Similarity between the goals of Mao Zedong (China) and Emiliano Zapata (Mexico)
 Mao Zedong was the communist leader of China – China became a communist
nation in 1949 and was renamed the People’s Republic of China
 Mao Zedong had gained the support of the Chinese peasants as a guerrilla leader by
promising land reform and land redistribution – he lived and worked among the
peasants
 Emiliano Zapata was an Indian leader during the Mexican Revolution – although he
was assassinated, he was a defender of the Indians and promised “Tierra y
Libertad” or “Land and Freedom” – he would lead raids on rich haciendas (big
farms) and redistribute land to the Indians – although he was not a communist, he
did seek to improve the lives of the peasants through land redistribution – taking
land from the rich and giving land to the poor
 Thus, a major similarity between the goals of leaders of the Chinese Communist
Revolution, such as Mao Zedong, and the goals of leaders of the Mexican
Revolution, such as Emiliano Zapata, in the early twentieth century was support for
redistribution of land to poor peasants
 Even the first communist leader of a successful Marxist Revolution, Vladimir Lenin,
promised “Bread, Peace, and Land” – land redistribution was a very desired goal of
peasants
The Confucian Notion of the Dynastic Cycle
 The Dynastic Cycle is the changing of the dynasties in China – due to the belief in
the Mandate of Heaven (the right to rule) or that the dynasty receives the right to
rule as long as it rules wisely and well but loses the Mandate of Heaven if floods,
famines, epidemics, or too many wars occur
 Zeng Guofan said in 1854, “In the past, at the end of the Han, Tang, Yuan, and
Ming dynasties, bands of rebels were innumerable, all because of foolish rulers and
misgovernment, so that none of these rebellions could be stamped out. But today
[the emperor] is deeply concerned and examines his character in order to reform
himself, worships Heaven, and is sympathetic to the people. He has not increased the
land tax. . . . It does not require any great wisdom to see that sooner or later the
[Taiping] bandits will all be destroyed.”
 In this quote, it is clear that Zeng Guofan is saying that foolish leaders led to the
success of rebellions and the collapse of dynasties
 He is also saying that the Qing emperor is not foolish and is making good decisions
by examining his character and reforming himself – therefore the Taiping Rebellion
will be stopped
 The quotation reveals how the Mandate of Heaven justifies rebellion when a ruler is
corrupt and incompetent
A Key Difference between the Ottoman Empire and the Tokugawa Shogunate
 The Ottoman Empire was an Islamic Gunpowder Empire
 The Tokugawa Shogunate was a Japanese Gunpowder Empire but the shogun
controlled the gunpowder and had a monopoly on the gunpowder
 However, there were many differences – the Ottomans were Muslim rulers and the
Tokugawa shoguns were not – the Tokugawa shoguns had a centralized feudalism
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More significantly, the Tokugawa shoguns isolated Japan and the Ottomans were
actively engaged in trade with other regions
Therefore, one key difference between the Ottoman Empire and the Tokugawa
Shogunate was that the Tokugawa Shogunate was less influenced by other cultures
than the Ottoman Empire was – since the Tokugawa largely isolated Japan and
were less affected by cultural diffusion
Ethnocentrism in the Middle Kingdom
 Ethnocentrism is a belief in cultural superiority – it is the belief that one culture is
superior to other cultures
 Throughout much of their history, the Chinese were ethnocentric – as were most
people – the Chinese believed that China was the “Middle Kingdom” – the center of
the world
 This ethnocentrism reflected in the term – Middle Kingdom – led to a belief that the
outside world had nothing of value – nothing to offer
 Yu Huan, a Chinese historian, said circa 250 C.E., “What is recorded in the
Buddhist scriptures is analogous to the teachings contained in the scripture of Laozi
[the founder of Daoism] in China, and it is actually believed that Laozi, after having
gone to India, instructed the barbarians and became the Buddha.”
