Africa, Latin America, and North America Timeline

Africa

  • Band Two Dialect: This dialect, spread via migration across Sub-Saharan Africa, became the primary dialect.
  • Mediterranean & Trans-Saharan Trade: Mediterranean trade indirectly influenced Trans-Saharan routes, extending into Northern Africa and the Sudanic kingdoms.
  • Sudanic Kingdoms: Key trade items were salt and gold.
  • Islam's Spread: Islam disseminated through traders and royalty due to prestige and incentives.
  • Eastern (Swahili) Coast: The Swahili Coast saw a mix of Arabic influences, facilitating trade in the Indian Ocean.
    • Islamic groups settled, forming kingdoms and engaging in trade with the Middle East and India.
    • Wealthier traders benefited most from converting to Islam.
  • Central Africa: Limited raw material exports and distance from coastal areas hindered Islamic penetration.
  • Great Zimbabwe: Located in Southeastern Africa, this religious center showcased an advanced civilization.
  • Coptic Christians: Remnants of Christianity, aligned with Byzantine orthodoxy, persisted in areas like Ethiopia despite Islam's spread.
  • Age of Discovery (1415-1750)
    • European maritime empires emerged, starting with the Portuguese led by Henry the Navigator.
    • Henry the Navigator established colleges to train people and apply European knowledge.
    • Europeans sought new routes to the Far East due to the Silk Road's decline after the Mongol Empire.
    • Diaz reached the Cape and India, with the Portuguese controlling Indian Ocean ports via taxation.
    • Islamic traders dominated the Indian Ocean until around 1450, after which the Portuguese gained control.
    • The Portuguese settled in the Canaries, Madeira, and islands off the Western Coast of Africa.
    • They implemented large-scale plantation agriculture and used African slavery, which was later introduced to the New World.
  • Dutch Influence: The Dutch moved into South Africa as the Portuguese shifted focus to the Americas, allowing them to control spice trade in the Far East.
  • British Ascendancy: The British then took control of South Africa, leading to conflicts among natives, Dutch, and British settlers.
  • Seven Years' War: The French and British clashed in India, culminating in the British victory at the Battle of Plassey.
    • The British East India Company (EIC) gained increasing control over India until the Sepoy Rebellion, after which India fell under British Crown rule.
  • Atlantic Trade & Triangular Trade: Africa was integrated into the global economy through the economic triangle.
    • Slaves were transported to the New World, sugar to Europe, and rum to Africa.
  • Columbian Exchange: This involved the biological and ecological exchange of animals, food, and plants.
  • Age of Revolutions
    • Africa faced colonialism as British and Dutch consolidated control in South Africa, leading to the Boer Wars.
    • The Berlin Conference formalized the division of Africa among European powers, disregarding tribal boundaries, and creating future conflict.
  • Colonization (1750 Onward)
    • Western powers established colonies, leading to conflicts among the British, Dutch, and indigenous people in South Africa.
    • The British gained control, and the Berlin Conference divided Africa without considering tribal regions, causing lasting turmoil.
  • Modern Era
    • World War I: Colonial holdings supplied resources for the war effort, revealing European weaknesses.
    • Decolonization: Post-World War I, the weakening of Europe led to initial decolonization waves.
    • World War II: This war accelerated decolonization due to independence movements and the diminished power of European nations.
    • Arbitrary Boundaries: These boundaries caused conflicts as tribal areas sought their own countries.
    • Cold War Rivalries: Extended into Africa.
    • Post-Colonial Issues: Population growth, deforestation, urbanization, and Islamic unrest (e.g., in Egypt and Somalia) emerged as significant challenges.

Social Structure in Africa

  • Mostly patriarchal and family-oriented with diverse labor systems.
  • Early societies were stateless, characterized by patriarchal tribal structures and kinship groups.
  • Diverse ethnic demographics with an elevated merchant class in trading areas.
  • Powerful monarchs ruled, succeeded by colonial rule.

