Americans and Africa 1200-1450 T1

America and Africa are both separated from Eurasia

America

America is split up into 3 different zones

The Americas never make it into the Bronze age, and instead use obsidian

The Aztecs lived on an island and expanded upon it through water canals and a complex aqueduct systems to remove waste

Alot of these innovations and technologies were hard to find, as they were made of natural materials which decomposed

The Aztecs and Incans forced their culture over their conquered lands, the Aztecs also incorporated Mayan and Incan culture into their Societies

There is evidence of other peoples, like the Portuguese, Vikings, Romans and even the Mali reaching the Americas before Columbus made continuous contact

Sub-Saharan Africa

North Africa is conquered and reconquered by many states in the Mediterranean and Middle east

Africa is geographically separated by the Congo forests, savannas, and the Saharan deserts

The 4 massive rivers, the Congo (North), the Nile (East) , Zambezi (South) and the Niger River, allow for some transportation

Civilizations

The Mandika people establish the Mali empire which becomes the preeminent state from the mid 1200s unto the 1460s, only finally falling the the 1600s, and their Mali legacy remains today

The Congo states in the north are smaller and more autonomous

The Kingdom of Zimbabwe under the Shona controlled interior trade from the south, trading gold, ivory, gems, and slaves

The Swahili city states are a group of African people who adopted Islam, and some Indian culture, all due to the Sea roads and monsoon winds stranding people from India

Northern Africa has a large number of interactions with Eurasia, by the 1000s Islam and Christianity was widely known in these states

Axum, and Coptic Christians would be pushed into Africa

The Portuguese and the Spanish make their way down the coast of Africa, and by the 1400s they would make their way out of the Atlantic to the Mali empire by the 1450s

Exchange of Goods and Culture T1

The silk roads are simply a name for the Eurasia trade routes, which holds goods and ideas from Japan to Europe

Trade in these areas goes further than the bronze age, when Tin would be traded from Afghanistan to make bronze, the Indus valley traded with Mesopotamia

During the time of the Roman and Han empire, the silk roads were at another highest point of trade, and during the 1200s the silk roads reached another maximum

The silk roads were a crucial part of civilization, and was the sole reason for trade and cultural diffusion, and many people come out from these areas (Turks, Mongols)

Trade reaches its peak when cities are stable and people are flourishing, as these large and stable civilizations protected and regulated these routes

Things that were traded

Eastern goods going to the west → peaches, spices, apricots, and manufactured Chinese goods such as silk, pottery and paper

Western goods going to the east → Horses, alfalfa, grapes, and a variety of other crops as well has medicinal products and precious stones

Horses are first domesticated from central Asia and they spread throughout the silk roads

Traditional Chinese medicine mostly comes from Africa

Silver and gold came from the west (for now)

Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam also mostly traveled through the silk roads

Impact of the Silk Roads

Turkic nomads heavily benefited from the trade, letting them gain power and rise into the Turkic or Mongol empires of today

The spread of the stirrup allowed horses to be easily mounted and accessible for battle, which allowed people to shoot arrows and carry weapons while on horseback, revolutionizing warfare

Armenia, a small entrepot between the Caspian and Black sea, becomes the first Christian state of the world and which acts as a buffer from Persian or Islamic rule allowing those civilizations to trade

Sea Roads/Spice Routes/Indian Ocean Maritime System

The Sea road are divided into three regions

The South China Sea is dominated by Chinese, Malaysians, and Indonesians, also holds the strait of Malacca, the most heavily used body of water

Southeast Asia and India, Controlled by Malaysians and Indians, trades cotton, and dyes

Swahili Coasts and Persian Gulf is controlled by the Malays, Africans, and Persians

Many of these areas are inhabited by Arabic or Asian traders which form distinct communities through trade

The Lateen sail is developed, which allowed sailors to go back and forth between areas allowing trades to deal with the monsoon winds of the sea roads, and the compass is developed for better navigation

Sand Roads/African trade

The sand roads run across the Sahara and African desert

The Arabian camel allows for trans-Saharan trade, as it survived long distance travel better than domestic camels and horses

The sand roads are oases in the Sahara connected together through trade routes

Northern Africa is engulfed my Arab migration, which then provides an incentive and link across the Saharan Desert

The Sahara has a large supply of salt, which is not only an important vitamin but also necessary to preserve food

Palm oil, cola nuts (high value stimulant), and gold is also imported from Africa

Europe has little gold, but it does have a lot of silver, so the Europeans relied on the sand roads for gold

Berbers

The Berbers are indigenous people who live in north Africa, who join with the Tuareg and adopt Islam

The Berbers conquer west Africa (justified by Islam) and establish kin-based communities throughout

The Berbers found/conquer Ghana/Wagadou gain much power due to Ghana’s proximity to the Bambouk gold fields; note* most of Ghana did no adopt Islam before the modern world, only the Berber rulers were Muslims

The Mali Empire

The Mali empire maintains itself (usually as a vassal state or such) until the french finally conquer then in the 1600s or 1700s

The Mali empire doesn’t really have a capital, but many different cities that had various purposes

The Mali come to power after the Bambouk gold fields of Ghana start to slow down, and the Mali take over the gold trade due to their proximity to southern gold mines

Islam really starts to spread around urban areas due to the Mali empire

Mansa Musa was an king of the Mali empire, and he brings fame back to the state due to his famous hajj

The Mali empire is later conquered by the Puritan Songhai empire

Society in Africa

Many of these African societies were matrimonial, the mother was the leader of the family; this meant mothers passed down property to their daughters, but men still controlled state power as kings

Women of Africa, much to the disdain of other Muslims, did not cover their hair, which was a widespread practice in Arabia, Persia, and even in Christianity

Slavery was a large part of status because land was owned by the community, so slaves were the only real form of capital which could produce more money

There is a massive slave market in northern Africa, and slaves become a commodity of the Sahara

Slavery was not always consistent in Africa, in some areas there weren’t slaves but indentured servants (debtors put into labor) and most of the time slaves were not viewed as outcasts of society and more parts of the community

The word of slaves comes from Latin word for slavs, as the Russians imported many slaves from Russia

The Mongols T1

1206 - 1368

The Nomadic pastoral peoples of central Asia have very similar characteristics and share related languages and cultures

These people of the periphery all across the world gained small forms of power, like the Macedonians, Persians, and most importantly the Mongols

Most of these periphery societies contain a major chieftain/hero-lord comitatus which are lead to global power due to the loyalty and subservience to these lords

Temujin, the original name of Genghis Khan, came into power within a large fractured form of central Asia, at this point most neighboring empires were either in their infancy growing or declining (Decline of the song, Abbasid/Turks falling)

Temujin was born into a “royal“ clan, his grandfather was once the Khan but the clan had slowly falls apart

Temujin’s father dies when hes young, and one of his father’s followers takes over the clan and ostracizes Temujin and his mother

Temujin practically grows up in poverty and gains power slowly by using his previous fame to unite with other smaller isolated tribes containing a large mixture of people

One of his strongest early followers ends up going to war with Genghis later

Genghis unifies the Mongols in 1206 and adopts a meritocracy where people would earn their positions regardless of bloodline, something that upsets many Mongols

Genghis takes over the Jin Dynasty, the middle east, and finally the Song Dynasty with adaptable and ingenious military tactics

War was always brutal during this time period, there were mass murders, slavery, the Mongols practice these horrifying acts, but they also allow peace for those who submitted, something that both intimidated other civilizations into submission

Genghis would also implement those who were captured into (sometimes high) positions in the Mongol Army

Genghis is considered a fair ruler during these times, he invited many scholars, monks, and priests to learn about many religions, and he ends up adopting Buddhism (kinda ironic)

Jews and Christians had much more religious freedom under the Mongols than the Islamic empire

Genghis builds a new capitals and builds new public infrastructure across the empire, linking it together

Genghis’ oldest son isn’t made the ruler due to some paternal issues (his wife was kidnapped so it might not be his child)

The Mongol empire continues to expand after Genghis died under his sons, and the empire expands into 4 khanates

The Plague T1

The black death was the greatest pandemic recorded in human history, covering from Western Europe and the Mediterranean all the way to East China

For some reason India was never affected by the Black Plague

At the least 25 Million people died from the Black death

Black rats (not brown rats) spread the disease to marmots (large rodents) to fleas, who then transferred the disease to Humans

The Black Death no longer harms humans due to the invention of antibiotics, but rodents still carry the disease

The Black death originated from the steppes of Central Asia, and pastoral peoples ate marmot meat which may have exposed them to the disease

The people of central Asia may have been quietly carrying the disease, but when the Mongols gained control Asia, thus opening the pastoral people into the global world, it leads to the first wave of the disease

The people of central Asia were most likely more tolerant to the black death, and due to their isolated nomadic nature, never had any viral outbreaks which would have sounded the alarm on the disease

China loses around 10 million people from the black plague, cities are overrun with infected

The Mongols are greatly weakened by the black plague and the Mongol empire falls only 50 years after the first wave

The Mongols also may have used the black death as a weapon, launching infected dead bodies into the city of Kaffa as a form of siege warfare (these accounts may not be completely trustworthy as they were written centuries after the siege and also because the plague doesn’t spread from dead bodies)

The Black death spreads from China to Asia minor, Africa, and most significantly, Europe

Europe lost around 30% of its population from the Black death

This high death toll may have been due to pneumonic mutations, or because the Black death made people more susceptible to other diseases

The Black death slowed down in cities in quarantine, which shouldn’t be possible if the black death spread through fleas and rats

some speculate that the fleas which carried the black death didn’t like horses, which is why the steppes people survived due to their horse culture

The black death made another return into China, leading to the second wave

Many Europeans viewed the black death as punishment for their sins, which also lead to more anti-Semitism (Christians like to blame Jews for everything)

Many Muslims felt that the black death was “god’s will“ and that Muslims who died due to the disease were martyrs, which would lead to a lot of questionable government policies

