Period 4: How did new social and political elites change, and also restructure new ethnic, racial, and gender hierarchies? Both imperial conquests and widening global economic opportunities contributed to the formation of new political and economic elites Do NOW: Review- How would you describe the different forms of “coerced labor”?

Political Power in Colonial Latin America Spain sent royal governors to rule its colonies in Latin America (viceroys) Gold and silver from the Americas were shipped to Spain, making it the strongest power in Europe in the 16th century. Conquered lands in the Americas were frequently divided among the soldiers.

Social Hierarchy in Colonial Latin America Peninsulares- people born on the Iberian peninsula. They were the most powerful people in the Americas. Criollos or creoles were people born in the Americas of European ancestry. They were wealthy landowners but could not hold high government positions. Mestizos- Mestizos were of mixed ancestry. They were part-Indian and part-European. They could not hold government office. Mulattos were part-African and part-European. They were not able to hold government office. Indians were forced to labor in the encomienda system. African slaves were brought in to do the work a dying Native population could not do. Social Hierarchy in Colonial Latin America

Colonial Latin America Social Hierarchy

The Manchus conquered the Chinese empire, establishing the Qing dynasty in 1644. “Barbarians” from NE China had been kept beyond the empire's north-east border – defeated the Ming Dynasty Manchus kept a separate identity. Government departments had Manchus in a superior position alongside Han officials. Set up own civil service exam system, to avoid competing in competitive Han examinations The Han obliged to adopt Manchu dress and wear the pigtail as a sign of their subjugation Manchus in China

Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. It refers to people of good social position connected to landed estates (manorialism), upper levels of the clergy, and "gentle" families of long descent. In England, the term often refers to the social class of the landed aristocracy or to the minor aristocracy (landed gentry) whose income derives from their large landholdings. European Gentry

Urban commercial entrepreneurs in major port cities around the world During the late Middle Ages, Italy positioned in the middle of many important trading routes between Near East and Western Europe. Increased travel and trade between east and west, pioneered by sea traders, Italy developed a thriving commercial sector. The rise of the merchant classes By the end of the 14th century, the city of Florence, in Italy's central-north, had established itself as the heart of the European wool industry. Wealthy textile merchants, such as the Medici family were the profiteers of industry. With other wealthy families, began investing their money in the banking sector to increase the profit they were gaining from trading. Florence soon became centre of European finance. These merchants (or traders) became the new 'rich' class, gradually taking power and prestige away from the nobility (or the land-owning upper class). Within this class of merchants, wealth was commonly held within families.