Ways of the World世界之道.pptVIP

* Module 2 Empires and Encounters 1450–1750 European Empires in the Americas Maritime Expansion Spaniards in Caribbean, then on to Aztec and Inca empires Portuguese in Brazil British, French, and Dutch colonies in North America Europeans controlled most of the Americas by the mid-nineteenth century The European Advantage geography: European Atlantic states were well positioned need: Chinese and Indians didn’t have much incentive to go beyond Indian Ocean markets marginality: Europeans were aware of their precarious position in Eurasian commerce and wanted to change it Rivalry: interstate rivalry drove rulers to compete Merchants: growing merchant class in Europe Wealth and status: opportunities for impoverished nobles Religion: Christianity’s crusading zeal + persecuted minorities European states and trading companies mobilized resources well seafaring technology iron, gunpowder weapons, and horses European Empires in the Americas The Great Dying: demographic collapse of Native Americans pre-Columbian Western Hemisphere had population of 60 million–80 million no immunity to Old World diseases Europeans brought European and African diseases mortality rate of up to 90 percent among Native American populations native population nearly vanished in the Caribbean Central Mexico: population dropped from 10/20 million to around 1 million by 1650 similar mortality in North America The Columbian Exchange massive native mortality created a labor shortage in the Americas migrant Europeans and African slaves created entirely new societies American food crops (e.g., corn, potatoes and cassava) spread widely worldwide potatoes especially allowed enormous population growth corn and sweet potatoes were important in China and Africa exchange with the Americas reshaped the world economy importation of millions of African slaves to the Americas network of communication, migration, trade, transfer of plants and animals (including microbes) is called “the Columbian exchange” the Atlanti