 Yu Huan is saying that Buddhist texts were from Laozi, the Chinese philosopher
credited with the founding of Daoism – that Buddhist ideas came from Laozi –that
Laozi went to India and taught the barbarians in India and became the Buddha
 In the fictionalized account of the origins of Buddhism outlined in the passage
above, Yu Huan’s purpose was most likely to assert the superiority of Chinese
culture over non-Chinese cultures
African Independence Movements after 1946
 Most African colonies gained national independence
 Decolonization or the movements to end European imperialism largely came after
the end of World War II – as Europe was devastated from the conflicts and largely
unable to address the needs of its colonies and needed to direct its energy to the
rebuilding of Europe and as the British had fought against the imperial ambitions of
Hitler, imperialism lost its credibility
 Thus, the end of World War II marked the beginning of the independence
movements in the colonies – it marked the beginning of decolonization
 1960 is often known as the “Year of Africa”
 By the end of 1960, there were 27 independent nations in Africa, with 17 gaining
their independence that year alone, as Britain, France, and Belgium all but
dismantled their colonial empires in Africa
The Country that Experienced the Most Rapid Economic Growth during the Second
World War
 The United States was the country that experienced the most rapid economic growth
during the Second World War
 When World War II ended, the United States was in better economic condition than
any other country in the world
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Even the 300,000 combat deaths suffered by Americans paled in comparison to any
other major belligerent
Building on the economic base left after the war, American society became more
affluent in the postwar years than most Americans could have imagined in their
wildest dreams before or during the war
The United States emerged as a superpower after World War II
Similarity – North and South American Independence Movements
 The American Revolution was an independence movement – Americans sought
independence from Britain and an end to colonialism and mercantilism
 The South American Independence Movements sought an end to European rule
 Both movements were influenced by the ideas of the European Enlightenment
 Yes, the North and South American independence movements of the late eighteenth
and early nineteenth centuries shared revolutionary demands based on
Enlightenment political ideas
 Enlightenment philosophers like John Locke wrote of natural rights – the rights of
all men to life, liberty and property – and consent of the governed or the idea that
government’s power comes from the people and that the people give their consent or
permission (through voting) to rulers to rule in the name of the people and for the
well-being of the people
Christianity in Ethiopia
 After the expansion of Islam into Africa, an organized Christian presence remained
in Egypt and Ethiopia
 The adoption of Christianity in Ethiopia dates to the fourth-century reign of the
Axumite emperor Ezana
 The kingdom of Axum was an African kingdom located along major international
trade routes through the Red Sea between India and the Roman empire
 Christianity afforded the possibility of unifying the many diverse ethnic and
linguistic peoples of the kingdom of Axum, a goal of Ezana’s leadership
 Axum was one of the earliest states to develop a coin system in order to service its
sophisticated and prosperous economy – Emperor Ezana was the first world leader
to put the cross on coins
Why – Chinese Government Stopped Voyages of Exploration
 Zheng He was the great Chinese admiral and explorer who took seven major
expeditions between 1405 and 1433
 The voyages of Zheng He were sponsored by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty
 Yet within the emperor’s court, there was division – the Confucian scholar-gentry
believed that the expeditions were a waste of resources as China was the Middle
Kingdom and the outside world had nothing of value
 But the eunuchs – like Zheng He – valued the expeditions and sought to establish
Chinese supremacy in the Indian Ocean and establish tributary relationships with
the kingdoms of the Indian Ocean region
 Ultimately, on the death of Emperor Yongle, the expeditions were stopped
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Zheng He’s fleet rotted in the harbor and his records were destroyed
The Chinese government’s concern with domestic concerns and frontier security led
the Chinese government to stop the voyages of exploration in the Indian Ocean in
the early fifteenth century
In the end, concern about nomadic invaders on the frontier and concerns within
China allowed the Confucian scholar-gentry to win the court battle and the voyages
were stopped
The Swahili Language
 Swahili is a Bantu language with many Arabic words
 Swahili has been greatly influenced by Arabic; there are an enormous number of
Arabic loanwords in the language, including the word swahili, from Arabic sawāḥilī
(a plural adjectival form of an Arabic word meaning “of the coast”)
 The language dates from the contacts of Arabian traders with the inhabitants of the
east coast of Africa over many centuries
 Under Arab influence, Swahili originated as a lingua franca (a language that is
adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are
different) used by several closely related Bantu-speaking tribal groups
 In the early 19th century, the spread of Swahili inland received a great impetus from
its being the language of the Arab ivory and slave caravans, which penetrated as far
north as Uganda and as far west as Congo
 Swahili is a language that came into existence after 1000 as the direct result of
expanding global trade patterns
Facts about the Mongol Empire
 In the 1200s and 1300s, the Mongols – a nomadic peoples from the steppes of
Central Asia – established the world’s largest contiguous empire
 The Mongol Empire stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Black Sea and covered
the entire expanse of the Silk Roads
 The Mongols reestablished the Silk Road between East Asia and Europe – trade
flourished on the Silk Roads as the Mongols protected the route and provided
security
 The Mongols were primarily interested in the collection of tribute and conquered
China, Russia, and Persia
 The Mongols were religiously tolerant and engaged in psychological warfare – they
were skilled warriors on horseback – they possessed a skilled cavalry
What Marco Polo Saw in Kublai Khan’s Court – the Use of Paper Money
 Marco Polo was a European merchant and traveler who visited the court of the
great Mongol ruler of China – Kublai Khan
 Marco Polo was amazed at the many advances in China – he was amazed at how
advanced China was
 He had not encountered many remarkable inventions and advances in Europe that
he saw in China; he was particularly amazed at the use of paper money and coal
and the practice of frequent bathing
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Marco Polo (1254-1324) was a Venetian merchant believed to have journeyed across
Asia at the height of the Mongol Empire
He first set out at age 17 with his father and uncle, traveling overland along what
later became known as the Silk Road
Upon reaching China, Marco Polo entered the court of powerful Mongol ruler
Khubilai Khan, who dispatched him on trips to help administer the realm
Marco Polo remained abroad for 24 years
Though not the first European to explore China – his father and uncle, among
others, had already been there – he became famous for his travels thanks to a
popular book he co-authored while languishing in a Genoese prison
Who Dominated Mediterranean Trade during the Sixteenth Century?
