Chapter 14 and Chapter 15 Questions(Short Answer) Flashcards
Why were so many women targeted during the witchcraft craze?
From Emily Oster’s Witchcraft, Weather and Economic Growth in Renaissance Europe:
-Majority of executions/trials take place in the 16 and 17 centuries
-Trials were conducted by both Catholics and Protestants
-Victims were primarily poor and widowed woman
-Data finds that there is a relationship between witch trials,weather patterns,& the economy
-Persecution of witches was a response to the waning power of the Inquisition
-TODAY: Witchcraft is often blamed for AIDS death in sub-Saharan Africa
REASONS:
-male medical profession wants to rid the world of midwives and female folk healers
-A perceived need for moral boundaries by the Catholic church
- increase in syphilis and mentally ill, targeted as witches
-Deterioration in economic conditions- decrease in temp and food shortages
How did the Thirty Years’ War affect the different participants (e.g. French, Spanish, H.R.E.)?
The Peace of Westphalia: ensured that all German states were free to determine their religion
France gains territory: parts of Western Germany, part of Alsace,Metz, Toul, and Verdun
Austrian Habsburgs lost authority as rulers
Peace of Westphalia in the HRE: separated religion from politics
Destructive overall for every European country that experience it.
Was French absolutism truly absolute? Why or why not?
In reality, French absolutism was not truly absolute. The rulers/ monarchs relied on the nobles support, and the Catholic Church probably still played a part in controlling a country.
What purposes did Versailles serve?
It was where king Louis XIV and some nobility lived as long as they were pleasing to the king
In addition,the chief offices of the state were located there, so Louis could watch over them.
What gains did (English) Parliament make at the expense of the monarchy during the course of the seventeenth century?
Parliament had got the majority of political power - could legislate new laws and new taxes,declare war,make peace treaties…
The monarch was as responsible under the law for their behavior in the same way every other person was.
Constitutional Monarchy
Parliament had and wielded the vast majority of political power,not the monarch.
More people could be involved with government
How did Western ideas influence the reign of Peter the Great in Russia?
Peter the great wanted to transplant new gadgets to Russia.
He needed technology to make his army & navy great, & thus make Russia a great power.
He is given credit for forming the first Russian navy
Created a nobility based on merit, rather than being a noble.
Effective domination of the church- as compared to King Louis with his destruction of Huguenots.
Why were the Portuguese so well positioned for overseas exploration?
The Portuguese were well positioned for overseas exploration because they improved their ships, and used new navigational technology. They also had knowledge of wind patterns and used better maps than most of the world. The Portuguese had funding from their monarchy. They were forced to head towards oversea exploration since they were land locked by Spain.
Examples: Ptolemy’s World Map and The Port of Lisbon engraving that shows the caravels
How were the Spanish able to defeat the Aztecs and the Incas?
The Spanish saw that the Aztec/Incas were divided and that some of the native settlements didn’t like their leader. They allied with the Spanish so they could take down the leader.The Spanish also had more advanced military technology, so against the obsidian blades it didn’t do anything to the steel plated armor. They also had gunpowder which did some damage, but also put fear into the natives. The Europeans brought diseases to the Americas. Examples: Cortes’s Description of Tenochtitlan - he mentions his horsemen when he says “so firm indeed that over many of them ten horseman can ride at once.” Many of the natives had never seen horses, so this was very surprising.
What social and economic forces drove the Slave Trade?
Slavery existed before the discovery of the New Worlds but the need for more workers on the new continent caused a growth in the Slave Trade. The high death rate of slaves as well as the high demand for sugarcane plantations were also major contributions to the economic forces that drove the slave trade. The Europeans justified the slave trade by believing that the uncivilized people needed to be civilized. The integration of the triangular trade into multiple economies also kept the slave trade alive. Examples: Diary of a Citizen- shows how slaves are bought and tells of the conditions on the ship Also, the Map of the Triangular Trade Route in the Atlantic Economy- a trade in slaves grew, exported to the Americas, the newly discovered regions that needed workers for the land
How were the British able to achieve such a dominant position in Asia?
The British were able to achieve such a dominant position in Asia for several reasons. First, they had superior weaponry to the native populations. The British also had plenty of forts and trading posts to operate from, as well as an ingenious military general, Sir Robert Clive. Clive defeated the Mughal Empire’s forces at the Battle of Plassey, which won the British the right to tax nearby Indian territories, providing their armies with another stable source of income. The English also had more money, power, and soldiers than their competitors in the area, such as the French and the Dutch.
Examples: Qianlong’s reply to King George III’s request to establish a trading route between the two. This would have made King George a bit mad, and decide to take Asia over by force.
What impact did European colonization have on the colonized?
The European colonizations impacted the colonized in 5 major ways: disease, ecology, slavery, religion and trade. The Europeans brought in several diseases, such as smallpox, which contributed to the downfall of several native colonies. They exported several livestock, such as cattle and horses which changed the ecology of the local environment, and introduced new ways of farming and vegetation as well. Slaves were taken with the Europeans to the New World to work on agricultural plantations, such as the sugar factories. Christian missionaries converted many native colonies and spread the ideas of Christianity throughout the new world. Contact with the new colonies also increased the abundance and discovery of new materials/resources that the Europeans searched for, like gold and silver.
What economic changes occurred in Europe as a result of Mercantilism and Capitalism?
The economic changes that occurred in Europe as a result of Mercantilism and Capitalism were the termination of traditional family banking, the creation of joint stock trading companies, and having the main idea to export more than import. Joint stock trading companies were made as traditional family banking could not handle the major increase in the economy because of trading. An example would be the creation of The Bank of Amsterdam. It was also important to hold a good amount of precious metals such as gold, because this determined the wealth of the region, this is why it would be better to export and make money rather than import. To stop people from dominantly importing, high tariffs were placed on these imported goods. This encouraged people to buy locally and not import.
Jacob Fugger, as mentioned in the textbook, had one of the wealthiest banking firms of the 16th century in many locations of branches including: Milan, Lisbon, Innsbruck, and Nuremberg.
How did European expansion affect Europe?
European expansion affected Europe by increasing the amount of trade in and out of Europe and caused increase inflation. With the expansion of europe came more knowledge like new maps, the astrolabe, caravel and new lifestyles/cultures . Europe also gained more land which meant they had more power and more manufacturing which meant more trade possibility. The increased expansion and power also led to more tension, rivalries, and wars between other competing countries. Families became more culturally diverse when people from Europe and the New World began marrying.
