Effects of the Industrial Revolution in Western Europe
 In an Industrial Revolution, machines are used to manufacture goods and are
housed in factories
 Factories are located in cities or in areas that quickly become cities as people move
to the factory towns
 Urbanization is the movement of people to cities
 Thus, a social consequence of industrialization in Western Europe in the 1800s was
the creation of a wage-earning working class concentrated in urban areas
 Other effects included increased production, lower prices and over time, an increase
in the standard of living as more people could afford more goods as well as the rise
of the middle class (factory managers, accountants, clerks, etc.) and of course,
increased pollution and environmental degradation
The Exchanges in the Columbian Exchange
 The Columbian Exchange was the great global cultural diffusion that began with
Columbus’ arrival in the Americas thereby linking the previously isolated Americas
to Europe, Africa, and Asia
 The Columbian Exchange was the global exchange of crops, animals, people and
diseases
 Due to the deaths of Native American Indians from European diseases such as
smallpox, Africans were enslaved and brought to the Western Hemisphere to work
on plantations and replace dying Indians;
 Crops like corn and potatoes were transported from the Western Hemisphere (the
Americas) to Europe and Asia
 And tragically African and European diseases were brought to the Western
Hemisphere – killing many Native American Indians since the Americas lacked
domesticated animals and thus, the indigenous people lacked immunities to deadly
epidemic diseases
Plantations, Slave Labor, and Cash Crops [Specifically What Cash Crops]
 In the period 1450-1750, sugar and tobacco produced on large plantations by slave
labor were significant commodities in the growing world market
 Sugar was an important cash crop in the Americas and in great demand on the
global market
 Sugar, like tobacco, was grown on large farms or plantations and relied on slave
labor
 African slaves were terribly exploited on plantations and suffered greatly
 Sugar fueled the slave trade
Similarities – Ottoman Empire and Mughal Empire
 Gunpowder Empires of Asia
 Religiously and culturally diverse empires: The Ottomans were Muslim rulers but
Jews and Christians/Greeks and Serbs lived in the empire – The Mughals were a
Muslim minority ruling over a Hindu majority in South Asia (India) –Ottomans
were religiously tolerant and Akbar the Great of the Mughals was tolerant too
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Islamic Empires
Skilled warriors on horseback – cavalry
Descendants of Turks from Central Asia
Impact of Crops from the Western Hemisphere on Europe and China
 Crops from the Americas like potatoes and corn are packed with calories
 When potatoes and corn from the Americas (the Western Hemisphere) arrived in
Europe and China, population increased
 More crops – more calories – fewer people die from starvation
 Introduction of Western Hemisphere crops influenced eighteenth-century
population trends in both Europe and China
 Crops from the Americas saved lives in Europe and China
How the Industrial Revolution Gave Rise to European Predominance in Late Nineteenth
Century
 Most world historians would agree that the key to European predominance in the
world economy during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was the
Industrial Revolution
 The Industrial Revolution began in England in 1750
 As a result of the Industrial Revolution, machines produced goods in factories and
more goods were produced at lower prices
 Machines produce all kinds of manufactured goods including guns and weapons
 With mass produced guns, Europeans went forth to conquer lands – in addition, a
need for raw materials fueled European conquests leading to European domination
of much of the world
The Mathematical and Scientific Contributions of South Asia [Think India]
 The expansion of communication and trade networks in Afro-Eurasia from 600 C.E.