 Italian city-states and the Ottoman Empire are the states that dominated the
Mediterranean trade during the sixteenth century
 This is not surprising – after all, the sixteenth century is the 1500s and in the 1500s,
the Ottoman Empire was at its height
 The Ottoman Empire controlled the eastern Mediterranean Sea – look at a map of
the Ottoman Empire at its height and this is evident
 The Italian city-states – like Venice – also dominated trade in the Mediterranean
during the 1500s
 Situated in the heart of a lagoon on the coast of northeast Italy, Venice was a major
power in the medieval and early modern world, and a key city in the development of
trade routes from the east to Europe
 Venice’s strategic position on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, within reach of the
Byzantine Empire and traders from the Near East, allowed the city to become a hub
of trade in the west, receiving goods from the east by sea and disseminating them
into the growing European market
Impact of the Introduction of Coffee Growing in Places like Kenya and El Salvador after
1880
 Kenya was a British colony in Africa – remember that the Berlin Conference in
1884 to 1885 began the “Scramble for Africa” whereby the countries of Western
European competed for and claimed colonies in Africa
 El Salvador is located in Central America – yet even though independent, it was still
dependent on agricultural exports
 But Kenya with its cash crop production favored by imperialists and El Salvador
dependent on foreign markets became exporters of the cash crop of coffee
 A major impact of the introduction of coffee growing in places like Kenya and El
Salvador after 1880 was greater dependence on foreign markets by Africans and
Latin Americans
 Yes, cash crops are crops for export and cash crops depend on foreign markets and
foreigners to purchase products – therefore cash crop agriculture makes a region
very dependent on the world market
 Monoculture is the cultivation or growth of a single crop or organism especially on
agricultural or forest land
Relations between European States and the Ottoman Empire in the period 1815 to 1914
 The Ottoman Empire was at its height in the 1500s – by 1815 to 1914, the Ottoman
Empire was increasingly known as the “Sick Man of Europe” – the Ottomans had
fallen technologically behind Western Europe
 Russian, English, and French expansion came at the expense of the Ottomans – yes,
that is an accurate description of relations between European states and the
Ottoman Empire in the period 1815 to 1914
 The Ottoman Empire in 1914 was commonly known as 'the sick man of Europe', a
sign that the once-great power was crumbling
 The Turks had dominated the Eastern Mediterranean for half a millennium,
controlling vast swathes of Central Europe, Arab lands as far down as Egypt and
had at one stage been knocking on the doors of Vienna and Venice
 By the 20th century all that remained in Ottoman hands outside Turkey was Syria,
Mesopotamia, Palestine and parts of the Arabian Peninsula – the rest of the empire
had been gobbled up by the Russians, British, and French
Similarity – Russia and Japan by 1914
 Rapid, state-sponsored industrialization had occurred in both countries – both
Russia and Japan
 After 1860, the Russian government became involved in building an industrial
economy - the government gave subsidies to build railroads – in 1860, Russia had
only about 1,250 miles of track; by 1880 it had 15,500 miles
 Railroads allowed Russia to export grain and earn money for further
industrialization
 Industrial modernization continued in Russia under the leadership of Sergei Witte,
Alexander’s finance minister – the railroad network doubled to over 35,000 miles;
he also established a series of high protective tariffs that protected Russian industry
devised a plan to employ Western capital to build factories in Russia – within ten
years, on the strength of foreign investment, a huge steel industry was developed
 Japan too experienced state sponsored industrialization – under the Meiji
Restoration, the government actively pursued a policy of modernization and
industrialization
Effects of the Congress of Vienna
 The Congress of Vienna occurred after the defeat of Napoleon – it was a meeting of
the leading statesmen of Western Europe and headed by the Austrian diplomat,
Metternich
 At the Congress of Vienna, the map of Europe was redrawn as the Napoleonic
Empire had been defeated, the monarchs were restored to power – monarchs who
had been removed by Napoleon, and the old ways of Europe were favored – it was a
conservative movement
