M

AP World History - Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections

European and Expansion

  • Portuguese and Spanish controlled major shipping routes in Indian Ocean, Indonesia, Atlantic Ocean

  • Portugal financed explorations

    • Prince Henry the Navigator (King John I’s son)
    • Vasco da Gama: explored eastern Africa, India

  • Spain also did:

    • Financed Christopher Columbus: explored Americas

  • Treaty of Tordesillas (1494): agreement between Spain and Portugal to split colonized land between them

  • England, Netherlands, France launched own explorations to acquire new colonies - caused rise in nationalism and powerful monarchies

  • Explorers

    1. Amerigo Vespucci (1500): South America
    2. Ponce de Leon (1513): Florida
    3. Vasco de Balboa (1513): Central America
    4. Ferdinand Magellan (1519): South America to Philippines
    5. Giovanni da Verrazzano (1524): North America
    6. Sir Francis Drake (1578): circumnavigated the globe
    7. John Cabot (1497): North America
    8. Henry Hudson (1609): Hudson River

  • Products that aided new explorations:

    1. Sternpost Rudder: invented in China - better control of ships
    2. Lateen Sails: invented in Roman Empire - allowed directional control of ships
    3. Astrolabe: navigation device that measured distance between sun and stars on horizon to determine latitude
    4. Magnetic Compass: developed in China - determine direction
    5. Three-Masted Caravels: large ships fit for longer journeys

The New World: Accidental Empire

  • Spanish explorers found great wealth in Aztec and Inca Empires
  • Hernando CortĂ©s: landed on coast of Mexico in 1519 - sought to exploit the Aztec Empire of their gold and spices
    • Neighbouring states were willing to help Spanish conquer Aztecs as they had taken over a lot of the neighbouring communities - or those who didn’t cooperate were forced or killed
    • Became very hungry for wealth and quickly seized Montezuma and began a siege of Tenochtitlan

Disease: Ultimate Weapon of Mass Destruction

  • Spanish brought smallpox to the Aztec Empire which reduced their population from 20 million in 1520 to 2 million in 1580 - Spanish were able to take control in 1525
  • Francisco Pizarro took over Inca Empire in 1531 partially due to spreading disease to them
    • Pizarro was in control of the Inca Empire by 1535

The Encomienda System

  • Spanish implemented a hierarchical colonial society as they took over the New World

  • Structure:

    1. Peninsulares: Spanish officials governing the colonies
    2. Creoles: Spanish born in colonies to Spanish parents - barred from high positions but were educated and wealthy
    3. Mestizos: those with European/Native American ancestry
    4. Mulattos: those with European/African ancestry
    5. Native Americans

  • Viceroys: governors of each of 5 regions of New Spain - established the encomienda system (system of forced labour of the natives and African slaves)

African Slave Trade

  • Slaves brought to New World to work on the plantations and mines

  • Europe exploited a system of slavery already existing in Africa - prisoners were supposed to serve their captors before being released

  • Europeans traded for their surplus of enslaved people, but didn’t understand that they were supposed to be released

  • As demand for slaves in Europe increased, Europe became even more ruthless - kidnapping Africans, causing wars, forcing rulers to give up their citizens

  • Slaves were forced onto ships, chained below deck, and endured brutal Middle Passage

  • Around 13 million Africans were taken - 60% to South America, 35% to Caribbean, 5% to North America, around 20% of people on each trip perished

The Columbian Exchange

  • Transatlantic transfer of animals, plants, diseases, people, technology, ideas among Europe, Americas, and Africa

  • Never before had so much moved across the ocean

  • Transfer of food products caused population increase in Europe, Asia, and Africa

  • Two key products: sugar (plantations appeared all over Spanish colonies), silver (mining also in Spanish colonies) - both used significant forced labour

  • Spanish control of silver opened doors in Ming China

The Commercial Revolution

  • Age of Exploration: trading, empire building, conquest - due to financing schemes
  • Banking became a respectable practice - lead to joint-stock company (pool resources of merchants to distribute costs and reducing dangers of individual investors)
  • Led to huge profits and modern-day concept of stock markets
  • Muscovy Company, Dutch East India Company took over trade routes
  • Mercantilism: theory that creating a favourable balance of import and export was best - of course, this led to Europe’s intense colonialism to match their import demand
    • Caused resentment in colonies
  • Europe established limited trade with China from 16-18th century
    • Portugal gained control of Spice Islands to gain access to China
    • China and Japan still highly limited their trade with them
  • Developments in Specific Countries - 1450-1750
    • Major movements of the times affected parts of Europe differently
    • People with power guarded it
    • Peasant class weren’t able to participate in any developments
    • Powerful states were also developed in Middle East, India, China, and Japan
    • Monarchies contributed to development of strong loyalties and led to many conflicts/wars