to 1450 C.E. resulted in the spread of technological and scientific concepts, such as
the decimal and zero
 It is important to remember that a golden age occurred in the Gupta Empire of
South Asia (India)
 Indian scientists developed the concept of zero, the decimal system, and the concept
of infinity as well as a number system that is still used today although referred to as
Arabic numerals as the Muslims brought the Indian number system to other lands
 It is also important to remember that India was a vibrant participant in trade
networks particularly the Indian Ocean trading basin where it was the fulcrum of
the trade route
 Thus, increased trade, increased diffusion of products, religions, and ideas
The Silk Roads and the Roman and Han Empires
 Between 200 B.C.E. and 200 C.E., the Silk Roads facilitated commodity trade
between the Roman and Han empires
 The Silk Roads were important overland trading routes connecting China to
Southwest Asia (the Middle East) and the Eastern Mediterranean
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The Silk Roads fostered cultural diffusion as ideas and products spread throughout
Eurasia
Silk and porcelain from China were desired in diverse markets throughout Eurasia
Religions spread on the Silk Roads like Buddhism – in addition, Central Asians
often moved goods along the Silk Roads and Central Asian horses were in great
demand too
Late Nineteenth Century – European Involvement in Africa and China
 The late nineteenth century (the late 1800s) was the Age of European Imperialism
 In the late 1800s, Europeans conquered much of the world
 Industrialization in Western Europe had fueled imperialism (conquest and
colonization) as Europeans needed raw materials or natural resources for their
factories
 In the late nineteenth century, European involvement in both Africa and China was
characterized primarily by competition among imperialist powers
 The Scramble for Africa occurred following the Berlin Conference (1884-1885),
conference whereby Europeans established rules for the conquest of Africa – one of
the rules was to send an army to the claimed land thereby leading to a race or
scramble to send troops to Africa to claim land
The Impact of the French Revolution on the Haitian Revolution
 The French Revolution’s ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity inspired
individuals around the world
 If the French could proclaim all men equal in France, then surely all men were
equal in other lands
 Haiti was a French colony in the Caribbean; it was colony with a plantation
economy and a large number of African slaves
 When African slaves heard the words of the French Revolution, they too claimed
their equality and freedom
 The European development that is most closely associated with the revolution in
Haiti is the French Revolution – for in Haiti, the slaves rebelled and declared their
freedom and independence
The Impact of the European Enlightenment on the North and South American
Independence
 The ideas of the European Enlightenment influenced the American and French
Revolutions as well as Latin American independence movements - ideas like consent
of the governed, natural rights, and popular sovereignty were inspirational
 The Enlightenment was also known as the Age of Reason and it was a period in the
1700s in Western Europe; in this period, new ideas about government and law
developed – ideas like separation of powers (Montesquieu), consent of the governed
and natural rights of life, liberty and property (John Locke), religious freedom and
freedom of speech (Voltaire), and the social contract (Rousseau) as well as popular
sovereignty (the people give government its power through voting)
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The North and South American independence movements of the late eighteenth and
early nineteenth centuries shared revolutionary demands based on Enlightenment
political ideas
Enlightenment ideas inspired the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and
independence movements in Haiti in the Caribbean and Latin America
Indeed, the American Constitution is an Enlightenment document beginning with
the Enlightenment ideals in the Preamble: “We the People…”
Similarities – Christianity and Islam
 From the founding of each religion, Christians and Muslims shared a belief in a
single omnipotent (all-powerful) deity
 Both Christianity and Islam are monotheistic (one God) faiths influenced by
Judaism and therefore are Abrahamic religions as Abraham was the founder of
Judaism
 Christians and Muslims believe in moral and ethical rules for conduct
 Both have sacred texts: the Bible for Christians and the Qur’an for Muslims
 Both religions spread on trade routes
The Impact of the Mongols on the Rise of Muscovite Russia and the Ottoman Turks
 In the 1200s and 1300s, the Mongols ruled China, Russia, and Persia
 In Russia, the Mongols primarily ruled from their beloved steppes – as Russia was
close to their homeland
 The Mongols thought Russia had nothing of value and were primarily interested in
the collection of tribute; however, the Mongols had a huge impact on Russia
 The rise and fall of the Mongolian khanates contributed most to the initial
formation of political sates by the Muscovite Russians and the Ottoman Turks
 In Russia, the Mongols had destroyed the city of Kiev for resisting the tribute and
elevated Moscow as the tribute collector – when the Mongol rule weakened in
Russia, Moscow was the center of the movement to establish an independent Russia
under Moscow’s rule (Muscovite Russia) and in the Southwest Asia (the Middle
East), the fall of Mongol rule created a power vacuum thereby allowing the
Ottoman Turks to establish an empire in the region
