Asian Transitions in an Age of Global Change
Asian Transitions in an Age of Global Change
1500 s n n Europeans arrive in East & Southeast Asia not much affected at first ¨ China & Japan strong enough to resist http: //home. planet. nl/~eljee/J. htm
Vasco da Gama n 1498 voyage to India ¨ Opened the way east for Europeans n n Europe had little to trade Asians not interested in Christianity http: //college. hmco. com/history/west/mosaic/chapter 9/images/vasco_da_gama. jpg
Limits to European success n Sea power allowed: ¨ Control of spice exports ¨ Regulation of some areas in Asian trade network ¨ Europe participation, not control ¨ Tribute regimes http: //www. thegutsygourmet. net/post-spice. jpg
Europeans and Asian Commerce Goal of Europeans in Asia = trade, not empire-building
Portuguese empire http: //geography. ucdavis. edu/njrallan/class/geo 10/slides/images/Geo 10 -124_jpg. jpg
A Portuguese Empire of Commerce Portugal created a “trading post empire” within the Indian Ocean Goal = control co mmerce, not large territories or populations Goal = control trading posts by force of arms, not by economic competition Major thing Portugal controlled = the spice trade
Portuguese Policies in the Indian Ocean Required all merchant vessels to purchase a cartaz (pass) to sail throughout the region Charged merchant vessels taxes of 6 -10% of their cargoes Blocked the Red Sea route to the Mediterranean Sea Monopolized the trade route around Africa to Europe
Portuguese Control in the Long-Run Portugal never succeeded in controlling more than half of the spice trade to Europe By 1600 = the Portuguese trading post empire was in steep decline Competition from other European powers Competition from rising Asian states like Japan and Mughal India
Spain and the Philippines Spain was the first to follow in Portugal’s footsteps Established itself on the Philippine islands Named after King Philip II of Spain set up outright colonial rule because: Close to China and the spice islands Small and militarily weak societies on the Philippines No competing claims for the islands
Spanish will have on the Philipines?
Spain and the Philippines With Spanish rule came: Mass conversion to Christianity Relocation from scattered settlements to permanent, concentrated Christian communities Taxes, tribute, and unpaid labor Large estates owned by Spanish settlers or prominent Filipinos Responses to colonial oppression = short-lived revolts; flight to the interior mountains or bustling capital of Manila
Dutch trading empire, 1650 http: //occawlonline. pearsoned. com/bookbind/pubbooks/brummett_awl/chapter 20/medialib/thumbs/ch 20_378. html
The East India Companies n n n British and Dutch East India Companies Both militarily and economically stronger than Portugal quickly overtook Portugal within the Indian Ocean network in the early 1600 s Established their own parallel and competing trading post empires ¨ Dutch = focused on Indonesia ¨ British = focused on India
The East India Companies n n East India Companies = private trading companies that use merchant investors to raise money and share risks These companies were granted charters by their governments that allowed them to: ¨ Make war ¨ Govern conquered peoples ¨ Hold trading monopolies
Dutch East India Company n n n Trading posts = in Indonesia Controlled production and shipping of: cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace (all spices) Seized control of spice-producing islands with force and bloodshed
British East India Company n n n Trading posts = in India Did not practice “trade by warfare” like the Dutch were no match for the Mughal Empire in India Secured their trading bases on the coast with the permission of Mughal authorities n n Usually took substantial payments and bribes Focus = Indian cotton textiles
Asian Commerce Impact of European involvement in Asian commerce = not very big on the major powers of South and East Asia (Mughal India, China, and Japan) n Europe posed no real military or economic threat to them n Were able to get rid of European intruders if need be n
Overall, n South & Southeast Asia ¨ Europeans stronger, ¨ But most Asians kept control n East Asia ¨ Ming China & Tokugawa Japan dominant
Japan and the Europeans When European merchants first arrived in Japan (1500 s) Japan = civil war between daimyos (feudal lords), each with his own band of samurai Result = it was easy for the Europeans to stay there European ideas taken by the Japanese = shipbuilding skills, military technology, geographic knowledge, commercial opportunities, and religious ideas