 In addition, a balance of power was pursued – a balance of power is the idea that
the countries of Europe should be equally strong to prevent a future Napoleon
 So, the Congress of Vienna led to the restoration of the monarchy in France and the
Netherlands
 It led to a triumph of conservative values – at least, for a time
Similarity – Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires
 The Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empires were multiethnic empires
 Peoples of diverse backgrounds and cultures lived in the empires
 This sometimes led to separatist movements where one culture group demanded its
autonomy – its freedom and its own independent nation
 Yes, in the nineteenth century, the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires were
two examples of multinational empires
 Eventually, the force of nationalism would shatter these empires
Effects of the European Industrial Revolution
 The Industrial Revolution began in Britain in 1750 – it was the use of machines in
factories to produce goods
 Industrialization leads to the increased manufacturing of goods and therefore to a
decrease in the price of goods
 As goods become more affordable, more individuals can buy goods and thus, the
standard of living increases
 Of course, industrialization also fuels imperialism – as industrial nations want many
natural resources for their factories and are able to gain cheap natural resources
through conquest
 Among the first results of the European Industrial Revolution in other parts of the
world was the increased demand for commodities such as cotton and palm oil
 Cotton was used to make textiles and as people in Europe began to take sanitation
and hygiene seriously, demand for soap increased, resulting in the demand for
vegetable oil suitable for soap manufacture and other technical uses
Growth of Cities and Trade in the Post-Classical Period
 Urbanization (movement to cities) and trade go together – where a trading port
exists, a city is soon to develop
 Yes, increased interregional trade represents the most significant cause of the
growth of cities in Afro-Eurasia in the period 1000–1450
 In the postclassical era, trade routes flourished – like the Silk Roads and Indian
Ocean Trade
 As a result of increased trade, more cities developed and more people moved to
cities
 Trade provides alternatives to farming – and traders congregate in cities
Mao Zedong and Mohandas Gandhi both Appealed to which Group as a Base of Support?
 Mao Zedong was the Communist leader of China – China became a communist
nation in 1949 – prior to the Communist victory, Mao lived with, worked for, and
organized the peasants – with the support of the peasants, the Communist
revolution was successful
 Mohandas K. Gandhi was the nonviolent leader of India’s independence movement
– he was a nationalist and he dressed like the peasants to show his solidarity with
the peasantry and his concerns for the peasants – Gandhi wanted a free India but he
also wanted to uplift the peasantry and to end poverty
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Thus, Mao and Gandhi both appealed to peasants even though Mao was a
Communist and Gandhi was a religious man and an advocate of a free India
through nonviolence
Yes, Mao Zedong and Mohandas Gandhi both appealed to peasants as a base of
support
Their movements were dependent on the recruitment of peasants and the support of
the peasantry
The Impact of Maoist Policies on Women in China
 Maoist policies are Communist policies through the understanding of Mao Zedong,
the leader of the Chinese Communist victory in China in 1949
 Mao believed in Marxism but he modified it – in that he believed that an agriculture
nation of peasants could experience Communist revolution without an industrial
phase
 However, like all Communists, Mao believed in the equality of women and so, the
Confucian beliefs that had relegated women to the inferior status was lifted
 Maoist policies banned arranged marriages and made women an important part of
the Communist women’s movement
 Maoist policies like banning arranged marriages led to the most dramatic change in
the status of Chinese peasant women in the 1940’s and 1950’s
An Effect of the Neolithic Revolution
 During the Neolithic Revolution, some people learned to farm and domesticate
animals
 This dramatic turning point led to profound changes – with farming, humans settled
as crops do not run away and fields need tending throughout the year
 Thus, permanent settlements developed
 Yes, the establishment of sedentary village communities was a major effect of the
