Midterm- Short Answers Flashcards
Tanzimat “Imperial Organization”
Tanzimat was a process that occurred in the Ottoman Empire to modernize, westernize, and standardize the empire. This “re-organization” took place to meet the “Standards of Civilization” established by the West. Some of the changes/reforms made were in administrative, politics, equality, judicial, and military.
Otto von Bismarck and the Unification of Germany
Bismarck is single-handedly responsible for unifying Germany and creating the “little Germany”. This unification was achieved through the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War. Bismarck was also the first chancellor of Germany and implemented new policies ( such as men’s suffrage and welfare) to get approval from the working class and weaken liberals.
Standard of Civilization
The “Standard of Civilization” was created by the European Great Powers or the “Family of Nations”. This “Standard” set the terms for what determined if an empire was “civilized”, however, the “Standard” was not an explicit list. The vagueness benefited the European powers and “non-civilized” countries sought to meet the “standard”.
American Slavery and the British Textile Industry
Due to the massive growth of the British Textile Industry, the global demand for cotton drastically increased. The new demand and profit for cotton expanded slavery in the US and cotton plantations rapidly increased. Cotton and slavery directly impacted the Textile Industry and vice versa.
Las Casas-Sepulveda Debate
This debate was part of the Valladolid Debate, which was the first time European powers debated the treatment of colonized/indigenous people. Las Casas argued that the treatment of indigenous people was wrong and not “Christian-like”. Sepulveda argued that the indigenous people were natural-born slaves and the colonizers were natural-born masters.
Mercantile or Chartered Companies
Mercantile or Chartered Companies were joint stock companies that raised money by selling shares to investors (which reduced overall risk). Companies such as the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company were granted charters from their ruler and traded with other countries. Even though they were private companies, they possessed sovereign power and could act on behalf of the state (such as claiming territory in name of the state).
Ottoman Slavery
The Ottoman Empire was an empire completely dependent on slavery. Concubines gave birth to royal heirs, the military was slave-based and all of the high officials were slaves. Slaves were not mistreated and many were educated, earned money, and had power within the state.
Meiji Empire (Japan)
During the Meiji Empire, Japan was modernized and westernized to meet the “Standard of Civilization”. During this time, a constitution was made, compulsory education was created and there was a conscripted army. The Japanese army beat Russia and thus they were able to join the “Family of Nations”.
“Seeing Like a State”
“Seeing Like a State” is mostly referring to states organizing cities/states into a more systematic and organized state. Chaotic medieval cities were given proper streets, maps, and organization, and overall made it so that anyone could understand it. States did this to see who their citizens are, taxation, and to have the ability to move their military more effectively.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
In France August 27, 1789, during the French Revolution, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was created, and it was quite similar to the American Declaration of Independence. It declared the expression of free ideas, equality under the law, and a representative government. This declaration served as a model for constitutional government and independence movements around the world.
Lin Zexu and the First Opium War
Lin Zexu was sent by the Chinese Emperor to Canton, and his job was to end the illegal trade of opium from Britain and opium addiction in China. Zexu achieved this by forcibly treating addicts, harshly punishing drug dealers, and confiscating millions of pounds of opium. Britain viewed the ban on opium importation as limiting Britain’s rights to free trade. As a result, Britain went to war with China from 1839-1842 in the First Opium War.
Drug Foods
Drug food were foods such as coffee, tea, sugar, chocolate, tobacco, and later opium. They were referred to as “drug” foods because many people became “addicted” to them and constantly wanted more of them. Between the 1500 and 1800’s, these foods dominated global economy.
Colonial Era Hajj
During the industrialization era, steamships became widely available and ordinary people could now travel anywhere and afford it. This provided new, cheaper, and better ways for Muslims from around the world to attend Hajj (a religious annual pilgrimage). During this time, the amount of Muslims attending Hajj rapidly increased to hundreds of thousands, and cholera was rapidly spread among them.
The Capitulations and Extraterritorial Treaties
The Capitulations and Extraterritorial treaties were created by the European powers and put on China, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire. The treaties were extremely unequal and favored Europeans. The treaties basically said that Europeans in their state (China, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire), were exempt from local laws and would be tried in European Courts (not local courts).
The Closed Sea
The closed sea basically means that parts of the sea were owned by certain states. Portugal used this argument to say that they had sovereign rights and could impose laws on parts of the sea that they owned. International later changed the closed sea to the open sea.