Shared Characteristics of the Islamic and Chinese Empires in the Postclassical Period
 During the Postclassical age, Islamic and Chinese Empires experienced golden ages
 During the Abbasid Dynasty, Muslims made great advances in math and science
 During the T’ang and Song dynasties, the Chinese created many important
inventions such as the compass, printing, and gunpowder
 Both empires were also highly urbanized with more individuals living in cities than
in other empires and trade flourished
 These empires experienced Extensive urbanization and maritime trade
Impact of Islamic Civilization on Medieval Europe (Think Islamic Spain – Science/Math)
 While most of Western Europe experienced the Middle Ages with its feudalism and
manorialism during the Postclassical period, Spain was conquered by the Muslims
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The Muslims were experiencing a golden age and so, Spain flourished during the
postclassical period compared to Western European societies
Spain also served as a cultural bridge that connected Western Europeans to the
advances of the Muslims
The transmittal of Greek and Arab learning from Muslim lands to Western
Europeans had an important effect on medieval Europe as it brought new ideas and
new advances in math and science that would lead to new ways of thinking in
Western Europe
Western Europeans learned of the Muslim golden age during the Crusades but also
as a result of the cultural bridge that was Islamic Spain
Johannes Gutenberg and the Movable-Type Printing Press
 Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable-type printing press that transformed
Europe
 Prior to the printing press, books were written by hand and in the long and
laborious process, the books produced were few and the prices for books high
 The printing press produced books faster and by increasing production greatly led
to a drop in the prices of books
 More people could buy books and thus, literacy increased as books could be
purchased even by commoners
 The printing press even spread ideas and if not for the printing press, the Protestant
Reformation may have barely impacted Western Europe
Characteristics of the Reign of Akbar the Great
 Akbar the Great was the most significant ruler of the Mughal Empire
 The Mughal Empire consisted of a Muslim minority ruling a Hindu majority
 Akbar the Great, however, was very religiously tolerant
 He removed the jizya or special tax on Hindus; he married a Hindu princess; and he
allowed individuals to freely practice their religions
 His dedication to the ideal of religious tolerance was the most remarkable aspect of
his reign
The Holy Inquisition
 The Holy Inquisition was a Catholic court to punish heretics or nonbelievers
 It was created to track down and punish heretics and religious nonconformists
 To ensure that Catholics in Catholic countries did not read Protestant books, the
Inquisition punished Catholics accused of reading “forbidden” books
 The Inquisition also punished any Catholic accused of believing or practicing
differently than the Church’s teachings required [even earlier than the
Reformation]
 Individuals accused of heresy were imprisoned, tortured and sometimes even killed
The Late 1400s and the Incorporation of the Americas into a Broader Network of
Exchange
 1492 changed world history as the Americas were brought into the global network
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The incorporation of the Americas in the late 1400s into a broader global network
marked the beginning of a new period in world history
With Columbus’ accidental arrival in the Americas, the Americas – a land
previously isolated from other continents – was brought fully into contact with
Europe, Asia, and Africa
As Europeans migrated to the Americas to claim lands and Africans were forcibly
brought to the Americas to replace a dying Native American Indian population, the
Americas were transformed
Diseases decimated the indigenous populations; Native American Indians lost
control of their lands and often their cultures; and cash crop farming on plantations
occurred in the Caribbean islands, Brazil and the southern United States – a
plantation system dependent on the forced enslavement of Africans and their
descendants
The Use of Primary Sources in Historical Studies
 Primary sources are eyewitness accounts – written by individuals who experienced
or witnessed events
 Primary sources are very valuable in historical studies because they shed light on
events and occurrences – though a historian must take into account the author’s
point of view
 European slave traders’ account books are a useful source of evidence for research
about the profits of Portuguese and British slave traders in the period 1600–1800
 These account books reveal how many African slaves were sold and what profits
were gained by slave traders from this tragic and cruel sale of humans
 Without sources from the time period, it would be difficult to fully reconstruct the
events of history
Footbinding in China
 During the Song Dynasty in China, footbinding became fashionable and accepted
for women
 In footbinding, the bones in the woman’s foot are broken and bandaged to create an
abnormally small foot
 Footbinding restricted the movement of women as walking was painful yet if a
woman was to marry, it was expected that her feet would be small as this was
considered the most erotic part of the female body
 In a patriarchal society, a woman is subordinate to a man and her value is often in
her role as wife and mother and in many cultures, for her beauty – thus a woman is
restricted and controlled
 Both the wearing of corsets in Europe in the nineteenth century and the custom of
footbinding in China were designed to restrict women’s freedom of activity.