Neolithic Revolution
 Farmers settled – they were not nomads
 Of course, class divisions, gender inequality, epidemic diseases, poverty, and
homelessness also eventually resulted from the Neolithic Revolution but on the
bright side – permanent settlements and a reliable food source developed
A Result of the Development of Agriculture
 Population density increased as a result of the development of agriculture in
societies that previously relied on hunting and gathering
 Population increased because settled people can have more children under the age
of five
 Nomads move and nomads can only carry so many babies when they move – a
husband and wife could each carry a baby or toddler but neither could carry lots of
babies
 Nomads have low population density – movement limits the number of children they
can have
 A reliable food source also increased the number of people in the community
An Important Reason for the fall of the Roman, Han, and Gupta Empires
 Invaders led to the collapse of the Roman, Han, and Gupta Empires
 Intensified invasions and security issues along their frontiers were important
reasons for the fall of the Roman, Han, and Gupta empires
 All of the core civilizations of the classical era suffered from external invasions
 Attila the Hun created a loose kingdom of central Asian nomads running from
Germany to China, and his invasion of Rome helped accelerate its collapse
 The Huns’ power came largely from their strength as horsemen
 Nomads from the Asiatic steppes invaded China and established their own regional
kingdom
 The Huns initiated a series of invasions and gained control over northwestern India
 Unable to restore control over even its tributary princes, the Gupta dynasty
collapsed entirely around in the late 500s C.E.
Similarity – Judaism and Hinduism
 Initially, the differences are seen: Judaism is monotheistic and Hindus worship
many gods although Hindus believe that all gods are manifestations of the cosmic
force known as Brahman
 Yet before 500 C.E. Judaism and Hinduism were similar in that both had written
scriptures and an ethical code to live by
 In Judaism, there is the Bible and in particular, the Torah – the first five books of
the Bible that according to the Hebrews, reveal God’s laws and Commandments for
his people
 In Hinduism, there are several sacred texts: the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the
Bhagavad-Gita
 In both Judaism and Hinduism, there are ethical rules to follow – Jews are to follow
God’s Commandments, to do good and Hindus are to make good actions, good
karma
Effects of Bantu Migration
 Armed with iron smelting technology the Bantu of west and central Africa dispersed
across the continent, changing its linguistic and cultural landscape
 The Bantu migrated throughout sub-Saharan Africa
 The Bantu spread agriculture, iron, and their languages
 Chief among the reasons for Bantu migration was environmental stress and
population increase in West Africa, forcing people to move – as agriculture
increases population growth
 There was little or no evidence of iron working in east and southern Africa before
the arrival of the Bantu suggesting that new technology was spread by the migrants
 The spread of Bantu-speaking peoples over southern Africa before 1400 C.E. can be
best explained by their knowledge of agriculture
Similarity – Incas and Aztecs
 The Incas developed a vast empire stretching along the Andes Mountains in the
1100s
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The Aztecs developed a vast empire in Central Mexico
The Incas assimilated the peoples they conquered; the Aztecs were more interested
in the collection of tribute and allowed conquered people to maintain their cultural
ways
Yet both civilizations, Inca and Aztec, were similar in that both acquired empires by
means of military conquest
Yes, empires are largely built upon military conquests
The Feudal Hierarchy in Japan
 Feudalism developed in Japan in the 1100s C.E.
 In the feudal hierarchy of Japan, the shogun was the most powerful lord in Japan
and he ruled
 The emperor reigned but he did not rule as he was a mere figurehead
 The feudal hierarchy consisted of shogun, daimyo (lords), samurai (warriors), and
peasants
 Yes, Japanese feudal society was comprised of all of the following positions: shogun,
daimyo, and samurai and an emperor who reigned but did not rule
 But Shinto is not part of feudal society – it is part of Japanese culture in that it is
Japan’s oldest religion and a form of Japanese animism
Why the late 1400s Mark the Beginning of a New Period in World History?