Due to the population cull in Europe, the feudalistic system fell apart because the job market had more competition from Lords

Feudal Lords also got even more land due to inherited lands from dead peoples, leading them to become more wealthy, overall shifting Europe into larger wealth

The Black death also leads to a rise of the Italian Renaissance

People from all over start moving out of cities, facing famines, and overall were weakened; The Europeans would exploit this with their greater populations and renewed state to then conquer Eurasia

The European Advantage T2

Power from Asia shifted into Europe, coming out of the plague Europe was building nation-states built off of central cultural identities

Portugal is well established at this point, Castille & Leon are unified by Isabel and Phillip, and pockets of Western European states start to form

Not all was Europe was unified, but these monarchies gained power and unified more and more

Europe gets more technologically advanced, they switch from square sails to Dhow sails, gunpowder, the compass, adopting foreign technologies for European use

Without the Lateen sail the Europeans wouldn’t be able to cross the Atlantic

At this point the church was unified by the reconquista, persecuting the Muslims and Jews out of Spain

The Europeans also take advantage of the disorganization during the downfall of the mongol empire, allowing them to conquer west

The Renaissance revives and rediscovers old trade routes and knowledge about the East, providing more incentive for Europeans to expand

Because Europe is surrounded by water on 3 sides, they decided to push out and expand into colonies

The Americas before the Europeans

America had around 100 million to 150 million people during this time

The Incan empire was during its infancy when the Europeans crossed over

The Aztecs of Meso-America are still in power

There were many accounts of huge populations in North America, but after the Europeans returned many of these cities had been destroyed by disease

The Paraguay confederation had a large impact on trade, and they continued to trade when the Europeans came in, distributing knowledge throughout the Americas

These native Americans at the time were scattered -somewhat settled people, mostly chiefdom or monarchies

The horse (something there was literally nothing like in the Americas) also allowed people of the central American planes to switch to a more hunter gatherer lifestyle (this happens later)

Guns at this time were rudimentary and cumbersome, but they offered a large scare tactic against natives

Portuguese

The Portuguese were located at the endpoint of Europe, so it was difficult for them to trade, leading them to circumnavigating all these middlemen, leading them to sail down the Caribbean islands and south America

Because their sails were unable to turn, they circled from Africa to South America, to Europe

The Portuguese may have been able to sail up to New England, which was evidenced by how they managed to catch Cod

Columbus solidifies this connection from Europe to America with his 4 trips

Columbus was an Italian, he didn’t discover the earth was round and actually though the world was much smaller than what scholars proved, and when he sailed to America he still thought he was in India/China

People had no idea how large the Americas were, so it was impossible for them to cross the continent and reach the other side of the Pacific Ocean

The Europeans really don’t have any control over Africa until the 1900s, but they managed to control America due to their guns, diseases which weakened the native populations, and alliances with native peoples

The Europeans help the natives in small local battles, conquered them, and then established colonies

Smallpox decimated the Americas, wiping out a large majority of the people, 15-16 million people are killed, measles, syphilis, and other diseases wiped out tribes from throughout the coast

Domesticated animals from Europe carried diseases and food for the Native Americans

The Potato, sweet potato, tomato, and other stable agricultural products were brought to Europe, causing a population boom in Europe

Tobacco becomes a large crop in Europe, corn is used to feed animals throughout Europe as well

Sugarcane, honey bees, and Coffee also go to the Americas

Comparing Colonies

Spanish Colonies

Imperial views of the world and the necessity of conquering and imposing government was a widespread view

The strength of imperialism varied greatly, the Incas imposed their language onto their people, while the Mongols accepted any religion or language

Spanish and Portuguese colonies imposed their language and culture upon south America, which is why we view these countries as Spanish as well

The Spanish practiced Catholicism, which was a highly structured hierarchy; these strict systems were also adopted in Spanish and Portuguese colonies, your background and parental lineage determined your rights and occupation

Peninsulares (Spanish immigrants) and Creoles (people born in south America with Spanish blood) held most of the power

Some native cultures and traditions mixed their way into Catholicism, changing the local practice slightly

The practices and languages of the colonies depended on who conquered where

American Mythology

People assume that the pilgrims were the first to settle in North America, but there were already small and well established communities throughout the Eastern coast

At this point the natives knew about the Europeans, and their populations had already been culled by some other diseases (not smallpox)

These colonies (Massachusetts, Plymouth) were created by charter agreements between the king and the settlers, the colonists were forced to buy their passage to the Americas

These colonies were isolated from the power of the British Royalty

Similarities between colonies

Slavery is established throughout North and South America, in Haiti there was a massive importation of slaves

Many slaves were transported to Brazil and the West Indies, there were much less slaves in North America

These slaves would be forced to work in plantations to harvest cash crops to be exported back to Europe

Many people come to the colonies in Quebec and North America for the fur trade, wiping out beavers and other animals

Many colonists went through some form of missionary work, the Spanish directly conquered and implemented Catholicism, while the French in Quebec and Haiti have more of a missionary teaching style

Most colonies practice Mercantilism, which is not capitalism, Mercantilism is the idea of moving isolated goods from colonies back to domestic areas, wealth and resource drains out from South America to be sold in Spain

Latin America was never able to recover from the resources they lost to Europe

Russia

Many empires at the time, including Russia, were established because of gunpowder and it’s uses in warfare

The Russians are in a state of fractured city states after they are conquered by the Golden Horde, a khanate of the Mongols

The Mongols rule from a distance so they elevate local rulers and princes to control and tax local principalities

The Mongols grow more and more detached from Russia and after awhile the Russian princes attain wealth and power to then overthrow the Mongols

After a small failed rebellion by a nameless Russian prince, mongol control over Russia starts to collapse

The Russians adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire, which united the Kievan Rus culturally in the stead of their divided politics

Under Ivan III (Ivan the Great) Russia finally defeats the Mongols in 1480, liberating the Russians

With the power of the Orthodox church Ivan establishes himself the title “Tzar“, and after the Byzantines fall Ivan considers Russia to be the 3rd Rome, thus the name Tzar (Russian spelling of Caesar)

Ivan III starts to try to unite the Russian speaking people of northern Eurasia, and Ivan the terrible consolidates power over the Boyers (the wealthy) and viciously conquers and destroys his enemies, expanding into Siberia

This method of eradication/expansion is very similar to colonial Spain and Britain

This territory is massive and incorporates many cultures and peoples from Asia, not just Europe, at this point Russia is very much still Asian

The Russians mostly expand as a security issue, they expand to put down pastoral peoples, like the mongols, to prevent another Golden Horde scenario

The Fur trade of Siberia also greatly incentivises Russian conquest, furs become the new silk and coveted by all

Peter the great gains power after a century and Peter the Great (big 7” dude) forces Russia to integrate more European values into Russia

Peter creates his own national army, much unlike those rented armies of feudalism, and starts using gunpowder rifles and other European ideas

Peter also conquers out West, deeper into Siberia, and establishes maritime control outside the Black Sea, opening up new routes of trade

Peter forces the Boyers and peasantry to be westernized, weakening the power of the Aristocracy and giving himself more power

Peter also establishes the capital of St. Petersburg, which moves the power away from Aristocratic Moscow to a newfound area near Europe

Peter also initializes a form of state education, and starts schools and universities

Russia itself today and back then had great variation, there were so many peoples and cultures covered by this massive territory which are held together by Russian imperialism

China without the Mongols

The Ming and Qing were the last dynasties of China, later becoming a republic and then a communist state

The Ming

The Mongols were pushed out of China in part of the collapse of government caused by internal groups such as the White Lotus Society, a small group of bureaucrats against Mongolian rule, and a famine

A peasant known as Hingwu works up into becoming a court Monk who leads a rebellion which then starts the Ming Dynasty

The Ming push out Mongol cultures and return back to traditional Confucian values, they rebuild the grand Canal and restart the economy

The Mongols have the least impact culturally in China because of the Ming purge of Mongols, they’d forcibly convert mongol-Chinese citizens back into traditional Neo-confucianism

The Ming also create the first national state funded educational system, allowing more of the peasantry to take the exams

The Ming extend Chinese territory beyond the great wall of China, going up into Manchuria (north of Korea), right up against Vietnam, and even invading Mongolia

The Ming also reinvest in the Great Wall of China, which had no been maintained by the Song nor the Mongols

At this point the Ming also had the largest standing army in the world (estimated around a million soldiers) and the largest ports connected to the Pacific Ocean, reinstating old systems of silk production and agriculture

This is also the time Zheng He went on his maritime journey but was also pulled out due to Confucian ideas on foreigners and also expenses

The Portuguese also arrive into the Indian ocean by the 1400s, and are given Macau (a port) to trade at; this limited to Portuguese to the side of China without going into the mainland and establishing other trade opportunities

Some Jains also reach China through the Portuguese route, and some Chinese are converted into Christianity

The Qing

After another famine and rebellion the northern Manchus, which at this point were a vassal state, “help“ the Chinese but end up overthrowing the Ming and establishing a new empire

The Qing conquer and expand China into its largest state geographically, the modern size of China mostly comes from the Manchu

The Manchu enforce the Queue; a pigtail hairstyle which was strictly implemented into Chinese peasantry

The Manchu themselves however still accepted Buddhist and Confucian beliefs, and kept the examination bureaucracy of the Ming/Tang

The Qing are able to keep their dynasty from the mandate of heaven which supported many dynasties

Under Emperor of Emperor Kangxi more Christian missionaries spread throughout china, much against the traditional values of Confucianism

Kangxi was a supporter of Jesuits (Christian based universities) and education, so he allowed Christians throughout his empire, a first step of when China looked towards European technology and practice

Kangxi also publishes the first Chinese Dictionary and Encyclopedia for the State and Jesuit education systems

At this point China still adhered to strict neo-Confucian principles, women still had little rights and lackluster education, and feet binding was still a commonplace practice

