DC World- Unit 2- Political Transformations

What major native American empires existed in the Americas at the time of European arrival?

incas, aztecs

What was uniquely distinctive about the empires founded by European nations in the Americas?

They were not close by

Where did the Spanish focus their "empire-building" efforts?

central and south america

Why did Portugal only establish a colony in Brazil?

because of the treaty of tordesillas, that was the only place in the americas they had access to

How was proximity a factor in the European expansion into the Americas?

europe was closer to the americas than potential rivals like china

What technological innovations allowed Europeans to cross the oceans?

they improved maps, could determine latitude, and had better ships that were capable of long voyages

What four primary motivations prompted Europeans to explore the new world?

fear, greed, religion, and curiosity

What weapons technology allowed the Spanish to conquer such large empires with relatively few soldiers?

they had horses, gunpowder weapons, steel, glass

How did the Spanish use diplomacy to assist them in their efforts at conquest?

they allied with rival tribes and social classes and used those divisions to fight the others

What was the "Great Dying" and what caused it?

When the europeans came over to the americas, they brought diseases with them. About 90% of the Natives died because of the diseases and starvation that happened.

What diseases were a part of the "Great Dying?

smallpox, measles, influenza, malaria, and yellow fever

What role did the "Great Dying" have in assisting the conquests of the European nations?

it killed about 90% of the natives so that the europeans didn't have to

What was the Little Ice Age?

period of global cooling from 1300-1500

How did the little ice age impact the colonization of the Americas?

the americas expericenced extremely cold winters during this time that led to droughts, crop failures, etc turning into social disasters

What is the Columbian Exchange?

swapping of biological organisms that would change the planet from europe, africa, and asia to the americas

Which society would be more impacted by the transfer of food items/agriculture? (Europe or Americas?)

europe

Which society would be more impacted by the transfer of animals/livestock (Europe or Americas?)

americas

What luxury items were introduced to Europe through the Exchange?

tobacco and chocolate

Why can the Columbian Exchange be called a "return to Pangaea?

the arrival of the europeans to the americas shattered the isolation and led to a collision of ecosystems similar to when there was only one continent

What is meant by the statement that the Columbian Exchange led to the largest forced human migration in history?

it started the triangle of trade between Africa, Europe, and the Americas, which was slavery

What was the economic philosophy of "mercantilism?

a nation's wealth and power should be measured by bullion (gold/silver) that they gain by having a favorable balance of trade- having more exports than imports

What is "bullion" and how was it related to mercantilism?

gold or silver that a nation has (wealth)

How did colonial possessions add to a nation's wealth and power?

they provided a market for goods manufactured by the mother country because the colonies provided a source of raw materials at a low price to supply the manufacturing industries

What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?

Portugal and Spain believed they both had claims to the East Indies in Asia but they didn't like the idea of war so they agreed to a treaty where Spain got the western hemisphere and Portugal got the eastern hemisphere

How did the Treaty of Tordesillas impact the colonization of the Americas?

Spain got the western hemisphere, which was north and south america, and Portugal got Brazil and everywhere else meaning that Spain got to colonize south america and part of north america

Why was Spain the "winner" in the Treaty of Tordesillas?

Spain won the western hemisphere (the americas), which was land that was well populated, but controllable, and wealthy in gold and silver

What were the three divisions of Spanish America?

New Spain, New Grenada, and Rio de la Plata

What were the elements of the Encomienda System?

Spanish monarchy gave settlers land and rights to use native laborers, but they had to "protect them" and convert them to Christianity

Who were peninsulares?

spanish settlers born in spain

Who were creoles?

spanish settlers born in the americas

Who were mestizos?

children of spanish men and native american women

What was the largest sugar-producing colony in the Americas? What European nation owned it?

Brazil, owned by Portugal

Why did Portuguese sugar plantation owners turn to African slave labor?

the natives all died from disease, mistreatment, or fled to the jungles and they needed laborers

Approximately what percentage of African slaves transported across the Atlantic came to the sugar colonies?

80%

Why did northern colonies of North America not develop commercial/plantation agriculture?

-small family farms instead
-climate was not suitable

Why did the northern colonies of North America place such an emphasis on education / literacy?

the protestants were very concerned that everyone could read the Bible

What European empire sent missionaries to convert the Principality of Kiev to Christianity?

Byzantines

In what ways were the Russian people different from their European neighbors in western Europe?

Russia was formed from nomadic slavic groups and had a lot less technology than europe, was blocked from expansion because of Poland-Lithuania, didn't have a colony until much later (1784), wasn't an empire until Peter the Great

What central Asian power was raiding and taking over Russian territories in the mid-13th Century?

