3 & 4 Unit Document Based Question

Mughals: Muslim (Sunni), Hindu majority subjects. Religiously Tolerant, Akbar (tolerant, got rid of jizya, takes hindu wives but doesn’t force them to convert), Divine faith (syncretic), Taj Mahal (Shah Jahan), Zamindar system, decline under Aurangzeb

Ottomans: Muslim (Sunni), religiously tolerant (janissaries, jizya), Sultan, tax farming, devshirme system, Mehmed II, Siege of Constantinople (turns into Istanbul)

Russia: Catherine the Great, Peter the Great (reformer, St. Petersburg), “warm water ports” (Kaliningrad, Crimea), civilizing Siberia via expansionism

Manchu: China, ethnic rivalry with Han chinese, Queues, massacres committed by Han defectors

Safavids: Persian, Shia, net religiously tolerant, rivalry with other Muslims, Shah Ismail

Spanish: Peninsulares, Creoles, Encomienda (Mining for precious metals “feudalism in the new world… as if”), Hacienda (for cash crops, engenhos), Casta System (all about ethnicity), Mestizos, Mulattoes, Zambos, Columbus (island of Hispaniola), Hernan Cortez (Aztec/Mexica), Fransico Pizzaro (Inca), Bartomelew de las Casas, Aztec, Inca, Caribbean, Ferdinand Magellan

Portugal: boats (Carrack, Caravel, Fluyt), explorers (Vasco de Gama, Bartomolew Diaz, Prince Henry the Navigator), trading posts (Goa, etc.), Navigational tools (Tech SFI), Battle of Diu

Context:

Land empires such as the Ottoman Empire expanded through military conquest, and attempted to legitimize their rule through monumental architecture, art, religious policy, and religious tolerance. The Ottoman Empire, alongside the Mughals, Russians, Manchu China, and Safavids, are considered gunpowder empires because they used a significant amount of gunpowder in order to exact a military advantage over their adversaries—they continued to use these weapons in their conquests, for example the siege of Constantinople, where the Ottomans employed large cannons against their adversaries. The Ottomans were fairly religiously tolerant, but they still imposed the Jizya, and employed the Devshirme system, where they recruited young Christian boys into military conscription, where they joined an elite force called the Janissaries. The Ottoman empire enjoyed great prosperity under the ruler Suleiman I, and expansion under Mehmed II.

Maritime empires such as the Spanish Empire expanded via trading posts, instead of controlling large areas like land empires. They employed maritime technology, which included Carracks and Caravels (types of ships), as well as innovations from other regions such as the astrolabe, compass, navigational charts, and the knowledge of the monsoon winds. The Spanish had several explorers under them that were financed by the monarchy—some examples include Ferdinand Magellan and Christopher Columbus. During the Spanish’ conquests in the Americas, they employed the Casta system, where Peninsulares (whites born in the Iberian Peninsula) were above Creoles (whites born in the New World), and mixes between Whites and Native Americans (or Africans) made up the bottom of the system. Peninsulares owned Encomiendas, where native americans were coerced into mining, and Haciendas, where native americans were coerced into cultivating and harvesting cash crops. The Spanish conquered several massive civilizations, including the Aztec (conquered by Hernan Cortez), and the Inca (conquered by Franciso Pizzaro)

Maritime empires such as the Portuguese Empire expanded via trading posts and port cities (such as the port of Goa in India), instead of controlling large areas like land empires. They employed maritime technology, which included Carracks and Caravels (types of ships), as well as innovations from other regions such as the astrolabe, compass, navigational charts, and the knowledge of the monsoon winds. The Portuguese had many explorers under them financed by the monarchy, specifically Prince Henry the Navigator, and these explorers (like Vasco de Gama, Bartholomew Diaz) established trading posts wherever they went. Portugal had, at the time, an unparalleled fleet, and they effectively used this naval power to defeat their adversaries, such as their victory at the Battle of Diu, in Diu, India, where the Portuguese defeated a coalition force.