The Gunpowder Empires/Land Empires

In the 15th century, land based empires emerged out of the fall of the Mongols in South and West Asia, leading to new identities and peoples

These empires were not Mongol based, but were heavily influenced by the Mongols as they served them and gained power through them

At this point central asia also loses influence in Eurasia

These empires heavily relied on gunpowder technology and siege warfare to gain power

The Ottomans

Location: Anatolian Peninsula, slowly expanding and conquering into their greater status

Government: Sultans, Suleiman I (1520-1568) establishes the first image of the real Ottoman Empire, power was heavily multicultural and incorporated talented local officials

Social: The upper class was built of the Janissary, highly trained musketeers mostly made up of trained tribute Christian boys, middle class was built off of Merchants and traders

Religion: Sunni Islam with some toleration

Economics: High taxes for non-sunnis, highly commercialized state, lots of manufacturing and weaving

Military: Janissaries were given power in villages, again mostly built from tributed Christian boys

The Safavids

Location: Persia, an inheritance of the Persian EMpire

Politics: Politically ruled by Shah (King), founded by Ismail (1587-1629), highest political height under Abbas (1587-1629)

Social: Very isolated due to the fall of the Silk roads, not very diverse

Religion: Low toleration Shia Islam

Economics: Taxes heavily encourage Shia Islam, decline in trade leads to decline in learning

Military: Qizilbash, elite force of independent fighters

The Mughals

Location: India

Politics: Emperor based, Tamerlane’s bloodline mainly held most of the power; Akbar (1556-1605) brought the Mughals to the greatest power

Social: Diverse and tolerated, people came from many diverse ethnic backgrounds

Religion: Ruler class was Muslim while majority was Hindu, at this point Buddhism practically disappears from India and only the Buddha remains as an avatar

Economics: Trade flourishes throughout the Sea roads, taxes on non muslims

Military: Warriors given their own villages and control, independent from government, small navy

Europe’s transformation

Politics

Europe transforms from feudal society into nation states with a distinct national identity

The Black death is a major factor in the decline of feudalism, not only was land redistributed from the Aristocracy to the king, but serfdom met its end with the improvement of the labor pool

Formation of identities based off of culture and religion

Royal families consolidate power over their people, establishing kingdoms and states, this is helped by divine right (the monarch is the voice of god), absolutism (the king takes power from the aristocracy), creation of national armies, the power of the church, weakening of the aristocracy, and further royal control over politics

This system of rule will be copied and replicated throughout the whole world

Spain starts this system of absolute rule with the unification of Ferdinand and Isabella, and the consolidation of multiple kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula

Under Charles V (Charles the 1st of Spain) (1519-1556) the Hapsburg family becomes the strongest family in Europe, ruling Spain and the Holy Roman Empire up until 1918 (he later goes and becomes a monk)

Louis XIV consolidates power in France, moving the capital to Versailles , building a lavish palace and moving power away from the Aristocracy; Louis spends lavishly and humiliates the aristocracy

In England absolutism fails, Charles I attempts to consolidate power but he ends up losing the civil war and his head is cut off by Puritans, which is why england is a constitutional Monarchy

Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution was spurred by the Agricultural revolution taking place in Europe at the time

The Agricultural revolution was an era of finding a solution with the growing European population and the growing abundance of agriculture from the East and the New World

Europe starts to gain a scientific advantage over the rest of the world, instead of just simply copying and reinventing foreign technologies, and Europeans start to develop what is considered the first form of modern science

Major Causes of the Scientific Revolution

• Individual thinkers (Galleli, Newton) develop new technologies on part of their own behalf

• Medieval universities focus on education and greater learning

• The Renaissance stimulates science

• Maritime navigation(al) problems leads to incentive for new research and instruments

• Scientific method(s) and study are improved

• The Reformation and Protestantism leads to pro-science reforms

Portuguese Commerce

In the 1400s the Portuguese were put in a poor position for trade, with their position at the western end of Europe and middle East peddlers gouging prices, they decided to sail under Africa and reach Asia

Prince Henry the Navigator and a large group of sailors explore and invest in new maritime technologies to create new routes into the slave and gold trade

Portugal was only able to sail these routes due to its previous Islamic control, which gave them access to advanced middle East technology

The Portuguese initially trade for gold in Africa, but after awhile they end up trading slaves due to their demand in the Americas

Private companies expand into Africa and continue trading for gold and slaves, while also slowly expanding East to reach the spice trade

Africa

Many West African kingdoms welcomed Portuguese traders, there wasn’t a massive battle and conquest of Africa to capture slaves, it was more a mutual trade where the Africans gave slaves and gold for European goods and firearms

As the Portuguese move around the coast of Africa, they run into the more organized trade of the Indian trade complex

The Portuguese are isolated from trade as European goods did not sell in the Swahili, leading to the Portuguese to bombarding and conqueuring trading outposts who do not trade with them

This conquering was mainly possible in part of the Portuguese armed navy and technologically advanced cannons and ships of the Europeans

The Portuguese also move into the coast of India, and once again find a lack of demand for European goods, leading them to forcibly insert themselves into the Indian ocean Trade network by seizing Goa, Malacca, Hormuz, and Macao

The Portuguese couldn’t reach into the interior of Africa and India due to disease (large malaria outbreaks in Africa at the time) and due to empires like the Mughals still having control over the area

The Portuguese are able to attain wealth through this small control by levying taxes and getting natives to pay for European transportation services

The Slave Trade T2

The transatlantic slave trade plays a large role as a preface to modern society

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

Coastal West Africa was isolated from other trade routes due to local more northern powers like the Songhai or Kongo

When European traders come to the beaches of West Africa they find African merchants with Ivory, Gold, kola nuts and most importantly slaves

Before this most African trade was through the Sahara for more interior societies

Slavery was a commonplace practice in West Africa and other areas during this time, but treatments of slaves varied greatly

Slaves in most of West Africa were treated as indentured servants, slaves could buy their own freedom and were part of the family structure

This changed in the beginning of the slave trade, in the mid 1600s the slave trade explodes and slavery in Africa shifts towards a more commercial basis

Many African kingdoms gained power from the slave trade directly

The slave trade grows due to economic reasons, the new colonies in the Americas lead to a large demand of laborers for harvesting cash crops; sugar plantations especially demanded large labor pools and arduous conditions

For these reasons most slaves over the middle passage went to the West Indies and brazil, some populations also went to the U.S., Europe, and Spanish colonies

By the 1700s the ratio of African slaves to White slave masters was 8:1 in Haiti and Guadeloupe

The Treatment of Slaves

The Middle passage across the Atlantic were brutal and deadly, slave ships had terrible hygienic conditions and oversaturated cargo holds

Slave ships often lacked rations leading to many slaves being thrown off board to supplement the lack of forethought

Almost every port city had a slave market in them, including Boston

Slaves would be abused and terrorized to prevent rebellion in all the Colonies in the Americas

Revolts and rebellions were rampant but most were put down with brutal force to dissuade others

Some slaves could become freedmen by buying their freedom, some were given overseeing positions in plantations

Intermarriage with Slaves and Europeans did occur and were commonplace in places like South America but were not commonplace in North America

African Diaspora

A large spectrum of African cultures were dispersed throughout the Americas, and many African cultures blended into the Americas; Voodoo religion which were in reality just traditional African Practices, spread throughout the Americas

Freed slaves established their own communities where they were freed or when they escaped

Many slave revolts occurred all over the American colonies which forced new slave laws on slavery, leading to a large race line being developed in North America

The Reformation T2

The Reformation is the catalyst for the European moment

In the middle ages the Catholic church mainly held the power in Europe, but started losing power as the Church lost touch with the people

Popes started conducting themselves as kings, clergymen often broke celibacy, and bishops often took land and power for themselves

There was a lot of internal struggle within the church as well, at one point there were 3 popes who each ruled from different areas of Europe

John Wycliffe of England and Jon Hus of Bohemia (Czech Republic) call for reform within Church practice and demand vernacular (English) bibles (at the time all bibles and preachers spoke in latin, which almost nobody really knew), leading them to be prosecuted for heresy

Wycliff escapes, dies, then his body is desecrated by the church, and Hus is burned at the stake

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Martin Luther, originally a lawyer who turns into a clergyman, starts the reformation with the 95 theses that he puts on the wall of Wittenberg

Luther criticized the use and sale of indulgences, which were paid sin removals™ that practically funded the church

Luther is put on trial and found guilty but is rescued by princes who protect his as he lives his life as a criminal

Protestantism takes off

New forms of Protestantism appear all over Europe, Lutheranism (based in Germany), Anglicism (started due to a divorce), and Calvinism (starts some wars)

Protestantism more focuses on preaching and the bible, instead of the doctrine of the pope

The Catholic church is obviously not happy with Protestantism, and with the election of Pope Paul III the church starts to attempt to reconcile with Protestants

The Council of Trent is established which forbids indulgences, curbs clerical immorality, and starts to encourage education and preaching

The Jesuits (scholars) and Ursulines (monks and nuns) are established to gain converts outside of Europe

Huge amounts of Catholic and Protestant converts come from the American colonies thanks to the Jesuits

British North America is famous Protestant (the “Pilgrims” themselves were protestants)

Protestantism starts to also lead to war, in France the nobility were majority Protestant, while the monarchy was still Catholic

The French nobility mostly become Protestant to avoid fees and charges from the Catholic church

Civil war and huge riots break out in French villages, leading to 9 “Wars“ to take place in France between the Huguenots (Protestants) and Catholic monarchs in 1562

In 1618 war breaks out between German states for a bloody 30 years over religion

The Spanish inquisition begins reformation and enforces Catholic doctrine

Shifting Ideas on Religion

Syncretism - The blending and assimilation of ideas from different cultures and/or religions

Examples of Syncretism:

• Spanish Catholicism blending with native South American religions

• Christianity and Buddhism blend in Central Asia

• Adoption of Roman and Pagan holidays in the Christian Calendar

• Buddha and Jesus are accepted as avatars in Hinduism

• Budai (the larger happier Buddhist monk) is also worshipped in Buddhism

Islam

Islam expands globally, and goes through Syncretism with many areas —as exampled with Indonesian Islam

Islam changes as it spreads throughout the world through Islamic missionary work and the increasing maritime trade in the Middle East

In the 18th century Islam goes through a religious renewal of traditional ideas through Wahhabism

Lead by Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Waliabi, Wahhabists sought to combat Syncretism and return back to the Quran

Wahhabism gains the support of the Saud clan and spreads throughout the Arabian peninsula, leading to the spread of many fundamentalist Islamic ideas to last in the modern world, especially in Saudi Arabia

The Sauds also manage to conquer the Holy Lands, but lose it later

India

The rule of the Mughals in India also bring Syncretism between Islam and Hinduism

Many Hindu and Mongol political ideas change India and the islamic Mughals tolerate Hindu religions and religions of the book, leading to a very culturally blended India

Sikhism is also developed in India, Sikhism is a merge of Hinduism and Islam which developed into its own religion based off the idea that no religion really had all the answers of life

Sikhism is Persecuted by the Islamic Mughals, leading them to become a highly militarized and protective

Revival of Tradition

Neo-Confucianism is also an example of Syncretism; Neo-Confucianism is a blend of traditional Confucianism and the moral ideas of Daoism, and Buddhism

Neo-Confucianism is not a unified school of thought but a philosophical and rationalistic viewpoint instead of the spiritual beliefs of Buddhism and Daoism

Korea, Vietnam, and Japan are influenced by Neo-Confucianism

In Japan Neo-Confucianism becomes Shintoism and modernizes the Japanese political state in the Edo Period (1603-1867)

The Tokugawa regime heavily adopts Neo-Confucian ideas to unify the Japanese islands

Christianity in Neo-Confucianism China was tolerated, but in Japan Christianity was actively persecuted

Japan itself is very isolated and with Neo-Confucianism dislikes foreigners

The Impact of the Enlightenment

What was the Enlightenment?

An academic movement in the 1700-1800s which redefined how humanity saw the world

Started in the burst of academia Europe; the Enlightenment was greatly in part started by the Scientific Revolution, the Reformation, and the overall revival of Europe

The Enlightenment is based off 5 concepts: Nature, Reason, Happiness, Liberty, and Progress (stuff the declaration of independence is also based on)

Secular culture leads to a large exchange of ideas in Europe and North America

Coffee houses play a large role in the Enlightenment, instead of going to pubs and dulling senses, people start drinking caffeine and new thinking arises from it’s stimulation

In France, private salons are established where people could think and trade ideas

Private academic societies and fraternal orders are also established where people could talk openly about revolutionary ideas unbeknownst to the church

Freedom of speech and Press in England, America, and the Netherlands distributes more knowledge

Major Thinkers

John Hobbes writes Leviathan (1651), which is considered one of the first books of the Enlightenment as it questioned morality

John specially thought that all of humanity was evil, and people needed strict control and absolution to rein in our animalistic animal nature

John Locke writes The Treatises of Government (1689) are argues, much against the ideas of John Hobbe, that all people start as “blank slates” and absorb things from their environment

John Locke argues for liberty and freedom, which is also why the Declaration of Independence takes some “inspiration“ from his books

Both of these thinkers focus on nature and logical observations

In France, Enlightened thinkers focus on politics and the parliament after the peasant revolution and the French Monarch is killed

Montesquieu argued for separation of Powers

Voltaire argued for freedom of thought and religion

Some women also argue for feminism at this time too

Back to Impacts

The middle class (bourgeoisie), educated and self sufficient members of the working class, grows and uses the Enlightenment to argue freedom against the aristocracy

Revolutions are also started by the Enlightenment, overthrowing monarchies and establishing those 5 ideas

Some notable revolutions

• American Revolution

• French Revolution

• Haitian Revolution

• Latin American Revolutions

Some rulers supported the Enlightenment and argued that their power came from the people and that they exist for the people

These rulers inadvertently improve society and establish new public learning

The French Revolution

The French revolution may have been the political turning point of the modern world

The view of the “left“ and “right“ political parties comes from the French revolution

Causes of the French Revolution

The french Monarchy had an absolute rule with divine right, at the time Louis XVI is viewed unpopularly along with his foreign Habsburg wife

France at the time had heavy censorship within the press and literature, leading to many political writers hiding messages of revolution in fiction work

No free trial, people who were sentence served their time indefinitely

France had a rigid class system known as the Ancien Regime, built by 3 estates:

• 1st Estate - the Clergy (religious power) | paid no taxes and had the highest power within a minority of the population

• 2nd Estate - Aristocracy | paid little taxes and had the most land, still a minority of the population

• 3rd Estate - Bourgeoisie (educated middle class) + peasantry | paid the most taxes while the poorest majority

France was involved in many foreign wars at the time, levying more taxes

Due to the little ice age, little crops were produced leading to a bread shortage; which the peasantry relied on for food

Moderate Phase of the French Revolution (1789-91)

Started by the storming of the Bastille prison, which was a symbol of liberation from the oppression of the monarchy

The Estates General (meeting between the 3 estates where all estates get 1 vote), where the 3rd estate argues for more democracy but the 1st and 2nd estate argue against them

After the 3rd estate is locked out of the Estate general, the National Assembly is started with the Tennis court oath

Starting of the “Great Fear“ in the countryside, where the peasant just attacked the aristocracy in their homes

The National assembly creates the Decolarions of the Rights of Man in August 26, 1789

The king is not yet openly killed as her was given power by god and aint noone fighting god

Property is seized by the 3rd estate, small Paris Communes (literal free communities) are established in France

Radical Phase (1973-94)

Urban laborer groups known as the sans-culottes (those who wear pants (it was a fashion statement)) kill loyalists in the September Massacres

The Jacobins (radical political group who wish to get rid of the monarchy) take over the national assembly leading to more radicalization

The Reign of Terror is started by the Committee of Public Safety, which is then lead by Robespierre, publicly executes supporters of the monarchy with the guillotine (the guillotine was considered egalitarian and merciful)

They end up executing 20-40k people including the monarch, they change the catholic calendar, and start using the metric unit

The Haitian Revolution

Haiti, or Saint Domingue as it was known at the time, was the crown jewel of France due to its large economical exports

Europe goes to war, they fight over control of the colonies, leading to France establishing Haiti in the 1690s

Haiti supplied ≈60% of the worlds sugar and coffee, both extremely valuable imports, to France

There were ≈450,000 slaves, ≈28,000 free blacks and ≈32,000 whites living in Haiti, all controlled by severe oppression

News of the French Revolution reaches Haiti in 1791 (2 years after the storming of Bastille) and start to demand to be free through the “Declaration of the Rights of Man“

This leads to small slave revolts erupting throughout the whole colony

Toussaint L’Ouverture becomes a major leader of the Haitian revolution and takes command of the revolutionaires

Toussaint drives out the French and even Liberates the spanish side of the island by 1801, but in 1802 Toussaint is arrested by Napoleon and he ends up dying in a French prison

Jean-Jacques Dessalines succeeds Toussaint and declares independence for Saint Domingue as Haiti

Dessaline declares himself as Emperor but is assassinated in 1806

Latin American Independence[s] (1808-1843)

Latin America is majority “Indians“/natives, and a large amount of Creoles (people of Spanish descent born in the colonies), and the least peninsulares (migrant Spanish born people)

Mulattoes is an outdated term to reference a mixed race marriage

People had different rights which depended on their position in the Castas (Castes) determined by their bloodline

The start of many Latin American revolutions were byproducts of other Atlantic Revolutions

Latin American Creoles

Francisco Miranda, a creole participant in the French Revolution, led a failed insurrection in Venezuela

More South American colonies decided to revolt after witnessing the Napoleon’s failure to control a spanish Colony

Simon Bolivar, another Creole, starts a new revolution in North Latin America, while Jose de San Martin leads another independence movement in Argentina and Chile

Miranda’s ideas plant the seeds of the growth of a independent South America, but ironically gets turned in by the spanish authorities by Bolivar and San Martin

Jose and Bolivar unite and use their military might to remove the Spanish from Latin America and they are both able to unite and compromise

Bernardo O’Higgins helps San Martin free Chile

Uprising in Mexico

Miguel Hidalgo, a creole priest, leads a Mestizo uprising against the Creoles in 1810, but is executed in 1815 after a failed attempt to storm Mexico city

Hidalgo argues for equal distribution of land and equal rights, which upsets the Creoles

After Hidalgo’s death, the revolution splits into dozens of factions and brother groups, leading to violence and a lack of Creole support of independence

After Spain goes through its own political renewal, royalists and rebels join to create Mexico in 1821

New Identities

After the Enlightenment, new identities are established and the ideas of progression and liberty progressed further onto distant peoples

Abolition of Slavery

After the enlightenment and it’s revolutions, especially the Haitian and French Revolutions, slavery was seen as a contradiction of Enlightened ideas

Slave revolts remained in the Carribeans, Cuba, and the United states even after the Haitian Revolution

By the 1800s, the emancipation and abolitionist movement grew stronger, the British start to end the slave trade, and the international slave trade was made illegal in 1806, and with their massive navy they start shutting everything down

Slavery is however still legal in East Africa up until the 1880s, and in Latin America

Finally the Brazil, the last country with legal slavery, declared slavery to be illegal

Nationalism

In the 1900s, Nationalism was fostered by Enlightened ideas

Now that science replaced the monarchy, people started to question the legitimacy of ruler-established identity

People started thinking themselves as nations, and shifting their identities from empires to country-states with a shared culture

This is definitely sparked by the Napoleonic invasions; as Europeans did no support being “French“