The Opening of Japan and the Meiji Restoration
 Commodore Perry [sailing for the USA] forced the Tokugawa shoguns to end
Japan’s policy of isolationism
 Wanting refueling stations, Americans ended Japan’s Act of Seclusion
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Within a few years, the Tokugawa shogunate ended and the Meiji Restoration
occurred whereby in 1868, the emperor was restored to power and feudalism was
abolished in Japan
The Japanese began to modernize and industrialize
Ultimately, Japan was more accepting of Western advances than China in the
nineteenth century because Japan recognized the need to open up trade relations
with the West in order to increase its national power
The Japanese government believed that to copy the advances of the west through
modernization and industrialization, Japan could gain in strength and power and
become an equal among the powers of the West
Epidemics in Sixteenth-Century Mesoamerica
 When the Spaniards accidentally arrived in the Americas, the unknowingly brought
deadly germs that decimated the indigenous populations of the Americas
 Lacking domesticated animals and therefore lacking immunities to deadly diseases
that came from animal populations, the Native American Indians died in great
numbers
 In fact, the largest decline in percentage of global population in history occurred as
a result of the epidemics in sixteenth-century Mesoamerica
 Yes, there were other deadly epidemics and populations decimated by disease but
remember that 1 in 3 Western Europeans died from Bubonic Plague but 90% or 9
in 10 Native American Indians died from smallpox and other diseases.
 Disease decimated Mesoamerica (Central America or specifically a region of south
of North America that was occupied during pre-Columbian times by peoples such as
the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs – groups with shared cultural features
Sugar as a Cash Crop
 In the period between 1600 and 1700, the principal product in the Atlantic trade
was sugar
 Sugar was a valuable cash crop in the Caribbean islands and Brazil
 It led to the creation of a plantation economy
 The plantation economy was dependent on African slave trade
 The sugar trade fueled the slave trade
The Impact of the Incan Staple Crop of the Potato on Europe
 The introduction of the Incan staple crop of potatoes outside South America led to
an increase in northern Europe’s population
 Crops from the Americas like potatoes, corn, and peanuts were highly caloric and
easily grew in other lands
 When these new crops entered Europe, Asia, and Africa, populations were affected
 In general, the populations of Europe and Africa increased as a result of new crops
from the Americas
 In Africa, the new crops affected population but the Atlantic Slave Trade was also
affecting Africa’s population; thus, some historians say that Africa’s population did
not increase or decrease in this period due to these two contradictory forces
Facts about the Manchus
 The Qing dynasty founded by the nomadic Manchus was the last dynasty of China
 The Manchus claimed the Mandate of Heaven or right to rule and adopted NeoConfucianism and the examination system although they did require Chinese men
to wear the queue to reveal that they were a subject people
 In the mid-1600s, the Manchus founded the long-lasting Qing dynasty in China
 The Qing dynasty lasted from 1644 to 1911
 In 1911, the Qing dynasty collapsed – the last dynasty of China collapsed as China
became a weak republic and the nation quickly collapsed into civil war
 Although the early Qing rulers were competent and strong, the rise of Europe and
the subsequent Opium Wars greatly weakened China as Europeans claimed spheres
of influence in China
The First Industry to Be Industrialized in England – Textiles
 The first Industrial Revolution in great Britain was initially based textiles
 Textiles: cloth industry
 The first mechanization and factories in England were textile factories
 England had great deposits of coal and iron as well as a culture of innovation that
fueled industrialization
 In addition, England experienced an Agricultural Revolution that greatly increased
agricultural production thereby creating a workforce for factories – more efficient
farms require fewer workers
The Few Social Changes that Occurred in Latin America after Independence
 The wars of independence in Latin America in the early nineteenth century resulted
