Exploration, Trade, and Philosophies: A Historical Overview - Prof. Kevin Dougherty | Study notes World History

HIS 101 FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE

put all answers within the context of the entire course

Short answer and essays need to be organized, i.e. topic sentence etc. etc.

ID & SIGs (3-4 sentences):

Joint stock companies: During the Age of Exploration. Run primarily by the English and the

Dutch. These were investment companies that represented a way of mitigating risk. Pool of

investors would invest a percentage of their money in several ships. Governments supported

these companies because they generated lots of profit; they gave them lots of power. Resulted

in these companies becoming very influential and powerful with a world wide reach. One

example is the East India Trading Company. Example of globalization.

Legalism: During the period of the warring states, different Chinese thinkers developed different

philosophical ways to maintain order including Daoism, Confucianism and Legalism. Consisted of

a series of very rigid rules with very harsh punishments. Placed emphasis on the importance of

the state. Did not draw many religious references. For instance it did not support an afterlife,

and there was no organized church.

Conquistadors: Spanish conquerors that were more or less the military arm of Spanish

exploration and colonization. Most of these conquistadors were private entrepreneurs backed

by the government. Searched primarily for the “three G’s”: God, gold, glory. Cortez conquered

the Azteks; De Soto conquered the Mississippi territory; Pizarro conquered the Incas.

Equal field system: developed during resurgent China. One of the ways that allowed China to

become centralized again. At the time most of the land was owned by the rich community. The

poor population was upset and revolted. Equal field system was the way of redistributing the

land based on need and the quality of land. Provision in the system that allowed families to

receive a little extra land to pass on as an inheritance.

Five pillars of Islam: The Five Pillars of Islam is the term given to the five duties incumbent on

every Muslim. These duties are a profession of faith, regular prayer, giving of alms, fasting,

specifically during Ramadan, and a pilgrimage to Mecca. They are the fundamental ideals behind

Islam. Four of these pillars are actual actions. This means that Islam is a religion of action.

Basically guidelines of how a good Muslim should live.

Colombian Exchange: The phenomena of the global diffusion of people, goods and disease

across the Atlantic and around the world after Columbus and other explorers discovered new

trade routes to America and to the Far East. Represented massive globalization. For instance

horses were traded to the new world while corn was traded to Europe. Despite spread of

disease, the global population doubled.

Confucianism: A Chinese political philosophy developed during period of warring states by a

man named Confucius. It focused on relationships. There were different relationships with

different people: as a junior in relation to parents and elders, and as a senior in relation to

younger siblings, students, and others. Specifically the relationship between the government

and its people. Stressed that government positions should treat its people fairly. Daoism

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HIS 101 FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE

put all answers within the context of the entire course Short answer and essays need to be organized, i.e. topic sentence etc. etc. ID & SIGs (3-4 sentences): Joint stock companies: During the Age of Exploration. Run primarily by the English and the Dutch. These were investment companies that represented a way of mitigating risk. Pool of investors would invest a percentage of their money in several ships. Governments supported these companies because they generated lots of profit; they gave them lots of power. Resulted in these companies becoming very influential and powerful with a world wide reach. One example is the East India Trading Company. Example of globalization. Legalism: During the period of the warring states, different Chinese thinkers developed different philosophical ways to maintain order including Daoism, Confucianism and Legalism. Consisted of a series of very rigid rules with very harsh punishments. Placed emphasis on the importance of the state. Did not draw many religious references. For instance it did not support an afterlife, and there was no organized church. Conquistadors: Spanish conquerors that were more or less the military arm of Spanish exploration and colonization. Most of these conquistadors were private entrepreneurs backed by the government. Searched primarily for the “three G’s”: God, gold, glory. Cortez conquered the Azteks; De Soto conquered the Mississippi territory; Pizarro conquered the Incas. Equal field system: developed during resurgent China. One of the ways that allowed China to become centralized again. At the time most of the land was owned by the rich community. The poor population was upset and revolted. Equal field system was the way of redistributing the land based on need and the quality of land. Provision in the system that allowed families to receive a little extra land to pass on as an inheritance. Five pillars of Islam: The Five Pillars of Islam is the term given to the five duties incumbent on every Muslim. These duties are a profession of faith, regular prayer, giving of alms, fasting, specifically during Ramadan, and a pilgrimage to Mecca. They are the fundamental ideals behind Islam. Four of these pillars are actual actions. This means that Islam is a religion of action. Basically guidelines of how a good Muslim should live. Colombian Exchange: The phenomena of the global diffusion of people, goods and disease across the Atlantic and around the world after Columbus and other explorers discovered new trade routes to America and to the Far East. Represented massive globalization. For instance horses were traded to the new world while corn was traded to Europe. Despite spread of disease, the global population doubled. Confucianism: A Chinese political philosophy developed during period of warring states by a man named Confucius. It focused on relationships. There were different relationships with different people: as a junior in relation to parents and elders, and as a senior in relation to

younger siblings, students, and others. Specifically the relationship between the government

and its people. Stressed that government positions should treat its people fairly. Daoism