Key Ideas of Nationalism:

• Shared culture between areas

• Similar Historical background

• Standardized Language and dialect

• Shared Religion and spiritual beliefs

• Common Nationality

• Territorial overlaps

Nationalism is not just limited to Europe, but even Europe and Asia had ideas of nationality

Nationalism also fosters the unification of small ethnic states

In Germany the Prussians establish… Germany; and in Italy the Kingdom of Piedmont unites… Italy

Groups are also divided, the Ottoman Empire and Austrian-Hungary Empires divide into smaller ethnic groups, sometimes because of religion, and sometimes because of power

In the Americas, there is the Mexican-US war where there was a fight for the control of Texas and California

In the Atlantic Britain and the US almost start a war over the borderlines of the caribbean sea

South America also splits into smaller states

Poland disappears off the map due to territorial battles and was only re-established after WWII

Feminism

Early Feminism also reaches its infancy, women start to demand for their inclusion in their legislation

Women played key roles in politics and the Atlantic revolutions; the Women’s March of the French Revolution play a key role in the French Revolution and Women across the world start to take towards feminism

Mary Wollstonecraft writes A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and along with other feminists starts the first Convention at Seneca Falls in 1842 which launches the feminist movement

The largest push of women’s rights was for suffrage, voting rights; not until the 20th century after WWII nations will start allowing women to vote

Industrial Revolution T2

Britain

The Industrial revolution starts in Britain, almost everything about the industrial revolution originated in Britain

Britain is a small island off the west of Europe, due to an agricultural revolution, an abundance of natural resources and innovators, and a strong economic base

The revolution primarily focused on cloth production

Agricultural Revolution

The enclosure system allows wealthy landowners to control their land, letting them to invest in agriculture and most importantly sheep; the growing wool market leads to more incentive to industrialize

It’s still debated whether or not the Industrial revolution started the Agricultural revolution or vice versa

New ideas of Crop Rotation, seed broadcasting and selective breeding allow for more food production and larger populations

A domino effect of:

1. More Food

2. Less land for peasants

3. Growing urban population

4. Growing class of labor

Natural Resources

More sheep and textile production leads to a massive supply of wool and large clothing market

Food production and farming lead to populations bouncing back from the plague

As the industrial revolution goes on, Britain has a large advantage due to their large iron and coal deposits

Britain is also well connected by rivers and canals, which make moving goods extremely easy

Innovations

Innovations in production are invented in Britain, especially textile production

The Flying Shuttle (1733), Spinning Jenny (1764), and the Power Loom (1785) are invented, which move textile production from homes to factories and from wool to cotton; Britain expands to find cotton

James Watt perfects the steam engine in the 1780s, leading people to stop relying on water energy and a large boom in mining

Iron grows cheaper which cause inexpensive railroads are put into use around Britain in the 19th century

Britain liked to keep their technologies within their state, so they made it illegal to take inventions out of Britain; innovation still spreads though

Economics

British trading across the Atlantic allowed them to control the economy in the Americas

Mercantile Britain sends domestic goods throughout the Atlantic, into the Caribbean, the Colonies and India, easily trading goods for their own benefit

Britain had a strong central bank with independence from the government, which grows trade

Britain also had a large pool of labor from the enclosure movement

Industrialized Society

Industry spreads from Britain as more people settle down and establish new countries

Society shifts from rural to urban populations, many cities are quickly filled and populated in the English Midlands, German Rhinelands, and the Northeast US

Public systems like sewers suffered from the sudden influx with people

The lack of design and foreplanning leads to large overpopulation and poor management

Crime rates also skyrocket, there was no police force and most crimes went undetected and unpunished

Disease outbreaks were also frequent and outbreaks of Tuberculosis and Cholera were common

Housing was cramped and dilapidated, leading to the wealthy moving towards the suburbans

Because of the increase of population, labor was cheap and employees were subsequently abused; pay was low, and hours were long and difficult

All ages of men and women were forced to work 6 day weeks of 14 hour shifts until laws and regulations were passed

City workers were split into 3 groups: artisans, factory workers, and servants

Across Europe the middle classes, especially the bourgeoisie, gain power through the revolutions and shift the land gentry stem of Europe

Professionals, artisans, and wealthy landowners made up the bourgeoisie, and as they gained power the aristocracy lost power

The Social Order (lowest ranked to highest)

1. Underclass (Homeless, poor, etc)

2. Working Class

3. Lower middle

4. middle middle

5. Upper middle

6. Upper class

Industrialization Spreads

Industrialization starts with textiles, goods, then raw ores

The rest of Europe were falling behind Britain by the early 1800s, mostly due to the napoleonic wars and the french revolution

Britain isles however was largely isolated from these wars and had gained a head start in industrialization

Industrialization starts in the 1780s for the US and Britain, while in Europe it starts around the early 1850s

Europe

The rest of Europe does have an advantage as they 1) can just borrow more recent technology without having to invest in old industry 2) already have enterprises 3) are unified by government

The British made it illegal for skilled workers to emigrate until 1825 and made exporting machinery until 1843; the first mill in the US was made by a former factory boy who memorized the machines

In 1807 William Cockerill smuggles out machine diagrams and plans into (newly founded) Belgium, making a large industrial center around Liege

A German named Fritz Harkort visits England and replicates the steam engines he saw in the Ruhr Valley

Governments stimulate industrial growth, establishing tariffs (taxing importing goods to make domestic goods cheaper) and government insured loans (at the time in England and in the US banks were the only ones loaning money)

Workers’ Reactions

In the 1850s a majority of people still worked in farms or as domestic servants

England and US focus more on individuality, and outlaw both monopolies and unions with the Combinations Acts 1799, while in continental Europe people are more tied by neighborhoods and groups

Workers ignored the Acts and still managed to strikes; the luddites smashed equipment in factories, General strikes were common in both Britain, the US, and Europe and they actually managed to improve conditions

Economic Theories in the 1800s (the -isms)

Capitalism

By the 1900s humanity shifts from mercantilism to capitalism

Capitalism itself grew out of the influx of new gold and silver from the New world, meaning people could exchange more money instead of goods

Capital would be invested into joint-stock companies, leading to the joint stock exchange

Governments insured mercantilism by stimulating trade, but now companies could fund and legitimize their own goods through Capitalism

Laissez faire, or free trade, allowed companies to sell their own goods and set their own prices without the interference of the government

Now anyone could trade or hire employees, leading to poor working conditions, monopolies, and over consumption

Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations published in 1776 argued that economic liberty leads to the success of all, that supply and demand dictated the economy

By the 1800s, more people started investing into capitalism, Thomas Malthus argued that the natural laws of the strongest survive applied to the economy; that populations needed to be kept in check to lower poverty; and society could never become a utopia as there will always be the impoverished

David Ricard writes Iron Law Of Wages, applying supply and demand onto wages (i.e. the higher the population, the lower the wages) and that the competition between wages and prices could not be fixed by the government

Utilitarianism

Jeremy Bentham argued for morality in business, and that all factors of society need to be promoting happiness

Contrary to capitalism, Utilitarians argue that people shouldn’t be poor and that business people shouldn’t act out of all their own interests, but for the people

Utilitarianism leads to redesigns of cities, public health measures, and an overall improval of urban life

Utopian Socialism

Socialists claimed that class separation could be fixed and sought solutions to fix the plights of the masses

Robert Owen, a scottish manufacturer himself, witnesses the poor lives of the masses and he attempts to establish shorter work days, decent housing, and education

Comte de Saint-Simon founds French socialism and argues for a public ownership of factories, with technocrats (public workers experienced in their fields) instead of individuals

Marxism/Communism

Marxism is a more extreme subsect of Socialism

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, both germans living in England, publish The Communist Manifesto (1848)

They argued that the Workers (proletariat) would revolt against the middle class (bourgeoisie), and that private property would cease to exist, that everything would be owned by the government

Marxists also believe that religion should be dissolved and that it corrupted society

New Imperialism T3

*Note: BEIC →British East India Company

British →India

Europeans, especially the British, end up in India due to its large textile industry; everyone wanted to trade in India

The British shifted their control on India after the American Revolution and the outlawing slavery (which was used to produce cotton in the Americas)

By the 1900s the BEIC puts local Indian textiles companies out of business, turning them into a raw material supplier; the BEIC also use India as a market to sell their own goods

The British were appalled by Indian customs and tried to implement British Ideals; Indians believed the British were trying to force them to become Christians

The British exploited the caste system and their superiority to control the Indian masses

Many indians began to adopt aspects of British society and tried to modernize Indian, in the face of the caste system

The British brought some opportunity and infrastructure (through railroads, sanitization, and education), but they also limited Indian ownership and emphasis growing cash crops, which reduced food supply

Sepoy Mutiny

The BEIC hired Indians, especially those outside of the caste system or of lower castes, as mercenaries, known as the Sepoys

Sepoys were given opportunities but also exploited

Through a rumor that the cartridges used in the popular Lee-Enfield rifle were made with pork and beef fat, Sepoys, both Muslim and Hindu, were angered, leading to a massive uprising

The British sent soldiers from around the world to violently put down the rebellion, and they end up winning

The monarchy seizes the BEIC from India, and Queen Victoria becomes the Empress of India, leading to the British Raj

These colonial strategies will be copied and replicated across the world

New Imperialism

Britain switched from an colonial society to an imperial one, Britain aggressively conquered and outcompeted the rest of Europe

The rest of Europe was competing to catch up or advance beyond one another

Some colonies were tricked into subordination, much like what is happening today with China

British Empire: Ireland, Canada, Australia, India, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Gold Coast (Ghana)

French Empire: French West Africa, Indochina

Netherlands: Indonesia

Germany: Namibia, Tanzania, Togo

USA: Puerto Rico, Philippines

Japan: Korea, Taiwan

Ethiopia and Siam remained unconquered even though they were heavily coveted, because of their heavily investment into their military and because Ethiopia was a Christian State

The Partition of Africa

Africa was not easily conquered, it actually took awhile to bring down the strong and unified empires of Africa (along with diseases and environmental barriers)

Before the 1900s, Africa didn’t really have any European territory apart from small coastal trading posts, and central Africa was largely sealed off

Motivations

Africa was one of the last continents to be explored, and by the end of the 19th century people were advancing in science and discovery, more people wanted to catalogue and discover the central African flora and fauna

Some also just really wanted to exploit the resources hidden in the forests and fields of Africa

Africa was also the place of myth, like the source of the nile and the quest for Prester John

Europeans also had a “moral“ obligation to “enlighten“ Africa; missionaries traveled to Africa, for the sake of converting and “modernizing“ Africans

Europeans also felt obligated to end the slave trade, targeting the Indian ocean trade and old kingdoms which profited from slaves

These were morals were mostly used to justify conquership

The Berlin Conference 1885

The Berlin Conference government officials from all of the world compile old contracts signed by Africans and Europeans (these contracts were mostly used to exploit the people), and divide up Africa evenly

Bismarck called this meeting in Germany to establish his own authority

The Berlin Conference helped prevent wars and quel tensions between imperial powers, but also undermined the people of Africa whose lands were being carved up

What happens though?

