Changing Social Hierarchies

Management of Different Groups

From $1450$ to $1750$, empires handled different cultures and religions in two main ways: letting them stay (accommodation) or controlling them (suppression).

• Empowering Groups:

  • Ottoman Empire: Used the millet system, which allowed religious minorities like Christians and Jews to run their own community affairs.

  • Mughal Empire: Under Leader Akbar, they included Hindu leaders in government and removed special taxes for non-Muslims.

• Controlling Groups:

  • Qing China: Put strict limits on the Han Chinese majority to keep the Manchu minority in power.

• Key Event: The Ottomans welcomed Jews who were kicked out of Spain in $1492$, seeing them as a benefit to the economy.

Rise of New Powerful Groups

War and trade created new groups of people at the top of society.

• Qing Dynasty: The new Manchu rulers replaced old Chinese elites with their own Manchu "banner-men."

• The Americas (Casta System): This was a ranking system based on race. Europeans were at the top, while Indigenous and African people were at the bottom.

• New Wealth: Global trade allowed merchants and landowners to become part of a new economic elite.

Struggles of Traditional Leaders

As kings and central governments gained more power, the old "traditional" leaders lost influence.

• Ottoman Empire: The central government reduced timars (land grants to soldiers) to make local leaders less independent.

• Russia: The boyars (nobles) lost power as leaders like Ivan the Terrible centralized authority.

• Europe: Kings used "absolutism" (total power) to take control away from the nobility.

• English Civil War ($1642$-$1651$): A major conflict that changed how power was shared between the king and the upper-class gentry.

Laws Controlling Social Groups

Governments used specific policies to show who was in charge and who was excluded.

• Qing Hair Laws: The Queue Order forced Han men to wear Manchu hairstyles (long braids) to show they were loyal to the Manchu rulers.

• Religious Exclusion: Spain and Portugal kicked out Jews and Muslims through decrees like the Alhambra Decree ($1492$) to enforce Catholic unity.

• Women's Status: In the Ottoman Empire, a woman's rights depended heavily on her social class and where she lived.