Mongols

How did the Principality of Muscovy rise to prominence during the era of Mongol control?

The princes that were selected to go between the Mongols and Russians fell to the ruler of Muscovy. The princes used their position to dominate others and then annexed the other territories.

What kingdom, to Russia's west, blocked their expansion in that direction for a long time?

Poland-Lithuania

What condition did Ivan the Terrible (Ivan IV) leave the Russian state in following his death?

troubled; it was the time of troubles

Who was chosen to become tsar following the "Time of Troubles?

Michael Romanov

What was the name of the region that Russia expanded into for the fur trade?

Alaska

What was the name of the treaty that established the border between the Russian empire and China?

Nerchinsk Treaty

What were Peter the Great's goals for Russia?

He wanted to westernize Russia and learn how Europe functioned to turn his country into an empire

How did Peter the Great's "Grand Embassy" impact his plans for Russia?

turned his country into an empire, created a european style army, navy, and beaurucracy, defeated sweden and Poland in long wars, and his people did not like it or him (he was ruthless)

What was the name of the new capital of Russia that Peter built? Where was it located?

St. Petersburg, Europe, where Sweden and Poland used to be

What were three major contributions of Catherine the Great?

- Russian borders expanded into central Europe
- victories against Ottomans getting control of the Black Sea, Caucasus, Austria, and Prussia
- her policies favored the nobles at the expense of the central bureaucracy and "new men" Peter and his successors

In the struggle between the old guard nobility and the "new men" bureaucracy that Peter had created, who did Catherine the Great favor?

the nobles

What are three distinct ways that the empires of Asia were different from the empires of Europe at this time?

- regional in scale rather than global (expanded nearby and not across oceans)
- nowhere near the devastating impact on conquered peoples
- did not have as much impact of the ruling/ "mother" country economically

What dynasty led the expansion of China during this time period?

Manchu (Qing)

Where did the Qing dynasty leaders come from? How did this fact make them "outsiders" in a way?

The Qings overthrew the Ming and were not from "China" but Manchuria from nomadic group that assimilated into the chinese culture

What group of nomads descended from the Mongols were exterminated by the Qing?

Zunghar

With what empire did China negotiate the Treaty of Nerchinsk?

Russia

How did the Chinese administer their holdings in their empire?

- they established a court of colonial affairs that used local leaders in a technique called indirect imperialism
- did not make efforts to force conquered people to adopt chinese culture (food, dress, language, etc)

How did the expansion of China and Russia lead to the death of the Silk Road trading route?

Chinese and Russian control cut off easy travel that western Europe had relied on

From where did the Mughals originate?

central asia

What cultural/ethnic heritage did the Mughals claim?

- Islamic (religion)
- Turk (culture)
- descended from Genghis Khan and Timur

Where did the Mughals expand their empire into?

India

What major world religion did the Mughals interact with in their holdings in India?

Hindu

Describe how Emperor Akbar accommodated the interaction between Islam and Hinduism.

- married Hindu princesses but didn't require them to convert to Islam
- brought Hindus into the leadership of the empire
- supported building Hindu temples and mosques
- encouraged rights and respect for women
- got rid of oppressive aspects of typical i

For what purpose did Akbar build his "House of Worship?

to have meetings with scholars of all the religions in the area

How were Akbar's views toward women considerably forward looking compared to either traditional Islamic or Hindu views?

he encouraged more rights and respect for women which was very atypical of Sunni Musilims

Who was the Islamic cleric who opposed the accommodations of Akbar?

Shayk Ahmad Sirhindi

What is Sharia Law?

Islamic law

How did Emperor Aurangzeb roll back much of what Akbar had put into place?

- mounted aggressive anti-Hinduism movement
- banned music and dance at royal court
- gambling, drinking, prostitution, and narcotics outlawed
- some hindu temples were destroyed
- non-musilim tax reinstated

What was the political result of Aurangzeb's actions?

his policies led to rebellions weakening the Mughals enough for England to come in and take control of most of India in the late 1700s

How was the Ottoman empire similar to the Mughals in the way they treated their conquered peoples?

- had progressive views towards women (could hold property and legal rights)
- gave relative freedom to Christians and Jews
- Christians could continue practices and many were government officials
- Jews were allowed to immigrate to their territories and

What areas of the world did the Ottoman Empire control at its height?

- anatolia (turkey)
- middle east
- most of north africa
- most of iraq
- greece and the balkans (europe)
- mecca, medina, jerusalem

What city was captured in 1453 and renamed Istanbul?

Constantinople

What was the "devshirme?

practice of taking hostage of young chrisitan boys and raise them as ottomans (vlad dracula)