Part IV: The Early Modern World

According to Strayer (2013, pg. 611) in labeling an era the early modern era, certain identifying factors must be present that are still present today. My favorite aspect of the early modern era would have to be the Scientific Revolution, as this greatly impacted the way in which we seek out information today. Strayer is quick to point out that although in the beginning of the early modern era “Europeans ruled the Americas and controlled the world’s sea routes” and despite the fact that the birth of modern science began in Europe, Europe was far from being the world’s leader. Towards the end of part four in our text books the question of “Why Europe” rises. Why was it that Europe was the first to make scientific leaps and bounds when other countries were far more advanced in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, etc.? The answer is space. Not the space that engulfs our planet that we examine in the sky every night, but rather space and freedom to ask questions and to explore. By the thirteen century the European legal system provided many institutions with the space and independence to explore. This openness to discovery permeated through universities and allowed students and scholars to study whatever they saw fit to study. This is when the divide between science, philosophy, and theology began. Furthermore, history proves that we (even today) have a lot to learn from other cultures; assimilation is key to discovering new ideas. This was the case in the thirteenth century, when Europe (being much more culturally diverse) was able to assimilate their collected knowledge with that of other cultures.

            Another devastating as well as interesting piece of the Early Modern World was the Atlantic Slate Trade. I think the majority of slave trade that we are exposed to in films and through readings was during the plantation slavery, which seems brutal in and of itself, however, the Atlantic Slave trade was unimaginably brutal. It amazes me the products that were used to trade for slaves. “The exchange for slaves, African sellers sought both European and Indian textiles, cowrie shells, European metal goods, firearms and gunpowder, tobacco and alcohol, and various decorative items” (Strayer, 2012, pg. 690). Decorative items for a person’s life, that’s just unfathomable to me. When I read about this part of history, it always makes me reflect on the current trades and the way in which we handle business internationally now. If someone were looking back centuries from now and reflecting on our present time period, what would they say was inhumane that we currently engage in? The ever present segregation? Eating meat? Our blatant disregard for our planet?

Part III Continued: An Age of Accelerating Connections

Part III Continued: An Age of Accelerating Connections

I find the making of Christian Europe extremely fascinating simply based what I always considered to be a rapid expansion. I was always under the impression that the expansion of Christianity globally was rather quick; however I learned that this was not the case regarding the Roman Empire. Although Christianity received state support during the fourth century C.E., it faced many setbacks.  Despite the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, Christianity became increasingly popular among England, France, Germany, and Scandinavia. The text explains that the making of Christian Europe was a prolonged and tentative process fill with resistance and many setbacks.  I have a newer version of the text which provides information regarding the “Advice on Dealing with “Pagans”. The church authorities (missionaries, bishops, and the pope) where advocates of compromise and where much less resistant to assimilation than previous religious leaders during that time period. The pope essentially urged tolerance, which I found to be an extremely wise approach. I also found the architecture and ancient art to be extremely revealing in telling a story of what was important to these people during this time. For example, The Ladder of Divine Ascent is a perfect portrayal of the stairway to heaven and the spiritual journey through life. What I particularly like about art and artifacts is that is provides a visual portrayal of a perception during a specific era. Although art can be interpreted differently depending on the individual, it seems much less subject to change than oral traditions, oral stories, or even written words. Take the pastoral nomads for example. Until recently, the history books generally provided an inaccurate depiction of pastoral nomads. “Normally they entered the story only when they were threatening or destroying established civilizations. In presenting a largely negative image of pastoral peoples, historians were reflecting the long-held attitudes of literate elites in the civilizations of Eurasia” (Strayer, 2013, pg. 539).

Part III: The Age of Accelerating Connections

Part 3: The Age of Accelerating Connections

For me, the development of Silk Roads, Sea Roads, and Sand Roads is extremely fascinating as this was the beginning of what greatly defines our world today. As mentioned in the text, these roads “linked peoples both economically and culturally, prompted the emergence of new states, and sustained elite privileges in many ancient civilizations…they resembled the globalized world of modern times (Strayer, 2013, pg. 342). It was through the Silk Roads (particularly during prosperous periods of time) when many particular goods were traded and sold for high prices due to their rareness in different cultures. Some of these products were: mirrors, gunpowder, paper, furs, livestock, herbal medicine, dyes, swords, artwork, and olive oil to name a few (pg. 320). These roads are responsible for the spread of cultural diversity all over the world. The text notes that Buddhism was a “cultural product of Indian civilization, spread widely throughout Central and East Asia, owing much to the activities of merchants along the Silk Roads. What I also found interesting about the various roads of transit was the spread of disease. As pointed out in the text, “Each of the major population centers of the Afro-Eurasian world had developed characteristic disease patterns, mechanisms for dealing with them, and in some cases immunity to them” (323). When comparing commerce prior to the 1500s to commerce today some of the main differences are: prior to the 1500s most people produced products mainly for their own consumption rather than for the market, “the world economy of the modern era increasingly had a single center which came to dominate much of the world both economically and politically…Economic relationships among third-wave civilizations were more balanced and multi-centered than those of the modern era” (Strayer, 2013, pg. 342).

            From 500-1300 C.E. China witnessed many changes in society. As pointed out in the text, Strayer believes these changes were due to internal factors and political conflicts within China. “The political conflicts of the “era of warring states” provided the setting and the motivation for the emergence of Confucianism and Daoism…The personal qualities and brutal policies of Shihuangdi played a role in China’s unification…and the subsequent creation of a widespread network of canals and waterways as well as the country’s technological achievements served to maintain that unity for a long period of time…The massive inequalities of Chinese society generated the peasant upheavals which periodically shattered that unity and led to new ruling dynasties” (Strayer, 2013, pg. 392). One aspect that I found particularly interesting was the relationship between China and Buddhism. It was the Silk Road that initially brought Buddhism into China, and it was initially only practiced by the merchants and monks living in China. “In half the millennium between roughly 300 and 800 C.E., Buddhism took solid root  in China within both elite and popular culture, becoming a permanent, through fluctuating, presence in Chinese life” (Strayer, 2013, pg. 389).

            When comparing the history of China to the history of Islam, one thing that stands out to me is the comparison of Islamic law to that of Chinese law and the effect that religion had on these countries. Both countries have strict rules and regulations that were created to keep order and deter anyone from rebelling against that order; however religion has had almost the opposite effect on each country. In China we had the birth of Buddhism which challenges laws and regulations. In Islam we have rules and regulations that are supported by the popular religion. Although Islam encompasses great diversity between the Sunni and Shia understandings of faith, both are in accordance with laws that are in place (although political opinions vary). It just amazes me how one single aspect of a country (such as religion) can change the course of a country within a limited amount of time.