AP World History Unit 4 Review: Maritime Empires (1450-1750)

Causes of European Expansion

Technological Factors

• European Adoption and Innovation: Europe adopted and innovated maritime technologies, leading to their rise in global power.
• Key Technologies:
  • Astrolabe: Used for celestial navigation. enabled sailors to determine their latitude by measuring the angle of the sun or stars above the horizon.
  • Improved Maps: More accurate maps facilitated navigation.
  • Lateen Sail: Allowed ships to sail against the wind, increasing maneuverability.
  • Stern Rudder: Improved steering and control of ships.
  • Caravel and Carrack: New ship designs (caravel, carrack) enabled longer voyages and heavier loads.

Political Factors

• Competition Among European States: Intense rivalry between European states fueled exploration and empire building.
• Examples of Rivalry:
  • England vs. Spain
  • Dutch vs. Portugal
  • France taking Quebec.

Economic Factors

• Mercantilism:
  • Definition: An economic theory that viewed wealth as finite and emphasized state control over trade. Goal was to export more than import.
  • Purpose: To enrich the imperial country at the expense of its colonies.
  • Closed Markets: Colonies were established to provide raw materials and serve as exclusive markets for the imperial country.
• Joint Stock Companies:
  • Definition: Limited liability businesses chartered by the state and funded by private investors.
  • Purpose: To finance exploration and colonization with reduced risk for individual investors.
  • Examples: The British East India Company and the Dutch East India Company.
  • Limited Liability: Investors only risked their initial investment.

Rise of Sea-Based Empires

• Rivalry among European states led to attacks on each other's trading ports and ships.

Major Players

• Portugal:
  • Early Dominance: First European state to establish significant sea-based trade routes.
  • Indian Ocean Trade: Focused on establishing trading posts and controlling key ports in the Indian Ocean.
• Spain:
  • Voyages of Columbus: Columbus's voyages (financed by Spain) led to the discovery of the Americas.
  • Claims in the Americas: Spain built a vast empire in the americas based on the extraction of resources through coerced labor of indigenous populations.
• France:
  • North American Holdings: Similar to the Portuguese, focused on trade rather than large-scale colonization.
  • Trade relations: Focused on building trades with indigenous people in the region.
• England:
  • Queen Elizabeth I: Sponsored exploration after defeating the Spanish.
  • Exploration: They exploited Spain's weakness by sponsoring exploration into North America.

The Columbian Exchange

• Definition: The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and culture between the Old World (Europe, Africa, Asia) and the New World (The Americas) following Columbus's voyages.

Impact of Disease

• Lack of Immunity: The isolation of indigenous peoples in the Americas meant they had no immunity to diseases from Afro-Eurasia.
• Devastating Diseases:
  • Smallpox and Measles: Introduced by Europeans; spread rapidly and were incredibly deadly.
  • Impact: Cut some populations in half, in some cases killing 90% of those infected.
  • Malaria: Carried by mosquitoes; contributed to widespread death and disease.

Impact of New Foods

• To the Americas: Europeans introduced foods like rice, bananas, and sugar, diversifying indigenous diets.
• From the Americas: Crops like maize and potatoes were introduced to Europe, Africa, and Asia, contributing to healthier populations and longer lifespans.
• Demographic shifts: These developments increased population growth globally.

Continuities and Changes in Labor Systems

• Continuity of Coerced labor: European empires in the Americas relied heavily on coerced labor to extract resources and produce goods.
• Changes in labor systems:
  • Encomienda System: Replaced with the hacienda system.
  • Chattel Slavery: Grew as a result of plantation agriculture. The transatlantic slave trade forcibly moved millions of Africans to the Americas.
  • Indentured Servitude: Used to some extent, but less prevalent than slavery, with people being bound to work for a certain period of time.

Economic Strategies of Spanish and Portuguese Empires

Spanish Empire

• Silver Mining: Focused heavily on extracting silver from mines in the Americas (e.g., Potosi).
• Impact: Silver from the Americas was used to participate in global trade, particularly with China.

Portuguese Empire

• Sugar Plantations: Established sugar plantations in Brazil, relying on enslaved labor.
• Transatlantic Slave Trade: Heavily involved in the transatlantic slave trade to supply labor for plantations.

Reactions to European Presence

Japan

• Initial Acceptance: Some Japanese people converted to Christianity.
• Shift in Policy: The Shogun perceived Christianity as a threat to the unification of Japan.
• Exclusion Policy: Christian missionaries were expelled, and Japan largely isolated itself from European commerce, maintaining limited trade with the Dutch.

Resistance to European Rule

• Pueblo Revolt:
  • Cause: Indigenous people of the Pueblo communities resented Spanish attempts to suppress their traditional religious practices.
  • Event: A coordinated revolt drove the Spanish out of the region for over a decade.
• Fronde Rebellions (France):
  • Cause: French nobility, threatened by the growing power of the monarchy, rebelled.
  • Context: Occurred partly in response to new edicts passed to finance imperial expansion.

Development of Maroon Societies

• Definition: Communities of runaway slaves in the Americas.
• Composition: Typically small pockets of free blacks.
• Imperial Reaction: Imperial authorities opposed these communities.
• Example: Jamaica, where colonial troops tried to suppress Maroon societies, but the free people were able to establish treaties with the British.

State Building in Africa

Kingdom of the Kongo

• Early Relations with Portugal: The kingdom traded with the Portuguese, exchanging goods and enslaved people.
• Conversion to Christianity: The king of Congo converted to Christianity to facilitate trade with Christian states.
• Expansion of Power: Initially, the relationship with Portugal led to the expansion of the Congolese state's power and influence.
• Deterioration of Relationship: Over time, the economic relationship with Portugal deteriorated, leading to conflict and instability.