Europeans seized many raw materials found in Africa, brokering deals which seized up the rights of African land and resources

In the Belgian Congo Free State a rubber trade was established by King Leopold II which used compulsory labor, powered by ransoming off families to get men to collect rubber

Populations also start moving and fighting for control

The Boers, Zulus, and British fight for control of South Africa

The Boers move further inland, causing more land disruption

*The Boers are a dutch speaking people in Africa, also known as Afrikaans

Resistance

This new imperialism was heavily resisted in Africa

In the Gold Coast the British fought natives for about 100 years

The Italians try to conquer Ethiopia, Menelik II overwhelmingly defeated the Italians at Adowa 1896

In the Anglo-Zulu was, the Zulus (armed with firearms and gunpowder) defeat the British in many battles, but the British turn the tied with the invention of the machine gun

In French Algeria, it takes multiple wars to control the people, and even when they are conquered resistance erupts for over 50 years under Samori Toure’s 35,000 strong Army

The Maji Maji uprising spreads through Southern British/German Africa, powered by a spiritual belief that bullets could turn into water

China’s External Threats

The Ming Dynasty falls, either from a poor governing system or a collapse of the economy due to the silver trade

The Manchu invade China and conquer it, establishing the Qing dynasty

The Qing

The Qing are not viewed ethnically Chinese, but they enforced Manchurian customs into China; the most significant was the Queue hairstyle

The Qing dynasty restablizes China: expanding borders, rebuilding the economy, and recovering the agriculture

The Qing significantly increase agricultural production by introducing new crops, significantly doubling the Chinese population

By the 1800s, the population was too high, overpopulation lead to environmental damage and a lack of jobs and resources

Many minority groups were unhappy under the Qing due to relocation, native Chinese people never accepted foreign rule, and the Qing central government was extremely corrupted, working with foreign powers and merchants

The Qing heavily rely on importations to support the population and their power

Many people start internal rebellions, especially The White Lotus Society (a secret upper class group) create internal civil discourse

The First Opium War

Qing China was too large to be completely controlled by the Europeans; high populations, bureaucratic government, and former industry meant the Chinese could resist European conquest

Europe needed to conquer China economically, and they used silver mined from other colonies to facilitate this domination, but silver stores starts to dwindle after the Atlantic revolutions

The Qing thus do not pay attention nor regulate border trade, leading to the British growing of the opium trade

Europeans want tea, Chinese want opium

The Chinese government realises the issues of opium and ban the use in 1839 and create a official to seize and destroy it

The British retaliate with their technologically advanced coal powered naval fleet, which outmaneuver and destroy the Chinese navy

The Qing are forced to sign the Treaty of Nanking after their defeat, which was extremely unfair agreement that reopened the opium trade, and giving the British Hong Kong

Europe is not strong enough to conquer China, so they use unfair treaties to economically control areas and lead small colonies

Chinese Internal Problems

Right after the Second opium war, the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) is started by Hong Xiuquan, who was influenced by Christian missionaries

Xiuquan even considered himself as the second coming of Jesus Christ, and sought to establish his own religious state by recruiting followers amg the Hakka people

The Taiping Rebellion fairly successfully rebels against the Chinese for 14 years

The rebellion practically captures all most of central China, and seized Nanjing, the political capital of China In 1853

The Qing call for help to defeat the Taiping, and the British and French military support (at a huge cost) the Qing and restore the dynasty

The British and French military are technologically advanced, using mortars, maxim guns, and cartridge loading rifles, mostly thanks to adoption of new weapons (like rifled barrels) from innovators from North America and beyond

Empress Cixi fails to attempt to modernize China, Imperial powers like Russia, Europe, and Japan carve up spheres of influence (trading “spheres“) into China

The U.S. argues for an “open door“ policy to keep Chinese territory and trade open, which somewhat prevents China from becoming completely colonized

The Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901) fights against missionaries & national agents, raising nationalism

The rebellion seeks to rid themselves of Christianity, and the “Society of Harmonious Fists“ would attack missionaries and foreign businessmen

British, French, and the U.S. send soldiers to put down the rebellion, which later ends up destabilizing the Qing and leading to the fall of the Qing dynasty

L Ottomans

The Ottomans were declining in the 1800-1900s, which is why they are named the “Sick man of Europe“

Nationalist movements in the Ottoman empire divided the multi-ethnic mixture of Ottomans

Napoleon spreads nationalism into greater parts of Europe, leading to Ottoman groups revolting and forming their own states

The Greeks break away from the Ottomans the first with the help of Europe

The Arabs, Armenians of Anatolia, Syrians, and Bulgarians all start to separate and form their own countries

The Ottomans oftentimes responded with harst brutality, genociding rebellions

These revolts and massacres were also fueled by ethnic and religious differences between Ottoman Turks and nationalism parties

Reform

The Sultan Mahmud II starts a reform movement in the government, centralizing the government and taking away the semi-feudal power of the Janissaries

The Crimean War makes the Ottomans realise they need to industrialize, and they start to build railways across the empire (which are important as they unify the people, allow them mobilize the military quickly and move goods quickly)

The Young Turks, a newly established political party, starts seeking the dissolution of the Caliphate with a constitutional reform, and they start a new form of Turkish nationalism

Geopolitics

The Ottomans find themselves in a geopolitical struggle between the Russians, Austrians, and Europeans

The Ottomans have a valuable location as bridges of trade East, which other countries sought

The French and British support the Ottomans against the Russians to ensure European trade East

The Balkans are under heavy revolts, which are fueled by local nationalism and Austrian intervention

The Christian British and French start to turn away from the Islamic Ottomans after Egypt is under control by the British

The Ottomans instead turn towards alliancing with the Germans, even establishing a new railroad connecting the two countries

The Ottomans are not divided up as are the Qing, mostly because they have their own power and were more losing control over their conquered territories

Meiji Japan

Only the Dutch were allowed to trade in the Tokugawa shogunate, thanks to the anti-Christianity beliefs of the Shogunate

The U.S., specifically Commodore Perry, goes into Edo (modern Tokyo) and forcibly opens up trade in Japan

The “Manifest destiny” was America’s goal to expand economically to west America and beyond its own borders

Other western powers follow suit and open up shop in Japan

The Japanese are however, better prepared for these unfair treaties, the Shogun is thrown out and the Emperor is brought back through the Meiji empire

Before, the Shogun held the power while the Emperor was more of a symbol

The Meiji decides to westernize, sending out missionaries through the U.S. and Europe to bring back customs and technologies back to Japan

The Meiji introduce a parliament, a modern military, and a proper state funded education system in a short span of time

Japan still lacks raw materials that the Europe and U.S. have, so they turn to imperialism to collect resources

They first go to war in China in the first Sino-Japanese war, gaining control of Korea and Taiwan

In 1904 they go to war with Russia in the first Russo-Japanese war over Manchuria, completely annihilating the Russian armies

The U.S. intervenes and ends the Russo-Japanese war, giving more power to Japan

The Meiji also annex (take over and implement territorially) Korea, forcing Koreans to adopt Japanese policies and Japanese culture

The takeover of Korea was filled with social Darwinism and racial superiority copied from Europe

Global Conflict (WW1 + WW2) T3

World War 1

World war 1 was known as the Great War, or the War to end all wars

WWI is considered the end of the 19th century

Roots of WWI (M.A.I.N)

Militarism

Caused by industrialism of Europe; Germany, Britain, and France are competing with each other politically and economically

New intellectual booms lead to military advances, from muskets to rifles to semi-automatic firearms and single part bullets to maxim guns

Stress in between nations leads to more and more militarism, leading to more and more tension

Bismarck’s obsession with German power lead Germany competing navally with the UK

Alliances

Bismarck establishes the League of the Three Emperors in 1881, allying Germany, Russia, and Austria

A strong nationalist identity rising up the the Balkans ends up creating tension between the League and it ends up dissolving

Russia forms the Triple Alliance in 1882 when Italy joins the German-Austrian Alliance

Wilhelm II fires Bismarck and moves Germany closer to the Ottomans politically, in response Russia allies with France

Britain, in fear of being left behind, join with the French and Russians in the the triple Entente

Triple Entente (France, Britain, Russia) and Triple Alliance (Russia, Austria, Germany) were all secretive and under the table

Imperialism

German falls behind because of its lack of unification in a imperialistic Europe

To catch up, Bismarck uses the Berlin Conference to secure control over Africa and influence the geopolitics in China

Wilhelm II starts becoming “friendly“ with the Ottoman empire and to Islam and instigates them to revolt against the rest of Europe

Germany argues for Moroccan Independence (to undermine the French), almost starting WWI with France