objected this and stressed looking inward to solve problems; Confucianism stressed morality and social activism. Abraham: founder of Judaism. Probably born in the city of Ur. Ur was a highly polytheistic society. Abraham was contacted by the god Yahweh. Yahweh and Abraham made a covenant. He formed a unique monotheistic religion. If Abraham accepted Yahweh as god, than Abraham was promised the land of Canaan for him and his descendants. Founded the nation of Israel. Manors: Self sustaining communities that offered some form of stability and protection in medieval Europe. These manors were run by a single noble who controlled almost every aspect of the town. Feudal system in which the kings did not have much power. They were judges that wore multiple hats, including law enforcement. Power is focused in smaller locations rather than a larger macro-level scale. Serfs worked the land. Plato: Greek philosopher and student of Socrates. Plato found too many exceptions to Socrates rules. Came up with the theory of ideas and forms. Argued that reality is just a shadow of the idea world. Said that only philosophers could enter this world of ideas and therefore should be the kings. They would be better kings because they would be more virtuous. He published “The Republic”. Trans-Sahara trade route: the routes in which Muslim and Christian merchants traded with Saharan Africa. Focused on the trade of gold and salt. Many of these merchants were Islam. The spread of the trade route resulted in the spread of the Islam religion. Helped spur the growth of cities like Timbuktu and the growth of the Mali Empire led by Mansa Musa. De Gamma: Vasco de Gama. Portuguese explorer that traveled around the Cape of Good Hope during the Age of Exploration. Traveled around the African continent. Opened up a new water passage to India. The silk roads were dying out and this route offered an alternative. Torah: Holy book of laws for Judaism. Interpreted by Jewish priests. Talman interpreted these laws for the citizens. Inca Roads: System of roads built by the Inca Empire located in the Andes Mts. The Empire ran north to west. Allowed fast transportation of people, goods and military forces connecting the capital of Cuzco. Allowed the Incas to control long distance trade. Represented a way of political centralization. Code of Hammurabi: A set of laws used by King Hammurabi of the Babylonian Empire in order to maintain control and order, within the empire, without the presence of an organized religion or afterlife. He claimed that the gods had chosen him to protect the welfare of the people. Promoted high moral standards, high standards of behavior and stern punishment for violators. “Eye for an eye” philosophy. The very first written code of laws. Tigris and Euphrates: Two rivers that flowed through Mesopotamia, what is now modern day Iraq; land between the rivers; Fertile Crescent. The rivers brought large volumes of water to an otherwise dry region. Brought with them fertile soil deposits which allowed for intensive agriculture. Allowed Mesopotamians to grow wheat, barley and beans. Supported a large growth in the population and thus the advancement of civilization in the region.

new road network. Suddenly new markets and entire regions were open to the spread of a variety of religions, resulting in the diffusion of religious ideas across the Asian continent. The expanding trade networks resulted in positive consequences including the globalization of trade and religion. Yet, unintended consequences would soon bring dire travesties to the populations situated along the Silk Roads. During the 1330’s bubonic plague erupted in Southern China. By 1348, spread by flea infested mice, plague had sparked epidemics in most of Western Europe. Renaissance-Crisis and Recovery: Often progression is spurred by the reaction to and recovery from crisis’ and dire situations. The Renaissance is a perfect example of that. At the time of the beginning of the Renaissance, Europe was emerging from the fall out of the Bubonic Plague and the 100 years war. These different catastrophic events changed the social and political landscape of the entire continent. The plague was spread into Europe along the silk roads and exploded in European cities. Estimates put the death toll at nearly one third the population of the continent. The Hundred Years War was actually a series of conflicts between England and France that lasted from the the 1330’s to the 1450’s. It was fought primarily in France and devastated the population of the local countryside. In response to these crises, the governments of Western Europe devised ways of vastly increasing the power of the central government. These forms of state building relied primarily on large new sources of revenue and the development of large standing armies. This allowed the countries to become much more centralized, and thus much more capable of progressing successfully into the future. Caste system in India-Maintaining order: Social hierarchal controls. The Caste system was founded on the old social orders developed by Aryans that migrated into India around 1500 B.C. The Aryans had sharp distinctions between individuals and groups according to their occupations and roles in society. It served to maintain order despite the lack of centralized state political influence. The Aryan system consisted of four main varnes , or classes: Brahmins (priests) ; Kshatriyas (warriors and aristocrats); Vaishyas (cultivators, artisans, and merchants); and Shudras (landless peasants and serfs). The class of Untouchables was formed sometime later. Different sub castes would emerge over the following centuries. These classes dictated how an individual lived their life down to the finest detail. Members of the same caste intermarried, lived together and cared for each other. It was rare for an individual to climb the caste ladder. The caste you were born into was generally the one you stuck with, and the caste that your children fell into. The system served as the principle foundation of stability in India well into the 11th century, and still exists today in limited fashion. Reasons for the Crusades: Mixed reasons for and mixed results of warfare.

