Ch. 22 Discussion
Questions
AP World History
Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
Compare the European intrusion into the African
commercial system with their entry into the Asian
trade network.
Evaluate the effect of Europeans on Asian civilization
during the period of early modern Western
Expansion.
Describe the nature of the Asian sea-trading network.
Trace how the Dutch displaced the Portuguese and
compare their participation in the Asian trading
network with that of the Portuguese.
Questions
5.
6.
7.
8.
Trace the success of the European Christian
missionary efforts in Asia.
Trace the Ming restoration of traditional
Chinese forms of government.
Describe the steps which led to the restoration
of the Japanese shogunate.
Why did the Japanese resort to isolation as a
response to European expansion?
1. Compare the European intrusion into the
African commercial system with their entry
into the Asian trade network.


Among the similarities were limited colonization, use
of coastal and island trading forts to enter trade
systems, inability to affect political development by
conquest, and introduction of firearms that
influenced political development (Africa and Japan).
The Portuguese initiated the contact in Africa and
Asia, and in both, attempted missionary work with
limited success.
Among differences was the role of slavery; it was a
major feature of the African trade; Asian regions
produced raw materials, spices, and manufactured
goods. Asian civilizations opted for isolation, while
many African states concluded commercial alliances
with the West
2. Evaluate the effect of Europeans on
Asian civilization during the period of
early modern Western Expansion.

The greatest effect was on the periphery of Asian
civilizations, especially in islands (Sri Lanka, Indonesia,
Philippines) where European tribute systems were
established. Another significant influence was the
introduction of firearms to Japan during its period of
political centralization. Otherwise, the effect was minimal.
Europeans lacked goods desired in the Asian trade
network; they basically acted as shipping agents for Asian
products. Christianity had minimal success against
Hinduism, Islam, or Buddhism. The only exception was
the northern Philippines. Some initial influence was felt in
Japan, but later rulers suppressed Christianity. China
and Japan opted for isolation from the Europeans, and
their fundamental structures remained unchanged. China
allowed visitors out of intellectual curiousity.
3. Describe the nature of the
Asian sea-trading network.

When the first Europeans arrived in Asia they
discovered that their products were too
primitive for profitable exchange for Asian
goods. Muslim traders dominated Indian
Ocean and southeast Asian commerce, and
Islam blocked the spread of Catholic
Christianity. The trading network stretched
from the Middle East and Africa to east Asia,
and was divided into three main zones: an Arab
division in the west, India in the center, and
China in the east.
3. Describe the nature of the
Asian sea-trading network. (cont.)

Also, there were peripheral regions in
Japan, southeast Asia and east Africa.
Most of the trade passed along safer
coastal routes, converging in vital
intersections at the openings of the Read
Sea and Persian Gulf, and the strait of
Malacca. The system had two critical
characteristics: central control and
military force were absent.
4. Trace how the Dutch displaced the
Portuguese and compare their participation
in the Asian trading network with that of the
Portuguese.

The Portuguese lacked the manpower and
ships necessary for enforcement. Many
Portuguese ignored their government and
traded independently, while rampant corruption
among officials and losses of ships further
hampered policies. The Dutch challenged the
weakened Portuguese in the seventeenth
century. The Dutch captured Malacca and built
a fort at Batavia in Java in 1620. They decided
to concentrate on the monopoly control of
some spices.
4. Trace how the Dutch displaced the
Portuguese and compare their participation
in the Asian trading network with that of the
Portuguese. (cont.)

The Dutch trading empire resembled the
Portuguese, but they had ships that were
better armed and they controlled their
monopoly with ruthless efficiency. The Dutch
discovered that large profits came from
peacefully exploiting the established system.
For example, when the spice trade declined,
they relied on fees charged for transporting
products from one Asian place to another.
5. Trace the success of the European
Christian missionary efforts in Asia.

The Protestant Dutch and English were
not much interested in winning
converts. Catholic Portugal and Spain
were, but success in Asia was minimal.
The world religions of Islam, Hinduism,
and Buddhism made it difficult to find
converts. Conversion occurred only in
isolated regions like the northern
Philippines.
6. Trace the Ming restoration of
traditional Chinese forms of government.

Zhu Yuanzhang, a military commander of
peasant origins, became the first Ming
emperor, with the name of Hongwu. He was
suspicious of the scholar-gentry; however, he
realized that an alliance between himself and
the scholar-gentry class was a necessity.
Hongwu reinstated and greatly expanded the
civil service examination system. By
reinstating this exam system and Confucian
ideas, Ming rulers were embracing the Han
Dynasty.
7. Describe the steps which led to
the restoration of the Japanese
shogunate.

Tokugawa Ieyasu rose to power from a minor
daimyo house in Japan. Instead of seeking
overseas expansion, Tokugawa concentrated
on consolidating power in Japan. He was
granted the title of Shogun, which formalized
rule by the Tokugawa shogunate. This action
led to the consolidation of power being granted
from the daimyos. The Tokugawa shogunate
brought an end to a century of civil war and led
to political unity in Japan.
8. Why did the Japanese resort to
isolation as a response to European
expansion?

Fear of subversion of the existing order
by European missionaries was the main
reason for the self imposed isolation.