in few changes in social structure
 Creoles led independence movements in Latin America and were “cautious
revolutionaries” in that they wanted independence from Spain and the high
government and military posts awarded to peninsulares in colonial times but they
did not want a radically restructuring of the class system
 Creoles did not want land redistribution
 Thus, Mestizos, Indians and Africans were still disadvantaged as the majority of
land was owned by creoles
 Without land redistribution, the lower classes were still relegated to lives of poverty
The Year Russia Ended Serfdom and the Year the United States Ended Slavery
 Tsar Alexander II of Russia emancipated the serfs in 1861
 The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery when the
Civil War ended in 1865
 Thus, Russia and the United States ended coerced labor in the decade of the 1860s
 These dreadful systems were finally abolished in the 1860s
 Serfdom and slavery caused great suffering
Belief Systems that Emerged during Political Disorder in China
 Confucianism and Daoism developed during the “Age of Warring States”
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The “Age of Warring States” occurred during the Zhou dynasty – the emperor was
weak and feudal lords competed for power
In this time of suffering, new belief systems emerged from the political disorder
Confucianism and Daoism, these new belief systems, did not worship a deity and
remained primarily regional beliefs
Confucius believed that peace and harmony depended on order and inferiors
obeying superiors; Lao-tzu believed that peace and harmony depended on living
naturally
The Major Feature of the Neolithic Revolution in the Middle East
 A major feature of the Neolithic Revolution in the Middle East was the
establishment of sedentary village communities
 Of course, during the Neolithic Revolution, some people learned to farm and
domestic animals
 Agriculture led to sedentary lifestyles and end to nomadism
 Permanent settlements were established and a reliable source of food existed
 Yet agricultural communities also gave rise to patriarchy (male dominance), class
divisions, and epidemic diseases
Major Difference between the Social Structure of Han China and That of Classical India
 The Chinese placed bureaucrats rather than priests at the top of the social
hierarchy
 In Classical India, the Hindu caste system largely determined a person’s status
 In the caste system of Classical India, priests, warriors, merchants and farmers
were castes (from highest to lowest) and untouchables or outcastes belonged to no
caste and faced discrimination and exploitation
 In Han China, the examination system determined government service and afforded
high status
 The scholar-gentry (the men who passed the examinations) were highly privileged
and had high status in society
Judaism
 The world’s first, lasting monotheistic and ethical religion
 A religion that has influenced Christianity and Islam
 Judaism is based on the belief in a covenant between God and the Hebrew people
 The Jewish people must obey God’s commandments and in turn will be blessed; if
commandments are not obey, difficulties can arise
 Judaism teaches the belief in a single, omnipotent deity
The Turks in Anatolia
 The Turks were a group of people who entered the Middle East in the eleventh
century C.E. and came to dominate most of Anatolia
 Anatolia is the Asian part of the modern-state of Turkey
 The Turks in the 1300s founded the Ottoman Empire
 The most significant ruler of the Ottoman Empire was Suleiman the Magnificent
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The Turks were Muslims
The Japanese Feudal Hierarchy
 Under the Japanese system of feudalism after 1600, the emperor served as the
symbol of authority while real power was held by shogun
 The shogun was the most powerful lord in feudal Japan
 The emperor reigned but did not rule in that all political decisions were made by the
shogun
 The feudal hierarchy from top to bottom of Japan was: shogun, daimyo (lords),
samurai (knights), and peasants
 The last feudal shogunate in Japan was the Tokugawa shogunate – lasting from
1603 to 1867 – with its Act of Seclusion or no foreigners in and no Japanese out,
excluding the port at Nagasaki where the Chinese and Dutch could trade
Buddhism
 The founder of Buddhism developed a religion centered on the elimination of desire
