Polynesia and South East Asia

SE Asia- Economy- Classical Time Period Most regions were either based on agriculture or maritime trade. Most of the agrarian economies were based around the Red River Delta. Trade went extremely slow due to lack of technology and the wind of the time of the year.

Continue from last slide The early SE Asians mastered bronze making by 1500 CE and iron making by 500 CE. They also were able to build somewhat sophisticated ships for their time period so they could start the long economic system of maritime trade. SE Asia became an important part of Maritime trade because they were somewhat in between everything and the archipelago made it easy for ships to stop and take rest.

Continue from last slide The port of Melaka soon became a major economic and political capital in SE Asia. During the 1400s Melaka was a flourishing trading port attracting merchants from many lands including Chinese, Arabs, Persians, Vietnamese, Burmese, Jews, Indians, and even a few Swahilis from East Africa. 15,000 merchants came to this port for free trade and a stable govt. Soon Melaka became the southeastern terminus for the great Indian Ocean maritime trading network and one of the major commercial centers in the world, very much a rival to Calicut, Cambay, Canton, Hormuz, Kilwa, Aleppo, Alexandria, Genoa and Venice.

SE Asia/Polynesia- Politics- Classical Time Period First true dominant power was Srivijaya in Sumatra during the 5th and 6th centuries From the 7th to 15th century, Sumatra was ruled by many different Buddhist kingdoms Some major kingdoms from the classical era are: Angkor (7th-13th), Pagan (11th-13th), Dai-Viet/Vietnam (since 200 CE), Srivijaya/Malaysia (since 7th century), Majapahit/Indonesia (since late 13th) China had colonized Vietnam around 250 c.e. and ruled there for over 1000 years. The largest inland state, Angkor, built a large empire that flourished for around 500 years.

Continue from last slide Major concentration on expansion of wet-rice agriculture, which brought surpluses, larger populations, hence more people for armies, labor, and for taxation Khmer Empire (802-1369) Capital was Angkor highest cultural achievement in the region Temple at Angkor Wat celebrated king as incarnation of Hindu god Vishnu. Srivijaya (700-1250) Center of trade; established monopoly over trade from China to India ...which gave kings lots of wealth

SE Asia/Polynesia- Religion- Classical Time Period Islam and Buddhism were introduced in these areas as the new main religions. Buddhism was introduced through maritime trade at port cities such as Langasuka on the eastern coast and Kedah on the western coast. These port towns were soon ruled by Buddhist and Hindu officials to be there own kingdoms of this religion. Islam was brought in by Muslim traders from Arab Kingdoms and India.

Culture- Classical Period Mostly influenced by India and China. Not much art was made besides art for religion such as temples for Buddhism and shrines to gods for Hinduism.

Interactions with Other Countries- Classical Period Many regions influenced SE Asia such as China and India Referred to as “indianization” This meant that SE Asia was greatly influenced by India’s religion, govt., and culture. Maritime trade brought in lots of influence from different regions in Asia.

SE Asia/Polynesia Politics- Post Classical Era Ambitious rulers in mainland Southeast Asia and Java sought power through combining rice surplus and foreign trade, hence attention to control of interior and coast. Vietnam gained independence from China in 983. Generally, Chinese influence will remain heavy with the Vietnamese elite & not with the common folk.

Continue from last slide Two rival kingdoms Annam – north. Similar geography/agriculture to southern China, very tied to China beginning w/Tang. Champa – south. Part of Indian Ocean trade, heavily influenced by India/Malaya. Both tributary states to the Song

SE Asia/Polynesia- Econ- Post Classical Still primarily focused on agriculture and maritime trade. Over did it on temples and worship spots to the gods of the different religions of SE Asia. This caused many social and economic problems. However, an increase in the quality of agricultural techniques caused a rise in population.

SE Asia/Polynesia-Religion-Post Classical Islam first came in late 13th c. via Muslim traders to Indonesia and then to southern Philippines. Muslim leader founded Malacca which became powerful center for international trade (as seen in earlier slides). It was the 1st powerful Islamic state in SE Asia. Ultimately destroyed by the Portuguese in 16th c. Sumatra & Java were too led by Islamic kings.