Nationalism

The positives of Nationalism (unity! freedom! liberty!) are overpowered by the negatives of Nationalism (social darwinism, conflict, extremist patriotism)

The Balkans become the explosives of Europe, multiple ethnic groups want freedom from the Austrian and Ottoman Empires

WW1 is started when the Black Hand, a Serbian nationalist group, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand

What Happens and What Happens After

German plans to use the Schlieffen Plan to fight the a war on two fronts

The Plan

1. Swing through neutral Belgium

2. Take Paris

3. Defeat French

4. Take Over Russia

<del>Win the War in 4 months</del>

What actually happens in the British were allied with and defending Belgium, and France mobilizes its whole army (and some taxi cabs) completely stopping the Germans at Marne

Allies: UK, France, Russia, Belgium, Italy, Japan, U.S. (1917)

Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottomans, Bulgarians

The fighting spreads outside of Europe, and is fought in Asia, and the Ottoman empire

The war ends up completely stalling on both the Eastern and Western sides, thanks to trench warfare and new technological innovations preventing all sides from pushing

Generals (still used to colonial warfare) do not understand and utilize the new technologies

Sarin and Mustard gas, mounted machine guns, submarines, tanks and airplanes slaughter soldiers

By 1917 the whole war is in chaos, supplies and soldiers are dwindling and the German “unrestricted submarine warfare“ + British blockade practically closes off the western side of Europe from trade

America continues to supply weapons to the Triple Entente, leading to the Germans sending the Zimmerman Note, which proposed a German alliance with Mexico, which is then intercepted leading to the US to join the allies

Russia is in chaos and pulls out of the war in 1917 after a major revolution

Woodrow Wilson, the president of the US, proposes his (merciful) 14 points and the league of nations (predecessor to the UN), but the French and British establish the Treaty of Versailles, harshly punishing Germany

The treaty limits the German Army, and shifts all the blame for the war to Germans, forcing them to pay 33 billion in reparations

These afflictions are seen as a disgrace to the Germans, leading to the new government becoming Nazi germany

The Russian Revolution

The Eastern front are crumbling, moral between soldiers is low, prices are high, food supply is scarce and the masses are generally poised against the Tsar

In 1917 after the March Revolution, czar Nicholas II step down, the Duma establish a provisional government

WOrkers, peasants, and soldiers make soviets (collectives who run public affairs for areas they control)

Lenin returns from his exile in Siberia/Western Europe, with the support of the German Government

Lenin and the Bolsheviks quickly gain control of the Soviets and overthrow the provisional government in November (October in Russia) 1917

As soon as Lenin gets power, he redistributes land among the peasants, the Boyers (the upper class) as stripped of all their land and signs a peace treaty with Germany (+ gives them the Eastern Front) to end WWI

Civil war erupts (1918-20), Fighting erupts between the Bolsheviks (Red Army) and the Czarists (White Army); the US sends support to White Army

Czar Nicholas II and his family are executed in a ditch by the Bolsheviks

New Russia

During Lenin’s “Land, Bread, and Peace” platform, Lenin launches the New Economic Policy, which let the state own all large businesses but allowed farmers to sell crops

This policies are widely successful, leading to Russia’s large economic and technological growth after WWI

Lenin establishes the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) which splits Russia into independent republics

These republics have their own elections, but voters and candidates were forced to be Bolsheviks

The Bolsheviks also push Mensheviks out of Russia

Russian government becomes a dictatorship, the Bolsheviks are known as the “Communists“

Post WWI

All countries are vying for some form of stability

Large amounts of men had been killed or experienced PTSD during the war on all sides

France wants to undermine an economically weak Germany; Britain needed Germany as a market and supplier of coal & steel

JM Keynes argued that the treaties of Versailles crippled the European economy with its massive reparations, hyperinflation, and unpaid loans

Germany couldn’t keep up with the reparations, leading to the French and Belgians to occupy the Ruhr, which was Germany’s main industrial area

The Great Depression

The US benefits heavily from WWI thanks to European military spending, but because of consumerism and stock inflation the stock market crashes

People start distrusting banks and taking out their money, which only leads to the stock market falling deeper and deeper

This leads to the Great Depression, and economies worldwide are affected

Unemployment in the US and around the world is sky high, poverty and famine are widespread

European governments formed coalitions (which were heavily divided and even extremist) that sought to fix these economic problems

Socialism also starts to spread across Europe thanks to the success of Russia

Fascism in Italy

Benito Mussolini creates the first Fascist movement to oppose liberalism in Italy

The core idea of fascism is that the enlightenment failed, and that government needs to move away from liberalism; Fascism supports a strong central authority and nationalism, while disapproving of the chaos of Democracy and the welfare of Socialism

Mussolini was originally a socialist, so much of Fascism contains some socialist ideas (ie. state owned enterprise, collectivity around the state)

Mussolini established the Black shirts, built of former military soldiers who would shut down opposing parties

King Emmanuel appoints Mussolini to create a government in 1922; the government is now controlled by fascist, all big industry was nationalized

Mussolini heavily focuses on creating a “New Roman Empire“, conquering former Roman Territory

Fascism in Germany

The German Nationalist Socialist party (Nazis) is established in response to the great Depression and the injustices of WWI

Many Nazi’s were former WWI vets and fierkorps members, Hitler joins the party while it was new as a soldiers from Austria

Hitler basically copies Mussolini, starting a revolution in 1923 with the Munich Putsch (dumb idea to shoot a gun in parliament)

During his 3 year prison sentence for the Munich Putsch, Hitler writes Mein Kampf, where he outlines his plan for rebuilding Germany and blamed communists, Jews, and Slavs for disrupting Germany society; Nazism is fascism that opposed some more groups other than communists

WWII and After T3

Origins

Spanish Civil War

Starts out in Spain between 1936-1939, in a war between a Republican and Loyalist groups (lead by Franco)

Franco copies Mussolini after winning, turning Spain into a fascist/catholic state

Royalists are supported by Germany and Italy, while the Republicans are supported by the Soviet Union

These foreign powers use the Spanish civil War to test new modern weaponry, leading to the creation of the many armaments of WWII

Fascist Europe

Mussolini attacks Ethiopia in 1935 as revenge for the loss at Adwa and conquers Albania in 1939

*Many countries post WWI also start to gain independence

Hitler defies the Treaty of Versailles through some loopholes, and he starts to rebuild the military, and remilitarized Rhineland; the French and British choose appeasement and succumb to the Germans

The Beginning of WWII

Date 1

Japan starts to gain more and more power in the East; the military has increasingly more control over the government

The Japanese have a full on military invasion into China, which many consider to be the start of WWII; many people support the Chinese (even Hitler); the US specifically puts an embargo on Japan

The Japanese commit massive war crimes, committing atrocities against China throughout the invasion, especially during the Rape of Nanking

Date 2

Hitler uses the Treaty of Versailles to unite the Germans, and adds the Saarlands + Austria to German territory

The Uk, France, and Germany meet to discuss Germany taking Sudetenland; Germany wins and promises not to take any more territory, but still takes all of Czechoslovakia

Stalin is worried that he will lose support from the UK and France, so he signed a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany for 10 years

Germany invades Poland on Sept 1, 1939, dividing it in half with Russia; the UK and France declare war on Germany, but do not actually start fighting for another 7 months

The Nazi’s adopt a Blitzkreig stategy; they use new innovations to fight wars quickly to avoid the stalemates of WWI

Germany takes France (after it split between Nationalists and Fascist),

By 1941 Germany practically controls all of Europe except for the UK

Characteristics of WWII

Literally almost every country of the world supported one side of the war or another

WWII was a war of movement, much unlike the stalemates of WWI

Motorized weapons gave the advantage back to offensive parties; tanks, fighter planes, and dive bombers allow for German Blitzkrieg warfare

Aircraft carriers were used by the Japanese and Americans

Warfare is on a much vaster scale, the opening of Northern Europe, the Pacific, and Atlantic opens up for larger scale battles

WWII was also the last “total war“, whole Allied or Axis economies and populations were dedicated to the war

Civilians also become targets, streets and cities are bombed indiscriminately

From 1939 through 1941 Hitler is highly successful, but he gets impatient with the British and attacks the Soviet Union

Russia pushes back the Germans by winning the battle of Stalingrad with high casualties on both sides

The Japanese antagonize the US earlier than Hitler plans with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, leading to the US joining the war and revitalizing the Allied powers

WWII had enormous death toll and generated a vast number of refugees from both sides

New morals and technologies allowed rulers to attack places (ie cities) that were thought to be untouchable

Science had a significant impact on the technology of warfare; synthetic rubber, radar, cryptography, antibiotics, aircraft, missiles, and atomic weapons change war, but also post-war life, drastically

Ending WWII

The Nazis

One June 6 the western Allies launch D-Day, invading the beaches of Normandy, opening the Western Front to support the USSR

By later 1944 the allied powers advance towards Germany, and Italy is completely knocked out of the war with Mussolini killed

Hitler tries to push back the Western front, disillusioned that he could make a treaty with the Allies to unify against communism

The Soviet Army pushes through to Berlin by April, Hitler commits suicide with his dog, wife, and right-hand man, top Nazi officials are all put to trial for war crimes

The Japanese

At this point the Japanese were practically only fighting the Chinese, other states were participating but did not have enough soldiers to contribute to the fight

The US Island Hop across the Pacific, and by breaking the Japanese code they were able to intercept the Japanese

In the battle of Guadalcanal Feb 1943 stopped Japanese advances, in the battle of Leyte Gulf Oct 1944 the US regain Philippines

Japan is once again nearly alone, only allied with Thailand

The US captures Iwo Jima and Okinawa, seizing highly strategic points for aircraft from the Japanese

Many US soldiers died capturing the islands, and many Japanese soldiers were killed in the invasions

With the war over in Europe, the Allies turned their attention to capturing Japan, the USSR promised to start fighting with Japan 4 months after Germany fell

