economic situation…they did not focus on overland trade (which fell into the hands of the Mongols), rather spent their existence conquering and expanding territory…their empire would be solely based on agriculture (leading to their decline during the industrial revolution) • The Ottomans did, however for a short period, along with the Safavids maintain an Indian Ocean trading network that would become the basis for trans-oceanic trade in the coming centuries

4. Chinese Thrust and Withdraw • The Ming dynasty replaced the Yuan dynasty in 1368 and pushed to regain China’s previous borders • The Ming (under the leadership of Hongwu) reasserted themselves over their neighboring states and began to “explore” surrounding areas • China had at this point what was perhaps the only large scale system of product manufacture in the world, producing such items as weapons, gunpowder, silk clothes, ships and porcelain • Under the leadership of Yongle, the great navigator Cheng Ho (Zheng He) sailed the south seas to Africa, India, the Indies and possibly other areas with the Ming Treasure fleets • "1421: The Year China discovered the World" • The Ming halted Zheng’s expeditions in 1433 • Bureaucrats in the scholar gentry began to see interaction as both costly and dangerous to China • China became isolated once again, as bureaucrats claimed that since internal economic production was dominant, there was no need for foreign trade • NOTE: We will hear all of this again in Chapter 22

5. Rise of the West • Many small states in the West were still backward in the 14th and 15th centuries…the Catholic church was under attack…kings were self-indulgent…population were growing too fast and famines were widespread…so let’s have a plague and kill them all off (Black Death)…1/3 of the population was killed • Warfare was a dominant part of life for Europeans • 100 Years War features England vs. France, demonstrating a new NON-feudal form of solicitation of warfare, draft and pay your troops…this gave the central monarchy greater authority • Spain and Portugal spend better parts of 200+ years driving the Muslims off of Iberia…this drive for freedom leads both to seek a greater position in world trade • Mongols had brought an era of prosperity to Europe as trade contact with the east exploded…however, their decline put Europe in a bind…as a result, the hunger for gold and Eastern luxuries put a strain on the newly emerging Western economy • The ultimate message was clear, find a way to bypass the Muslims to trade with the east

6. Spain…“Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition” • Religious fervor in Spain helped to drive out the Muslims for good in the 15th century • The kingdoms of Castile and Aragon married in1469, and the result was Ferdinand and Isabella…they set forth a clear agenda • Persecute/expel the “heathens” (Muslims, Jews) and purify their kingdom into a Catholic state • Develop the military and begin to expand Iberian control into Europe • Explore the world, compete with their rivals in Portugal for dominance of sea trade

7. Rise of the West - Renaissance • Internal change was critical to the western surge…the Renaissance was just that, a cultural and political movement grounded in urban vitality and expanding commerce • Begun in the 14th century, it started out as a literary and artistic movement…art imitated life and was more friendly to the secular world • Florence, Italy became the center of the movement, and realistically, the Renaissance really made little headway out of Italy to the rest of the world in its early stages…Italy benefited solely from its developments of art, high culture, goal of personal glory etc…but the rest of Europe would soon take notice • Commercial states sought new markets and city states emerge as trading states (Venice, Hanseatic League) • NOTE: This will also be discussed further in Chapter 17 and AP European History

8. The Exploration Experiment • Atlantic Exploration began…Portugal vs. Spain in a battle royale for dominance of the sea • It was actually explorers from Italy who first sailed out the straits of Gibraltar down the African coast in the 14th century…Portugal and Spain followed suit, though these exploits were hindered by poor technology • All learned better shipbuilding techniques and use of compass/astrolabe form Muslim explorers and sailors…Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal led the charge in improving sea faring activities • Portugal and Spain began to settle the Canary Islands, Madeiras and Azores…the royalty set up land grants on these islands and they experimented with the plantation economy, growing cash crops

9. Americas and Polynesia • The Aztec and Inca empires of the late 1400s began a period of decline…internal warfare and civil uprisings occurred frequently…eventually, European invasion would take advantage of it • In Polynesia, explorations/colonization of South Pacific Islands from the original hearth (map 347) occurred from the 7th century into the 1400s…Hawaii was settled, then cut off form the rest of Polynesia by 1400…a distinct agricultural society developed…kingdoms and warring states emerged on the individual islands…a social order of priests, nobles and peasants was also established…rich oral traditions (stories) and the Hawaii language (13 letter alphabet) preserved cultural values

10. Maori New Zealand • Parallel to the development of Hawaii, Polynesians settled New Zealand in the 8th century and became isolated as the Maori • New Zealand provided a different climate and larger amount of territory and the development of Maori society was more complex • Similar political institutions were established, with military leaders and priests, but differences existed in that each held slaves gained in warfare • The Maori were highly skilled artists, but they had no skill at metallurgy…the economy also was based on agricultural development • Lastly, the Maori too compiled rich oral traditions of their society

11. Summing up the Changes • Clearly, there are a series of events that make the 1400s a great period of transition in world history • The collapse of Muslim empires • The transition of technological knowledge and learning from east to west • The drive for sea-born exploration, spurred by competition between regional kingdoms • These transitions created lasting impacts (next unit) • The conquest of the Americas • The conquest and subjugation of Africa • The move towards mercantilism and global trade • The first vestiges of Imperialism in the East

12. This Week • Tuesday: Document Analysis Pg. 342 • Wednesday: Change Analysis • Thursday/Friday: Unit 2 EXAM • Chapters 6 thru 15 are on this exam • 30 MC • Must do both the Compare/Contrast AND Change/Continuity Essay