and suffering
 Siddhartha Gautama was an Indian prince in the 500s B.C.E. – although raised a
Hindu, he came to believe that life had suffering but suffering could end
 He formulated the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the concept of
nirvana or an end of suffering
 Like Hindus, Buddhists accept the ideas of Karma and Dharma
 However, Buddhists do not accept the Hindu caste system and provide monastic
opportunities for women
The Mughals
 The Mughals founded a Muslim Empire in Hindu India
 The Mughals were a Muslim minority ruling a Hindu majority
 The Mughals were originally from Central Asia
 In this system in which an Islamic minority ruled over a Hindu majority, some
Mughal rulers were tolerant like Akbar the Great
 Akbar the Great eliminated the jizya or tax on Hindus or non-Muslims, married a
Hindu princess and was religiously tolerant
Define the Concept of Extraterritoriality
 The concept of extraterritoriality involves the privilege of foreigners to be tried in
their own courts rather than by courts of the country where they reside
 Extraterritoriality was one of the provisions of the Treaty of Nanjing, the treaty that
ended the Opium War
 The British living in China under extraterritoriality would be tried in British courts
in China
 Thus, the Chinese authorities had no power over foreigners in China; foreigners
could largely do as they pleased
 China was also carved into spheres of influence; Europeans often controlled the
ports of China thereby controlling trade
Define the Concept of Nationalism
 Nationalism is the desire by a large group of people (such as people who share the
same culture, history, language, etc.) to form a separate and independent nation of
their own
 Nationalism a feeling that people have of being loyal to and proud of their country
often with the belief that it is better and more important than other countries
 Nationalism can be a force that unites people of the same culture into one nation as
in German unification and Italian unification or nationalism can be a force that
divides a people – like nationalist movements in multiethnic empires
 Rebellious ethnic minorities in the Russian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian
Empires during the late nineteenth century were motivated primarily by
nationalism
 Nationalists can be independence leaders or separatists or individuals who think
their cultures and nations are superior – it all depends on the historical forces
creating the nationalist
The Meiji Restoration in Japan
 The policies of the Meiji reformers brought about the promotion of rapid
industrialization in Japan
 After Commodore Perry ended the Tokugawa’s Act of Seclusion and isolationist
policies, a new government was created in Japan and a new period of modernization
and industrialization was initiated
 During the Meiji Restoration, the emperor was restored to power and feudalism was
abolished as Japan began to modernize and industrialize
 Due to the Meiji Restoration, Japan was able to compete with the powers of the
West and become join the ranks of the imperialist powers dominating much of the
world
The Status of Merchants in Han China
 In Han China, merchants and traders were placed in a lower social class than
farmers and artisans
 Merchants had low status
 In Han China, education was greatly valued and thus the respect accorded the
Confucian scholar-gentry and land was valued and thus the respect accorded to
even peasants for they worked the land
 Merchants were seen as social parasites as they profited from the labor of others
 Merchants also violated filial piety (to honor and respect parents and ancestors) as
they often traveled far from parents when conducting business
Define the Concept of the Mandate of Heaven
 The Mandate of Heaven is the belief in the emperor’s right to rule given by the gods
 The concept of the Mandate of Heaven was established during the Zhou dynasty
and in the Zhou dynasty, the Mandate of Heaven meant that rulers were allowed to
keep their power if they ruled justly and wisely
 If there was peace and prosperity, then the ruler clearly had the Mandate of Heaven
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If there was lots of warfare, famine, floods, and/or epidemics, the ruler clearly had
lost the Mandate of Heaven
The Mandate of Heaven justified rebellion in that if the Mandate was clearly lost,