President Truman feared another massive loss of lives and decided to drop two Atomic bombs on Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9), both of which for the most part were civilian cities

War ends in the Pacific on September 2 1945, with unconditional Japanese surrender, Japanese leaders (all except from the Emperor) are tried for war crimes

By the end of the war the big 3 (Churchill, FDR, and Stalin) have been reduced to just Stalin, leading to the cold war

War Crimes

Both sides commit horrific acts of violence and slaughter

The US

FDR signed Executive Order 9066, detailing hundreds of thousands of Japanese, Germans, and Italians

The Japanese especially were detained en masse, 3 generations (Issei, Nisei, Sansi) of Japanese-American citizens were detained

Detainees also lost all if not most of their property, and were moved from their everyday lives to be scattered among 10 camps, all of which had deplorable conditions, shack like housing, and arid landscapes

Axis Powers

Nazis carried out genocide against their enemies (Jews, Poles, Homosexuals, differently abled people, Communists, other POWS, Roma, Freemasons) through concentration camps

The Nazis worked with Eugenics, where they were trying to rid the gene pool of “undesirables“

Nazi’s kept the Jewish population in poor ghettos, keeping them away from urban Germany

In January 1942 the Nazis signed the “Final Solution“, creating 6 extermination camps, where 6 million Jews were put to death

All together Nazi Germany killed roughly 11 million non-combats

The Nazis bomb and invade multiple cities in the UK and in Russia, causing a large amount of civilian deaths

The Japanese experimented with Chemical warfare against the Chinese, forced prostitution in large numbers in both China and Korea

POWs were starved and beat in Japanese prisons because Japan did not follow the Geneva conventions

Allied Atrocities

Late in WWII the US and UK carried out unrestricted bombing (aka targeting everything) of German cities; the most notable was the 3 day bombing of Dresden; the US also used incendiary shells, which is now illegal

The Soviet army often killed POWs and German civilians; Pogroms (expulsion) were carried out against ethnic Germans outside Germany in the Soviet Union

Massive amounts of sexual abuse by Allied powers, especially the Soviets

The US carried out large fire bombings of Tokyo, killing roughly around 100,000 people; the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed roughly 200,000 people

The Allied were rarely tried for war crimes, as they won WWII

The Communist States

Stalin Russia

After Lenin died in 1924, Stalin seizes power of the Soviet Union, becoming the supreme leader of the USSR

Stalin focuses on trying to create “international socialism“ and tries to push socialism and communism outside of Russia, only stopping the plan and returning to it during and after WWII

Stalin creates the 5 year plan; command economy emphasized state owned heavy industry, while minimizing consumer goods (this would come back to bite Stalin in the bunda)

The USSR at the time is fairly independent and does not require foreign investment

Stalin leads the agricultural revolution, collectivised farming shuffles people to state owned plantations; kulaks (rich peasants) and those who resisted are sent to gulags (labor camps)

The collectivisation leads to a large famine, the agricultural revolution in total killed around 5-10 million people

Stalin kills or exiles unloyal comrades to gulags through the Great Purge, creating a system of fear and totalitarianism

Russia itself is heavily censored and polluted with propaganda

After WWII, Stalin looks to create a buffer zone in europe to protect the USSR from further attacks

Despite independence democracy agreements with other allies, Stalin imposed Communist governments in the European lands the Soviet army occupied, causing most of Eastern Europe to become communist states

Stalin supports communist rebellion groups around the world by shipping weapons and supplies

China

After the fall of the Qing Dynasty thanks to foreign imperialism, Sun yixian and his Nationalist Guomindang establishes a Chinese republic, after Yixian’s death a civil war erupts and

Chiang Kai‐shek takes control and attempts to eradicate communism

The Chinese communist Party, lead by Mao Zedong, escapes complete elimination in 1934 by relocating the CCP to the interior of China though The Long March

Communism is based in the peasant class of China, not the industrial workers; by moving to the interior the CCP gains large amounts of support

Japan attacks China, the CCP and Guomindang ally and go to defeat the Japanese - thus dissolving the alliance

Mao gains power in China and establishes a communist state; Mao starts the five year plan, eliminating landlords and creating a real chinese industry

The Guomading leave for Taiwan to establish their own communist state

Mao tries to start the Great Leap Forward, creating large communes and forced production quotas; the system ultimately fails due to poor manufacturing and production, leading to large starvation

The Cold War

The cold war was an ideological struggle between the US (+it’s allies) against Russia (+it’s allies)

Pressure in large mistrust between the US and Russia, the Communist satellite states in East Europe, Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech (calling out the USSR for it’s intrusion into Eastern Europe), the Truman Doctrine (US support for anti-communist states), the Marshall Plan (Offering money for Europe to rebuild), newfound nuclear weapons arms race, and the establishment of NATO

Brinkmanship

The US and Soviet union are extremely close to starting a war, tensions are at an all time high

Germany and Austria are split into 4 areas, divided among the Europeans (combined into West Germany) and Soviets (East Germany)

Berlin is cut straight in the center, the Russias divide off their section of Berlin

In the Cuban Missile Crisis Russia creates missiles that can destroy DC from Cuba, both Cuba and America are primed to start nuclear war against each other

Space Race was also an arms race to create the nuclear weapons capable to cross continents

Eastern and Southern Europe revolt against Russian control

East Asia dispute over Taiwan and Korea

Boycotts of the Olympics in 1980 (US mad that Russia rolled tanks into Iraq)

The US and Russia never fight, instead influencing or aiding proxy wars against each other

Decolonization

After WWI, many colonized nations were pushing for autonomy and many nationalist parties start to rize in colonies

Many colonies are looking for “home rule“, not outright independence but just autonomous control

Many people who served in the military and intellectuals began to support the movement in their own colonies

By the end of WWII, about all of Western Europe, their economies are destroyed, and the moral superiority of colonizers was about falling apart

The creation of the UN created more support for independent nations

The Cold War becomes a component of decolonization, as Soviets support nationalists against the west

A ton of countries in Africa, Europe, and China, and India become independent by the 1950-1980s

British Empire

The British see many revolts as they have the most territory

The Irish first violently revolted during WWI, the Irish win and are given home rule

In India Gandhi and other nationalists lead a peaceful protests for independence between WWI and WII

Many colonies were happy with the monarchy and had peaceful protest, they just simply wanted to make their own decisions in government

Some colonies were violent, the settler colony of Mau Mau in Kenya is overrun by Kenyans looking to free themselves of white rule

The largest impacts of British decolonization is that India ultimately becomes independent, Israel is declared separate from India as to appease the Muslims in India, a whole bunch of countries in Africa are independent, and the creation of the commonwealth

French Empire

The French try to regain control of its colonies post WWII to rehabilitate France as a whole and try to assimilate its colonies into its culture

France often engaged in violent struggles to regain its colonial control, most notably destabilizing France, and fighting for Algeria

The Rest of Europe

The Portugues, Belgians, and Italians also attempt to keep their colonies, mostly by influencing their civil wars to give themselves control

When they lost their colonies, they destroyed their infrastructure as a final insult on independence movements

A Global World T4

International Agencies

After WWII the world created stronger international communities; after the League of Nations collapses, the UN establishes basic Human Rights with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and oversees abuses throughout the globe

There are 15 members of the UN security council, 5 permanent (China, US, Britain, France, Russia), and 10 members who rotate

The World Trade Organization is also established in 1995, taking over from the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; the WTO lowers tariffs around the world, greatly increasing trade

The World Bank and IMF (International Monetary Fund) loan money to underdeveloped nations

The Rise of Consumerism

Global trade exploded with the end of the Cold War and the opening of the Eastern Bloc, and trading blocs like the EU and NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) are established

*bloc - a combination of countries, parties, or groups sharing a common purpose

Brexit

Brexit refers to the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union. The main causes of Brexit were concerns over immigration, sovereignty, and the economy. The UK held a referendum in 2016, in which 52% of voters chose to leave the EU. Since then, negotiations have been ongoing to determine the terms of the UK's departure and its future relationship with the EU.

Asian markets grew through the Late 20th century, , especially Japan which exported electronics and cars

The Asian Tigers (China, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore) copt this method and follow Japan’s lead in the 1980s and grow in global influence

Larger markets also open in India, Brazil (after the end of it’s dictatorship), and Russia (after the USSR fell off) in the 1990s

Green Revolution

The Green Revolution creates a huge growth in agriculture, only paralleled by Mesopotamia; bringing drought resistant, high yield, disease resistant crops; irrigation; fertilizer; and pesticides, which resulted in large farming companies and the rise of agriculture capable of feeding 8 billion people

The 1970s also created a larger environmentalist movement, such as the Paris agreement in 2015 which limited emissions and Green Belt planting in Africa

Growth in Women’s Rights

Suffrage

One of the biggest aspects of women’s rights in the West was suffrage (right to vote), after WWI women in the in started to gain voting rights

US and UK allow women to vote in the 1920s, France doesn’t establish women rights until after WWII

Communist Women

Women in communist states held more rights than capitalist state, thanks to communism’s message of helping the underdog

Women broke out of traditional roles, many women became, soldiers, scientists, and politically active (not leaders but participants)

Workers Rights

Women were included in the workforce during WWII, which overturned the traditional views of feminine domesticity

In the US the percentage of women in the workforce rose from 30% in the 1950s to 70% today, the US Congress also passed the Equal Pay Act (but women still have lower salaries and lack opportunity in wealthier male dominated professions)

Paid maternal leave was also established widely, except in America and a couple other less-developed countries

Reproductive Rights

Women began to take control of their reproductive rights in the 1960s, when birth control was approved by the FDA

Abortion becomes legalized in many Western nations in the 1970s

Women’s Conventions

Women have gained international recognition of their rights and of their discrimination

In 1979 the UN General assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women

Many different Women’s conference have been established throughout the 21s century