Political Aspects

  • Powerful monarchs ruled until the age of discovery and colonial rule.
  • Arbitrary borders set by the Berlin Conference caused issues.
  • Nationalist movements and the Islamic Brotherhood emerged.

Economic Aspects

Salt was a key commodity due to its necessity for life and food preservation (especially without refrigeration).

Latin America and North America

  • Civilizations of Central Mexico: Civilizations built upon previous societies, including the Olmec, Mayan, and Toltec, eventually leading to the Aztec civilization.
    • The Aztecs engaged in internal and external trade, distinguishing them from the Inca who primarily conducted internal trade.
    • Aztec society was polytheistic and hierarchical, with expansion driven by sacrificial practices.
    • Cortes conquered the Aztecs.
  • Incas: The center of the universe was Cuzco.
    • Neither civilization used the wheel but had advanced road systems and armies.
    • The Inca hierarchy was strict, with a ruler's son as the chief ruler and his wife also playing a role.
    • Expansion was driven by the need to do something, and Pizarro conquered the Incas in the 1500s
  • Age of Discovery: The Treaty of Tordesillas established a dividing line between Spanish and Portuguese territories.
  • Chief Products: Sugar, gold, and silver became the main products in the Caribbean and Latin America, supported by triangular trade and silver mining.
  • Columbian Exchange:
    Key items included cattle, horses, and coffee from Africa.
  • Coercive Labor Systems:
    • Encomienda System: Royalty granted land and the people on it to individuals in the New World, essentially creating a form of slavery.
    • Mita System: This system involved compelling villages to provide labor for state projects.
    • Alongside these were African slavery and indentured servitude.
    • Sertum/Feudal System: Serfs worked the land for landowners, receiving a small percentage of the produce while the rest went back to the landowner.
  • Haciendas: Latin American plantations that used coercive labor systems.
  • Jesuits: Brought to the New World for conversion purposes following the Reformation.
  • Colonization in North America:
    • Primarily by Northern European countries, especially the British.
    • Driven by religious turmoil during the Reformation, with settlers seeking religious freedom and self-governance.
  • Enlightenment Ideas: Led to the overthrow of absolute monarchs.
  • Slavery in North America: Mostly self-sustaining due to a balanced sex ratio, unlike Latin America where male slaves predominated.
  • Disease Impact: Diseases killed up to 90% of the native population.
  • Territorial Changes: The French and Indian War (Seven Years' War) resulted in western lands ceded to the British until the Louisiana Purchase.
  • US Development:
    • War of Independence, industrialization, and the Civil War.
    • The Civil War was considered the first fully industrialized war.
  • Latin American Independence: Swept through Latin America in the early 1800s, inspired by Enlightenment ideas but slavery persisted until the 1880s.
  • Social Structure:
    • European, native, and African populations.
    • Creoles (Europeans born in the New World) led independence movements.
    • Cycles of revolutions occurred, with caudillos (local warlords) seizing power and being overthrown.
  • Spanish Weakness: Spanish was weakened by French dominance, leading to the adoption of French administrative practices in the New World.
  • Brazilian Independence: Brazil gained independence peacefully with Pedro II declaring independence from his father.
  • Modern World:
    • The US became a world power post-World War I, entered the Great Depression, and emerged as a superpower after World War II.
    • The Cold War followed, with proxy wars and the later war on terror.
  • Latin America in the 20th Century:
    • Monroe Doctrine: Established in the 1820s
    • Neocolonialism: Economic dependency replaced old colonialism.
    • US Interventions: Protection of economic interests, military support, and involvement in regions like Cuba and the Panama Canal.
    • Issues: Catholic Church, liberation theology, socialism, and military rule influencing Latin America.
    • Cold War: The Cuban Missile Crisis, Castro, Khrushchev, and Kennedy.
    • Social Trends: Patriarchal structures, women's rights movements, and urban growth.