World societies mid-term

How can being a Christian shape our understanding of history?

1. God gave us the gift of being able to study people in their specific period of time, and because we are Christian we have a unique perspective of it. 

What contributed to the success of the Ottoman Empire?

1. Their empire absorbed the muslims and became the protectors of the Orthodox church. Gunpowder, made excursions in Europe and were also involved in their politics 

Who are the clergy in Islam?

1. Originally there is no clergy → no one is in charge. Clergy → scholars hired by kings. 

How were American/Atlantic slavery patterns and effects different from the kinds of slavery practiced in other times and places?

Slavery prior to the american/ atlantic it was not inherited and slaves were not targeted to a specific race. Once the shift happened race based slavery came into play, the economy of scale became very big,  the laws to get out became very restrictive, and inherited slavery started as well. 

What were the differences between Protestants and Catholics?

They both disagree on authority, rituals in the church, salvation.  Protestants → Bible alone, priesthood of all believers, only salvation by faith. Catholics → Bible + tradition, clergy mediates between the holy + the people, saved by faith and works.

Why did the Reformation happen when and how it did?

The new technology that was coming out → printing press. The growth of languages → churches become national and are organized languages. The people that were attracted to it → middle class people.

What are the attributes of “modernity”?

Progress, Inclusivity, Education → categorizing, Politics → nation-state, ways of understanding knowledge changed.

How were West African societies different from East African societies?

West African societies → heavy on gender roles, sex division labor, huge cities= universities, temples, wealthy are big on converting to Islam (elite). East Africa → language was Arabic, de-centralized= city states, trading with multiple groups of people, Islam conversion indigenized.

What is meant by “liberalism”? How was it different from what had gone before

Focuses on rights → biggest right is property. Representative government → picked by the people. Equality before the law → reaction against kings. It was different because prior to this kings controlled most things and this gave the inability for kings to take things away from the people.

What was included in the idea of the scientific revolution?

Early science=philosophy + built on mid-evil knowledge. The idea of progress → the laws should demonstrate it. Modernity → definitions → specificity→ explanation. Reading Revolution + Age of specialization. The ability to print helped build knowledge. Impersonal > personal. Social contract.

How did Confucianism shape East Asia?

Civil service exams were based on Confucianism

   To become a bureaucrat

    it encouraged literacy

   men were reading Confucian ideas and integrating it into their culture

·      values stability and order

What are the 5 Cs of historical thinking?

Context = What was happening at the time?

Cause= Why did it happen?

Contingency = Could it have happened differently?

Complexity = Why isn't the explanation simple?

Change over time

Jesuits in Japan

Catholic missionaries who arrived in Japan during the 1500s to spread Christianity. They initially gained converts, but Japanese rulers eventually restricted and persecuted Christianity.

Swahili coast

East African coastal trading region that connected Africa with Arabia, India, and Asia through Indian Ocean trade. It was heavily influenced by Islam.

Olaudah Equiano

Formerly enslaved African who wrote an autobiography describing slavery and the Middle Passage. His writings supported the abolitionist movement.

Aztec response to Franciscans

responded to Franciscan missionaries in different ways. Some converted to Christianity, while others resisted or blended Christian beliefs with traditional practices.

Encomienda system

Spanish colonial system that granted colonists the right to demand labor or tribute from Indigenous people, supposedly in exchange for protection and Christian instruction.

Reformation and religious violence

The Protestant Reformation divided European Christianity and contributed to religious wars between Catholics and Protestants, including the Thirty Years' War.

Moral Economy

The belief that economic activities should follow traditional ideas of fairness, especially regarding food prices and access to necessities. Violations sometimes caused riots.

Devshirme

Ottoman system of recruiting Christian boys, particularly from the Balkans, converting them to Islam, and training them for military or government service.

Zheng He

Chinese Muslim admiral who led seven major naval expeditions during the Ming dynasty in the early 1400s, expanding Chinese diplomatic and trade connections.

Great Wall

Chinese defensive fortification built and rebuilt by different dynasties to protect northern borders from invasions. The Ming dynasty significantly strengthened it.

Navigation Acts

English laws that restricted colonial trade to benefit England by controlling shipping and commerce.

Public Sphere

Spaces where people discussed politics, science, and society, including coffeehouses, salons, and newspapers. Important during the Enlightenment.

The Sorting

The process by which European societies increasingly separated people according to religious identity, particularly Catholics and Protestants, following the Reformation.

Scientific Revolution

Period during the 1500s–1700s when Europeans increasingly used observation, experimentation, and mathematics to understand the natural world.

Empiricism

The belief that knowledge comes primarily from observation, experience, and experimentation rather than tradition or authority.

Ulema

Islamic religious scholars who interpreted the Quran, studied Islamic law, and provided religious guidance.

Armenians in the 1600s

Armenian merchants developed extensive international trading networks, particularly from New Julfa in Safavid Persia, connecting Europe and Asia.

Sufism

Mystical tradition within Islam that emphasizes developing a personal, spiritual connection with God through prayer, meditation, and devotion.

Katib Chelebi’s views

Ottoman scholar who supported reason, scientific knowledge, and religious tolerance. He criticized ignorance and excessive religious conflict.

Tan Xian

a seventeenth-century Chinese historian known for carefully researching and documenting Ming dynasty history.

Decline in the Ottoman Empire

The empire faced military setbacks, financial difficulties, inflation, and political challenges. However, historians increasingly emphasize that the Ottoman Empire also adapted and reformed rather than simply declining