3 Flashcards
RUSSIA
-benefited from end of mongol rule
-its power was in the slavic state kievan rus
- With the decline of the Mongol Empire, the princes of the Grand Duchy of Moscow successfully out-maneuvered other Kievan Rus princes, increasing their power and prestige. Ivan III (r. 1462-1505) expanded his control and, by 1480, was strong enough to declare the autonomy of Moscow from the Golden Horde. Known by his followers as Ivan the Great, he and his successors incorporated political, military and technological ideas from Asia and Europe. T he Muscovites relied on the Boyars (high-ranking nobles) and the church for support
- Russians increasingly viewed themselves as the protectors of Orthodox Christians both within and outside their borders.
-Ivan IV (the terrible) dedicated much of his reign to increasing both his power and that of the Russian state. More tumultuous life. Allied with cossaks in region of russia, further expanded it
-Time of Trouble as his relatives struggled over the imperial throne. Centralized power waned until Ivan’s nephew, the new Czar Michael (r. 1613-1645), reestablished centralized control, establishing the Romanov dynasty
- The conquest of Siberia would be consequential for Russian development as its natural resources, especially its furs, brought increased wealth to the Russian state.
-a new code of laws stipulated that anyone who did not own land would be considered a serf, which made it clear that landowners had the right to rule, direct and control the Russian state and people. The new laws also ended the period of religious tolerance and ordered all non-Russians to adopt the Eastern Orthodox faith.
CHINA
-also benefited from the end of Mongol rule.
-Enthusiastic builders, the Mings constructed a new capital called Beijing. Built between 1407 and 1420, the new capital consisted of a series of squares within squares, each being more restrictive and private than the next. A palace complex of nearly 10,000 rooms, the Forbidden City was the most private area. Within these walls, the emperor and the bureaucracy worked, sometimes together, others at odds, to run the Chinese state.
–MING dynasty
-Chinese scholar-officials represented the backbone of the Chinese state and bureaucracy. Unlike Europe, China had no hereditary aristocracy, nor did its merchant class become politically significant as in some European countries.
-cholarofficials became the most formidable check on the absolute power of the emperor. Scholar-officials gained their place in government by passing rigorous civil service examinations
-Quotas ensured that each province could only send so many worthy candidates to the capital, ensuring no regional dominance in government.
-T he prestige associated with being sent to the capital meant that families who could afford to do so would hire tutors to give their male children an advantage. Based mainly on Confucian texts, the examinations could last for several days. The grueling process of the exams
-still feared the mongols, updated their walls to keep them out, though expensive task redoing the old ones
-The walls also had a series of watch towers and gates to facilitate trade, taxation and security
-emphasis on improvement of agriculture gave more food production, better populations, improved countryside
-Merchants sold cotton, silks, paper and textiles to large Chinese cities and foreign nations. By the end of the Ming dynasty, tobacco, imported from the Americas, became a popular consumption item for men and women. Due to its focus on education and its papermaking and publishing industries, China, during this period, had an unusually high literacy rate.
- historians agree that the competition with Japan combined with a series of natural disasters (floods, epidemics, etc.,) put tremendous pressure on the Ming government, which disintegrated in the face of these problems and growing unrest.
-The Qings (1644-1912) now ruled China. Descended from the Jurchens, the Qing dynasty came from Manchuria. Like the neighboring Mongols, the Manchus excelled at archery from horseback. The Qing dynasty brought stability to China, and by the end of the century, China once again experienced a period of wealth and prosperity
JAPAN
-primarily isolated from the rest of the world
-japanese had early experience w chinese influence reflected in paintings and architecture
-buddhism bigger in japan than china, christianity oppressed (executions)
-The self-imposed isolation and simultaneous inner peace allowed Japan to flourish culturally and led to immense economic improvement. However, over time the military dictatorship turned into a stagnant bureaucracy
-later japan utterly under influence of chinese culture
-japan growing to later a more destructive power to china and southeast asia
ENCOUNTER WITH EUROPEANS
-initial interest in portugal firearms, fear of foreign influences, converstions to christianity leading to expelling all foreigners so that there wouldn’t be rebellion with the commoners with shogun legitimacy undermined
TOKUGAWA SHOGUNATE
-emperor just a figurehead
-samurai controlling the provinces.
-warrior nobles known as daimyo led the provinces.
-T he shogunate represented a period of stability and peace. All firearms were banned and collected. The idea was to reinvigorate the military control of the samurai who used bows and swords instead of firearms. All inhabitants were classified as belonging to one of the major classes: warriors, farmers, artisans, or merchants. Christianity was considered one of the biggest threats. Officials banned missionaries, closed churches and persecuted Christians mainly now practicing their faith underground.
-Trade with China and Korea continued but remained highly monitored. Japanese subjects were not allowed to travel abroad, and those that lived abroad were forbidden to return to Japan. This period of isolation is often referred to as sakoku.
-Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the dual government continued with the shogunate residing in Edo (later renamed Tokyo) and the emperor living in Kyoto. The shogun wielded political and military power, while the emperor exercised ceremonial power. The daimyo formed a council and acted as agents of the shogun in the provinces. In time many became provincial overlords and a constant thorn in the side of the shogunate. The shogun had a sizeable personal domain near Edo. He would manipulate the daimyo…
-During the Tokugawa shogunate, the Japanese domestic economy improved particularly in fine wares and ceramics.
-Commercial networks started to gain importance. By experimenting with credit, a form of Japanese capitalism emerged which allowed Japanese merchants to compete in foreign markets. T he life of peasants and artisans improved initially, but heavy taxes led to misery and peasant rebellions. The improved economy led to rapid urbanization and the rise of major metropolises such as Kyoto, Osaka and Edo. Most Japanese continued to live in rural areas and depended on local farming and fishing to survive.
-buddhism fir upper class, commoners more shintoism
SOUTHEAST ASIA
-The Dutch East India Company put their headquarters on the Island of Java, from which they oversaw the regional trade. The British East India Company left the region. The only country where Europeans wielded influence was the Spanish Philippines. Malacca became an important trading crossroads in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia from which the Portuguese controlled the spice islands. The region was dominated by Hinduism and Islam, except for the Philippines, where Catholicism was practiced.
SUMMARY
The period 1500-1700 witnessed a consolidation of power in Russia, China, Japan and parts of Southeast Asia. In each of these areas, local rulers effectively checked or at least reduced Western encroachment. The Russian Empire vastly expanded its borders, and this would bring it into conflict with other expanding powers including the Ottoman Empire. The Ming dynasty also centralized power and embarked on ambitious building projects, including the construction of a new imperial capital and an expansion of the Great Wall of China. The Qing dynasty, which overthrew the Mings in 1644, increasingly faced the challenges of Western encroachment. The establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate ushered in a period of relative stability in Japan. The shogunate introduced a policy of strict isolation as it banned Christianity and severely restricted trade and interaction with Western nations. This isolation would last until the 1850s. During this period, European influence in Southeast Asia remained relatively limited. The Spanish Philippines was the only real and significant area where Europeans wielded any meaningful authority. Over the next two centuries (18th and 19th), each of the powers/regions covered in this chapter would have to wrestle with Western ideas and the threat of foreign intrusion.