Feudalism in Japan vs. Europe
Japan and the Europeans Early 1600 s = Japan unified politically by Tokugawa Shogunate Brought all daimyos under his authority Civil wars ended Shoguns began to see Europeans as a threat to Japan’s new unity Tokugawa Ieyasu
Edo castle http: //dougukan. jp/B 24. html
Tokugawa years Great Peace through dictatorship n Monopoly on gunpowder technology n Rigid class system n http: //www. hogaku. it/storia/azuchi_momoyama/map 2. gif
Attempted to attack Korea 1592, 1597 n Defeated n “Turtle Boats” n ¨ First ironclad warships http: //www. pennfamily. org/KSS-USA/690428 -621. htm
Restricted Europeans’ access to Japan n n 1500 s: Portuguese, Spanish Dutch arrived Traders & missionaries ¨ Francis n Xavier By 1614, up to 300, 000 converts ¨ 10% of population § http: //www. frontpagemag. com/articles/Printable. asp? ID=3993 “Portuguese arrive in Japan” Thomas Kostecki http: //www. kostecki. de/en/chegada. htm
Japan and the Europeans Result = Japan did the following: Expelled Christian missionaries (banned in 1614) Violently suppressed the practice of Christianity Included: Torture and execution of missionaries and converts Forbade Japanese people from travelling abroad Banned European traders from entering Japan Result = Japan became isolated from Monument to Nagasaki martyrs the world of European commerce for 2 centuries (1650 -1850) Maintained trading ties with only China and Korea
Shogunate’s accomplishments n Peace restored Population grew Roads, canals, internal economy grew n Tokugawas dynamic through mid-1700 s n n ¨ Inflexibility ¨ Tokugawa trade rule ended 1868 when USA forces them to
Ming Dynasty n n n 1368 -1644 Ruled world’s most populous state Restored ethnic Chinese rule after 400 years’ foreign domination http: //acc 6. its. brooklyn. cuny. edu/~phalsall/
Founder n Zhu Yuanzhang ¨ Peasant origins ¨ Buddhist monk Military commander in revolt against Mongols n Became emperor n ¨ Laws favorable to peasants http: //www. paulnoll. com/China/Dynasty/history-Ming-emperors. html
Hall of Harmony – Forbidden City http: //www. historywiz. com/forbiddencity. htm
Dragon throne http: //www. historywiz. com/qing. htm
Peak of cultural grandeur & elegance n n n Confucianism revived Civil service exams reinstated, expanded Return to scholar-gentry dominance Zhuxi (Neoconfucian) Kaifeng
Foreign relations: Most dynamic dynasty 1300 s-1400 s: active in conquering neighbors n Population growth based on new American crops n ¨ Corn ¨ Potato ¨ Sweet potato ¨ (Cotton) Ming peasant with wheelbarrow
Great Wall Final & lasting reconstruction n Built last 1000 kilometers n http: //www. free-beauty-tips. com/bw 3. html
Culture Principal strength in 1500 s-1600 s n Art & literature n ¨ Novels Silk n Porcelain n http: //www. jozan. net/Artikelbilleder/MTA 2003/Textile 17 ct-Ming-noah 1_gr. jpg
Ming porcelain n Emperors were biggest customers Prized by wealthy across Eurasia Rougher, more durable pieces sold to foreigners ¨ For silver ¨ American silver gave Europeans much greater access to Chinese markets
Europeans began arriving Portuguese, then Spanish n China was too big to conquer n ¨ Established trading houses Chinese image of 18 th-century European sailor
Matteo Ricci n Jesuit priest & scholar ¨ Respected n by Chinese Traveled in China ¨ 1583 -1610 ¨ Adopted Chinese dress ¨ Learned language n n Appointed court mathematician & astronomer Little success in spreading Christianity
Voyages of discovery Zheng He n Mongol, eunuch n 7 naval voyages, 1405 -1433 n
7 Voyages of Zheng He http: //www 1. cs. columbia. edu/~tliu/chinese/zhenghe. html
Zheng He’s fleet n 1 st expedition: ¨ 62 large ships ¨ 200 smaller ships ¨ 28000 men
Compared to Europeans Zheng He’s ships 400 feet long n Santa Maria 85 feet n
Why did they stop? n Interesting but not practical ¨ Giraffes, zebras n Glamorous but expensive n Analogy: US cut back space program
Chinese/European point of view n Chinese: ¨ Emperor: curious, ambitious ¨ Merchants opposed—China is rich already ¨ Scholar gentry opposed waste of money n threat to their power n Confucian bias against merchants & trade n n Europeans: wide support ¨ Increase national & personal wealth, power ¨ Spread Christianity
Fall of Ming Poor leadership n Internal corruption n Peasant revolts n Manchu (Northern nomads) invaded n ¨ Founded Qing dynasty http: //www. regenttour. com/china/history/qing. htm
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