3 & 4 Age of Exploration

Maritime empires such as the Portuguese Empire expanded via trading posts and port cities (such as the port of Goa in India), instead of controlling large areas like land empires. They employed maritime technology, which included Carracks and Caravels (types of ships), as well as innovations from other regions such as the astrolabe, compass, navigational charts, and the knowledge of the monsoon winds, as well as Lateen Sails and sternpost rudders. The Portuguese had many explorers under them financed by the monarchy, specifically Prince Henry the Navigator, and these explorers (like Vasco de Gama, who rounded the southern tip of Africa and reached India, Bartholomew Diaz, who reached the tip and then turned around) established trading posts wherever they went. Portugal had, at the time, an unparalleled fleet, and they effectively used this naval power to defeat their adversaries, such as their victory at the Battle of Diu, in Diu, India, where the Portuguese defeated a coalition force.

5 Enlightenment Period Ideals Leading to Revolution

Starting in 1750, many philosophers and thinkers began to create ideologies and writings that would change the course of history for an extended period of time. Thinkers like Thomas Hobbes and Jean Jacque Rousseau agreed on the Social Contract, where citizens gave up a new minute rights to get guaranteed rights from the government that are far more important, although they disagreed on the state of nature, or the original state of man. John Locke emphasized natural rights, which influenced Thomas Jefferson (and indirectly, the US Declaration of Independence), and Baron de Montesquieu championed the idea of checks and balances, which formed the basis of the US government. On the other hand, Adam Smith focused on the economy, where he introduced Laissez-Faire, or “invisible hand”, economics. All of these ideologies encouraged revolutionaries to rise up against their oppressors, emboldened with enlightenment period ideals of sovereignty and personal freedoms.

8 Decolonization

After WW2, decolonization movements appeared all around the globe. Before WW2, colonization was rampant in regions all over the globe, and it was justified by ideologies such as Social Darwinism (a bad reading of Darwin’s theory of Evolution; it said that the white race was the “fittest” and was destined to rule over the other races), which included Phrenology (the pseudo scientific measurement of skulls to perpetuate racist ideals), and these ideologies were spread by authors like Rudyard Kipling. Decolonization during the Cold War was often fraught with intervention from the two superpowers—the USSR and the US, which led to the outbreak of proxy wars, such as the Angolan Civil War, the Vietnam War, and more. Decolonization from economic imperialism spurred other revolutions, such as the Cuban revolution that nationalized American properties. Many decolonization movements joined the Non Aligned movement, where they vowed to not align themselves with either the US or USSR.

EBD

Mughals: The Red Fort (also known as the Lal Khillo, is an example of monumental architecture that the Mughal Empire used to legitimize their rule. Built by Shah Jahan, the fort served as a stronghold for the Mughal capital).

Ottomans: Harem Politics (where the politics of the Ottoman empire were dominated by the Sultan’s wives and concubines. For example, Rolexana was captured as a slave but eventually played an instrumental role on Ottoman politics)

Russians: St. Petersburg (Peter the Great created St. Petersburg on a swamp, which was an area that no one thought could be developed. However, St. Petersburg flourished as a large city and was an example of legitimizing through architecture)

St. Basil’s Cathedral (built by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capturing of a Tartar stronghold, an example of legitimizing through architecture)

Manchu: The Yangzhou Massacre (where an ethnically Han Chinese general, Liu Liangzuo, who was considered a Han defector, massacred thousands of other Hans who refused to assimilate to Manchu culture, especially the Queue hairstyle. This shows militant force in legitimizing rule.

Safavids: Ghulams (Slave soldiers, introduced to the Safavid army under Shah Abbas I, and they were intended to be counterparts to the Sunni Ottoman Janissaries)

Portuguese: Battle of Diu (The Portuguese fought a coalition force of Gujaratis, Egyptians, and Venetians over the vital port city of Diu, India. This was part of Portugal’s conquest to establish a maritime empire consisting of trading posts.

Spanish: Viceroys/Audiencias (The Spanish monarchy found that its colonies were too large to govern; because of this they appointed officials known as viceroys. In order to prevent viceroys from working for their personal gain, they established Audiencias, which are appeal courts where citizens could inquire viceroys)

Enlightenment: Fabian Society (a society consisting of several British members that were spreading and advocating for a gradual stepwise change towards socialism. Very influential writers and philosophers were part of the Society, including H.G. Wells). This led to revolution because it led to the rise of socialism, encouraging a Bolshevik revolution in Russia.

Decolonization: Asian African Conference (also known as the Bandung Conference, many decolonized countries met there)