the people had the right of rebellion and a new dynasty would be founded – thus, the
existence of a dynastic cycle in China
Characteristics of Pre-Islamic Arabia
 Pre-Islamic Arabia was polytheistic with its belief in many gods and animistic with
its belief in spirits in nature
 The majority of people in pre-Islamic Arabia were nomads as most of Arabia is
desert although there were merchants as Arabia was on important trade routes
 Pre-Islamic Arabia is best characterized as pastoral nomadic
 Animals were raised (pastoralism) although agriculture was difficult due to the
desert lands
 Arabia was an important destination in Indian Ocean trade
The Sunni and Shi’a Divide
 The Sunni and Shi’a divide is a religious schism that stemmed from disputes over
legitimate succession of leadership after the death of its key or founding figure
 When Muhammad died, he failed to pick a successor to rule over the Islamic umma
or community
 Without a successor being selected by Muhammad, divisions arose over who was
the rightful ruler of the umma
 The majority of Muslims believed that any pious or worshipful Muslim man could
rule the umma
 A minority of Muslims, however, believed that only a descendant of ‘Ali, the
Prophet’s son-in-law could rule
Characteristics of Pre-Columbian Civilizations in the Americas
 Many societies in pre-Columbian Americas were considered unusual because they
reached an advanced state of civilization without developing systems of writing
 The Americas lacked writing and lacked domesticated animals – largely due to
isolation
 Yet pre-Columbian societies flourished
 While Mayas had a fully developed writing system, the Aztecs and Incas did not yet
these civilizations flourished too
 Usually, writing is a key component of a civilization but in the Americas, great
advances occurred without writing
Characteristics of the Abbasids
 The second Islamic dynasty
 Overthrew the Umayyad dynasty with support from Mawali (non-Arab Muslims)
and Shi’a
 During the Abbasid caliphate, a golden age occurred with great advances in math
and science
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The Abbasid were more decentralized than the Umayyad
And the Abbasid never conquered Islamic Spain
Trade and Urbanization
 Trade and urbanization go hand in hand
 The most significant cause of the growth of cities in Afro-Eurasia in the period 1000
to 1450 was increased interregional trade
 When there is trade, merchants will congregate in towns that often become cities
due to the bustling activities and needs of the traders
 Trading centers – often ports – become cities
 Think about some of the most significant cities in the world today – these cities were
once great centers of trading activity and still are great centers of trading activity
Why the Incas Maintained Storehouses of Agricultural Surpluses
 The rain does not always fall; the sun does not always shine; and the crops do not
always grow
 It is said to save for a rainy day but really humans must save for a non-rainy day
 The Inca government maintained storehouses of agricultural surplus for public
relief and social welfare – to help people in times of drought and to prevent famine
 The Incas also maintained storehouses to help the sick, the widow, the orphan, and
the poor
 Storehouses ensured that the people of the empire thrived even in difficult times
The Last Prophet According to Islam
 Muhammad is the last prophet according to Islam
 Muhammad is considered the “Seal of the Prophets”
 Muslims believe that there will be no prophets after Muhammad
 Thus, Muhammad is very important
 Muhammad provided the final revelations from God according to Muslims
Merit Examinations in T’ang China
 China under the T’ang dynasty filled positions in the bureaucracy by means of
merit examination
 A merit examination determines the competence of the candidate
 Therefore, in T’ang China, a man received a government post by passing a rigorous
examination based on Confucianism and Chinese history
 By passing the examination, the man became a scholar-gentry and was highly
respected
 The examination system was open to all men and allowed for a modest measure of
social mobility as it was more difficult for a poor man to train for the examination
than a rich man but a promising peasant could be financially supported by his
village – after all it is good to people in high positions