 In 1492, Christopher Columbus accidentally arrived in the Americas – thereby
permanently altering world history – now the Americas were fully incorporated into
the world trading network and European diseases decimated the indigenous peoples
of the Americas
 Yes, the incorporation of the Americas into a broader global network of exchange
changes best justifies the claim that the late 1400s mark the beginning of a new
period in world history
 Globalization was truly beginning
 The Columbian Exchange led to a global cultural diffusion of ideas, crops, animals,
peoples, diseases and ideas
 New crops from the Americas increased populations in Europe and Asia; indigenous
peoples of the Americas experienced the Great Dying; and the Atlantic Slave Trade
began
Cash Crops on Plantations in the Americas
 In the Caribbean and Brazil, sugar was an important cash crop
 In the American South, cotton was an important cash crop
 Cash crops are crops grown specifically for export
 In the period 1450–1750, cash crops such as sugar and tobacco were produced on
large plantations by slave labor and were significant commodities in the growing
world market
 Plantations depended on slave labor from Africa
 African slaves replaced a dying indigenous population in the Americas
 Cash crops such as sugar and tobacco were dependent on slave labor
The Impact of Crops from the Western Hemisphere on Europe and China
 The impact of new crops from the Americas on Europe and China was population
increase
 Crops from the Americas like corn and potatoes were high in calories and grew
easily in difficult soil
 These crops therefore were vital in providing food for the peoples of Europe and
China and led to population increases as fewer people died from malnutrition and
starvation
 The introduction of Western Hemisphere crops is most likely to have influenced
eighteenth-century population trends in both Europe and China
 Thanks to new crops from the Americas fewer Europeans and Chinese died from
starvation
Similarity – Mughal and Ottoman Empires
 The Mughals conquered much of the Indian subcontinent – they were a Muslim
minority ruling a Hindu majority and were descendants of Mongols and Timur the
Lame
 The Ottomans were Muslim rulers of Anatolia and the Balkans as well as some of
Southwest Asia and North Africa – the Ottomans conquered the Byzantine Empire
in 1453
 Both the Ottomans and the Mughals were Muslims; both conquered and ruled
multiethnic empires; both were skilled warriors on horseback; and both were
gunpowder empires
 Yes, both the Mughal and Ottoman empires in the sixteenth century were empires
that expanded through the use of gunpowder weapons and had extensive
bureaucracies
 Ruling in similar time periods and at times in similar ways, the Mughal and the
Ottoman empires had much in common
How the Industrial Revolution Changed Europe in the World Economy
 The Industrial Revolution began in England in 1750 and involved the use of
machines in factories to manufacture goods
 The Industrial Revolution led to urbanization or movement to cities, increased
production and therefore cheaper goods and ultimately a rise in the standard of
living as people could afford more stuff to lead more comfortable lives, and of
course, the Industrial Revolution increased the might of England with better
weaponry and better steamships
 The Industrial Revolution spread from England to continental Europe and the
U.S.A.
 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 greatly increased the might, power, and reach of Europe
 The Industrial Revolution like the Scientific Revolution earlier led to the rise of
Europe and its domination of much of the world in the nineteenth century
Meiji Restoration and Expansionism in Japan
 In 1868, the Japanese emperor was restored to power and Japan became to
modernize and industrialize
 The Meiji Restoration was a reaction to the arrival of Commodore Perry from the
U.S.A. in Japan and the American insistence that the Tokugawa Shogunate end its
policy of isolationism in Japan
 With the arrival of the Americans, the Japanese knew that if they did not join them
(Westerners), they would be beaten – so, the Japanese joined them (modernized and
industrialized) and even conquered other lands as the Europeans were doing at the
time
 Like Europeans, industrialization led to imperialism as conquest provided cheap
raw materials for factories
 So, in effect, the Japanese took that saying “If you can’t beat them, join them” and
added to it “And then beat them!”
