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

Causes of European Expansion

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.