The Crusades were an epic conflict that spanned hundreds of years fought between Muslims and different Western European nations. Nations and individuals had different reasons for participating in the Crusades. These included religious vindication and economic gain. The Crusades essentially began with the invasion of Muslim forces into the old Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Emperor pleaded with Pope Urban II to help him against the Muslims. In response the Pope gave a rousing and inspiring speech in Clermont, France in 1095. The Pope called upon all Christians from Europe to retake the holy land from the hands of the Muslims. For many this was the religious justification they needed to start a series of campaigns against the Muslims holding Palestine “in defense of the faith”; justified by the biblical accounts of Joshua conquering Canaan. The conflict also enticed many serfs and poor citizens looking for a fresh start and a chance to acquire new wealth. Prisoners who served were freed and guaranteed a new life in Palestine. Italian city-states supported the cause aiming to make huge commercial profit with their large navies. They were in a prime location to resupply crusaders. The results of the Crusades for the Christians were ultimately unsuccessful. Jerusalem was still in Muslim hands. The Muslim nations that were once tolerant of religious diversity became intolerant. The efforts of the pope to reunite the Catholic Church and bring stability to the continent were undermined by the nationalistic ambitions of nations and kings; in fact the influence of the church diminished by the lack of success. The few success gained from the conflict for Europe included the enhanced trade and exploration developed throughout the war. Serfs and other poor citizens used the war to leave their past behind and find new opportunity. The Muslim empire was severely weakened by the conflict, allowing a quick takeover by the Mongols later. ESSAY (15-30 sentences): Motives for European exploration and the technology that made this possible. Explosion of global trade. Between 1400 and 1800, European mariners launched a series of exploratory voyages which took them to all but the extreme polar regions of the earth. Famous names such as Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan and Vasco de Gama all made names for themselves exploring previously unknown parts of the world. But what were the intentions of these explorers? What made them risk their lives to sail out into the unknown ocean in search of fame and adventure? These explorers were not risking their lives without some sense of reward. They were being funded by Western European nations such as Portugal, Spain and England to establish new oversea trade routes to the Far East. New trade routes were necessary after the previously lucrative Silk Roads led to the spread of the bubonic plague into Europe, and the collapse of the Mongol Empire led to great instability in the region. Cutting out the Muslim middlemen would also generate more profit. Europe was greedy to get its hands on valued goods such as spices and silk. The search for basic natural resources and lands suitable for the cultivation of crops also led to expansion. Portuguese explorers in conjunction with Italian mariners set up new sugar plantations and trading posts on island clusters off the coast of Africa. Spain expanded heavily

the Persian Empire, but he was assassinated before he could carry out his plans. Instead, this would be left to his son Alexander who was just twenty years old at the time of his father’s death. Alexander took advantage of his father’s already stout military, and the lessons he learned while being a student of Aristotle, to push into Persia conquering massive amounts of territory in a short amount of time. Alexander was a masterful commander, but his true genius could be found in his siege warfare tactics. Alexander’s most famous siege victory was that of the island city of Tyre. Eventually Alexander became greedy and stretched his lines too thin when he tried to push farther into Asia. He would be killed on the battlefield, but not before he would go down as one of the most famous generals the world has ever known. How Darius combined centralization and localization in order to maintain order in Persia Under Darius the Persian Empire experienced remarkable growth. Through military conquest Darius expanded the Persian Empire to reach nearly 1,800 miles east to west, and nearly 900 miles north to south. The empire consisted of nearly 35 million people with almost 70 distinct ethnic groups. It was by far the largest, most powerful ancient empire of its day. With this vast empire came great responsibility and Darius performed his role with great success. He was an excellent administrator, and ruled his empire with a finely tuned balance of centralized administration and localized leadership. Soon after Darius came to power he began centralizing his administration. About 520 he began building a new capital in Persepolis. The city would serve as the nerve city of the empire filled with advisors, ministers, diplomats, scribes, accountants, translators, and other bureaucratic officials. Darius divided the kingdom into 23 satrapies run by governors that served as agents of the central administration to oversee affairs in the various regions of the empire. Darius replaced the irregular payments with formal tax levies. Each satrapy was required to pay a set quantity of silver to the impe rial court. In order to expedite payments, he issued standard coins. Darius also created a Royal Road that stretched 1,600 miles from the Aegean port of Ephesus to Sardis in Anatolia, through Mesopotamia along the Tigris River, to Susa in Iran, with an extension to Pasargadae and Persepolis. The road was well policed for safety. Darius established 111 postal stations at 25 to 30 mile intervals along the route. In a unique display of political tolerance, Darius did not abolish the existing laws of individual lands and peoples. He had no uniform law code for the entire empire. He did direct legal experts to codify the laws of the subject people and modify them as necessary to harmonize them with the legal principles observed by the empire as a whole. By carefully centralizing his empire, yet still allowing local leadership at the lower levels of management, Darius struck a unique and well thought out balance between centralized authority and political tolerance. This allowed him to successfully control one of the greatest empires the world has ever known.

Exploration, Trade, and Philosophies: A Historical Overview - Prof. Kevin Dougherty, Study notes of World History

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Download Exploration, Trade, and Philosophies: A Historical Overview - Prof. Kevin Dougherty and more Study notes World History in PDF only on Docsity!

HIS 101 FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE

younger siblings, students, and others. Specifically the relationship between the government

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