 In World War II, the Japanese were quite difficult to defeat
 Yes, between 1750 and 1900, Japan was an industrializing state that created an
empire
The Impact of the French Revolution on Haiti
 With its talk of liberty, equality, and fraternity, the French Revolution encouraged
men to think of their natural rights
 The slaves on the French colony of Haiti were inspired by revolutionary talk in
France and slavery was abolished by the new French government until Napoleon
tried to restore slavery to the island
 But men who have been freed will never willingly return to chains
 The French Revolution was the European development that is most closely
associated with the revolution in Haiti
 Liberty, equality, and fraternity were quite inspirational words
 Haiti was the only country to experience a successful slave rebellion that led to the
independence of the island on January 1, 1804
The Goods Exchanged on Trans-Saharan Trade Routes
 Trans-Saharan trade is known as the salt for gold trade
 North African nomads carried salt and other needed goods to West Africa
 West Africa was rich in gold and in need of salt and so, great West African
kingdoms developed like Ghana, Mali and Songhai
 Islam also spread on Trans-Saharan trade routes
 Yes, African goods traded on the Trans-Saharan Route included salt and gold
Nationalism
 Nationalism can unite people of a common language and culture into a nation –
think Italian and German unification
 Nationalism can also destroy multiethnic empires as ethnic minorities want their
own nations – think Greeks in the Ottoman Empire wanting a Greece, a separate
and independent nation for the Greek culture
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Conquered people often form independence movements and nationalist movements
– think Mohandas K. Gandhi and Indian nationalism – India for the Indians and
not India for the British
The Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser (in power 1952–1970) was a nationalist –
he believed that Egypt belonged to the Egyptians and even though Egypt was
independent, the Suez Canal was still largely controlled by European investors
So, when Nasser said, “We shall not repeat the past. We shall eradicate it by
restoring our rights in the Suez Canal. This money is ours. The canal is the property
of Egypt.” – he was best expressing support for nationalism
Nationalism – Egypt for the Egyptians
Reason for the Sunni and Shi’a Split in Islam
 When the Prophet Muhammad died unexpectedly without announcing a successor,
a great division occurred within the Islamic umma or community
 Many Muslims concluded that the leader of the Islamic umma could be any pious
Muslim man – these individuals eventually formed the Sunni sect of Islam
 Not all Muslims agreed, however, and a minority of Muslims came to believe that
only a descendant from the Prophet’s family through his son-in-law, ‘Ali, could rule
– these individuals were known as the Shi’a
 Thus, the split between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims occurred as a result of
disagreement over leadership succession issues
 Sunni and Shi’a differed over who was the legitimate ruler of the Islamic umma
Reason for the Rise of Feudalism
 Feudalism occurs when the central government is weak or even worse, collapses
 Feudal states arose in both Europe and China directly as a result of the
fragmentation of central government units
 Fragmentation occurs when kingdoms are competing for power within a region
 Feudalism occurred in Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire
in 476 C.E. as many competing kingdoms replaced the once powerful Roman
Empire in the West
 Feudalism occurred in Japan in the 1100s C.E. as the emperor lost his power and
the shogun emerged as the most powerful lord of Japan
 Feudalism also occurred periodically in China – whenever the dynasty was too weak
to control the nation – then competing warlords would vie or compete for power
The Political Structure of the Maya
 The Maya lived in southern Mexico and Guatemala and developed competing citystates
 Although sharing a Mayan culture, each Maya city-state had its own king and
government
 Numerous independent, warring city-states most accurately describes the political
structure of the Maya from 600 C.E. to 900 C.E.
 Classic Maya civilization grew to some 40 cities, including Tikal, Uaxactún, Copán,
Bonampak, Dos Pilas, Calakmul, Palenque and Río Bec

Maya cities were surrounded and supported by a large population of farmers
Facts about British Rule in India
 British conquest of India began first with a company – the British East India
Company started by trading with India and then slowly gaining political and
military control of the subcontinent
 The British East India Company relied on sepoys or Indian soldiers to serve in the
British East India Company army – but the sepoys were one day greatly insulted
and offended by the Company when the Company issued grease for the cartridges –
grease made from cow and pig fat
 The Hindu and Muslim sepoys rebelled in the Sepoy Mutiny (1857-1858) – the
rebellion was violent and lasted nearly a year – only when the British government
sent in British troops was the rebellion stopped
 In 1858, the British crown took over the colony and the Company no longer ruled
 The Sepoy Rebellion was not successful but it paved the way for an Indian
resistance movement that would one day lead to Mohandas K. Gandhi and Indian
independence
Reason for the Adoption of Neoconfucianism by the Ming Dynasty
 The adoption of Neoconfucianism by the Ming dynasty during the fourteenth
century was primarily motivated by the need for competent government
administrators
 The Ming dynasty overthrew the Mongols in China – overthrew the Yuan dynasty
 When the Ming came to power, they removed the foreign influence of the Mongols
from China and restored China to Chinese ways – this included a return to
NeoConfucianism and the examination system
 The examination system which was based on Confucianism and Chinese history was
a meritocracy – a system where only competent men who passed the examination
were granted government service
 The examination system provided competent government administrators in the
Ming government
The Impact of Mongol Rule on Moscow
 The Mongols conquered Russia but they thought Russia had little of value and so,
ruled Russia from their beloved steppes
 The Mongols were primarily interested in the collection of tribute from Russia
 However, when the city of Kiev resisted the Mongols, the city was destroyed
 The princes of Moscow, however, were more than willing to serve as tribute
collectors for the Mongols and so, the Mongols elevated the city of Moscow
 The Mongols were also religiously tolerant and this allowed for the rise of the
Orthodox Christian Church in Russia under Mongol rule
 When the Mongols weakened, their weakness allowed for the rise of an independent
Russia led by the city of Moscow
 Yes, the rise and fall of the Mongolian khanates contributed most to the initial
formation of political states by the Muscovite Russians and the Ottoman Turks


When the Mongol Empire in Persia collapsed, it created a power vacuum which
allowed the Ottoman Turks to rise to power
And when the Mongol Empire collapsed in Russia, it allowed for the rise of
Muscovite Russia or a Russia led by Moscow
The Byzantine Empire and Russia
 Byzantine missionaries, Cyril and Methodius, brought the Orthodox Christian
religion to Russia – they also created an alphabet for the Russian language known
as the Cyrillic alphabet – named for the monk
 The Byzantines also influenced Russia with the idea of an absolute ruler or Caesar –
Tsar in Russian
 Yes, the Byzantine Empire achieved the conversion of many Slavic peoples to
Christianity
 Although the Byzantine Empire collapsed in 1453 as the Ottoman Turks conquered
Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire lives on in Russia
 By converting many Slavic peoples to Orthodox Christianity, the Byzantine
influence in Russia survives to the present day – even after years of atheistic,
Marxist control
The Mongol Empire
 The rise of the Mongol Empire contributed to all of the following: an empire that
extended across parts of Europe and Asia, an unsuccessful attempt to conquer
Japan, the spread of the plague, and the growth of trade across Central Asia
 The Mongol Empire controlled much of Eurasia in the 1200s to the 1300s – from the
Pacific Ocean to the Black Sea
 The Mongols controlled the length of the Silk Roads and provided security on the
trade routes – as such, trade increased as did the spread of disease, most notably the
spread of Bubonic Plague or the Black Death
 The Mongols tried to conquer Japan twice but failed
 However, the Mongols never spread Christianity – the Mongols were religiously
tolerant and allowed conquered peoples to keep their religious ways
The First Mechanized Industry in England
 The first Industrial Revolution in Great Britain was initially based on textiles
 Yes, the first Industrial Revolution in England occurred in the textile industry or
clothing industry
 A number of factors contributed to Britain’s role as the birthplace of the Industrial
Revolution – for one, it had great deposits of coal and iron ore, which proved
essential for industrialization
 Around 1764, Englishman James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny (“jenny”
was an early abbreviation of the word “engine”), a machine that enabled an
individual to produce multiple spools of threads simultaneously
 The spinning jenny was improved upon by British inventor Samuel Compton’s
(1753-1827) spinning mule, as well as later machines

Another key innovation in textiles, the power loom, which mechanized the process of
weaving cloth, was developed in the 1780s by English inventor Edmund Cartwright
How Latin American Independence Movements Impact the Social Hierarchy
 During colonialism in Latin America, peninsulares or individuals born in Spain
were most powerful – they held the most important jobs in the colonial government
and were the largest landowners
 After the success of the independence movements, peninsulares were replaced by
creoles or individuals born in the Americas of entirely European ancestry
 The new hierarchy after independence consisted of creoles, mestizos, and Indians
and Africans
 Creoles had replaced peninsulares but little else changed
 The wars of independence in Latin America in the early nineteenth century resulted
in few changes in social structure – as Indians and Africans were still landless
workers – terribly exploited
The End of Serfdom in Russia and the End of Slavery in the United States – Think Dates
 In 1861, Tsar Alexander II freed the serfs in Russia
 In 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment freed the slaves in the United States
 Russia and the United States were countries that ended coerced labor in the decade
of the 1860s
 These coerced labor systems were ended
 However, life for newly freed serfs and slaves were still difficult and exploitation of
labor still occurred – yet freedom is important
The May Fourth Movement in China
 On May 4, 1919, Chinese students gathered and held a mass demonstration
protesting the peace treaty at the end of World War I that transferred German
concessions in China to Japan
 The students were furious that the Chinese government had agreed to this transfer
 In a way, the May Fourth Movement was a nationalist movement
 Over the following weeks, demonstrations occurred throughout the country; several
students died or were wounded in these incidents, and more than 1,000 were
arrested
 In the big cities, strikes and boycotts against Japanese goods were begun by the
students and lasted more than two months
 The May Fourth Movement arose out of dissatisfaction with the treaties ending the
First World War