Continue from last slide before other faiths came, local traditions characterized by animism, ancestor worship, & strong ritual magic element. New religions gained a unique SE Asian flavor as they incorporated some of these elements Patronized by elites but common people continued traditional religions under a veneer of Indian ideas & practices

SE Asia/Polynesia-Culture-Post Classical Art best seen in numerous, large temple complexes. Buddhist stupas with various stories from Buddhist scriptures Srivijaya center for Buddhist & Sanskrit culture with large university & library; attracted pilgrims & students from East Asia.

Interactions w/ other countries-Post Classical The Italian traveler Marco Polo had passed through in 1292 on his way home from a long China journey; his writings praised the wealth and sophistication of Indochina, Java, and Sumatra, fostering European interest in the lands he thought were beautiful. The Moroccan Ibn Battuta stopped by on his way to China in his tour of the Dar al-Islam in the 14th century. Vietnam and the Siamese kingdom of Ayuthia were two of the powerful and prosperous states that stretched across Asia from Ottoman Turkey to Tokugawa Japan in the 1600s.

Politics- Early Modern Time Period Island Southeast Asia moved in different trajectory because of strong presence of Europeans. Spanish colony in Philippines, Dutch East India Company control in Malay Peninsula, Java and few other areas in Indonesia  The Portuguese conquest of Melaka in 1511 and the Spice Islands of Eastern Indonesia a few years later marked the beginning of a turning point for the region

Continue from last slide By the beginning of the 20th century, all of SE Asia was colonized. The Philippines were divided into the Spanish Philippines under a colonial administration, the southern islands of Mindanao and Sulu, and the highlands of central Luzon kept their independence

Econ- Early Modern Time Period Just as Europe was in transition from feudalism to capitalism during this period, with profound consequences in all phases of life, the 15th through 17th centuries was a time of transformation for Southeast Asia toward somewhat more economically dynamic systems. Southeast Asia became an even more important part of the developing world economy, with the Portuguese, Dutch and Spanish exporting luxury items like Indonesian spices but also bulk products like tin, sugar, and rice from their newly-colonized possessions.

Religion- Early Modern Time Period By this time, over half the total population of SE Asia had converted to either Islam, Christianity or a differentiating form of Buddhism. Then, Theravada Buddhism Penetrated daily lives, beliefs & practices of commoners Became state religion under Thai & Burmese leaders in 11th c. And, Islam Merchants & sufis introduced in 13th c. In general, conversion to Islam was slow & quiet Ruling elites converted in cities Rural residents retained traditions Islam was NOT an exclusive faith in Southeast Asia Last, Christianity- Introduced by Portuguese in 1511 with their capture of Malacca. Christian missionaries made little headway though.

Culture- Early Modern Time Period Transportation technologies supported imperialism Steam-powered gunboats reached inland waters of Africa and Asia Railroads organized local economies to serve imperial power Western military technologies increasingly powerful Firearms: from muskets to rifles to machines guns In Battle of Omdurman 1898, British troops killed eleven thousand Sudanese in five hours Communication technologies linked imperial lands with colonies Oceangoing steamships cut travel time from Britain to India from years to weeks Telegraph invented in 1830s, global reach by 1900

Interactions with Other Countries – Early Modern Classic misunderstanding between concepts of sovereignty and territory British wanted a demarcated border with sovereign control on their side Burmese envisioned zone of overlapping influences Both perceived intransigence and ignorance EIC incensed at treatment of British merchants in Rangoon. King’s officials saw merchants as threat to royal monopoly Burmese could not understand British ideas of frontiers, extradition, trade Eccentric deviations from system of interstate relations Burmese insulted by GG’s insistence on being treated as equal to Burmese king

Politics- Modern Time Period Cambodia and Laos gained independence at time of withdrawal of French from Vietnam in 1954 Burma gained independence from Britain in January 1948 but civil war ensued among the various ethnic communities; military under Ne Win gained upperhand in 1951 though pockets of resistance; military functioned as parallel government Philippines suffered during Japanese Occupation but achieved independence from US as promised in 1946, leaving old elites in power Malaya gained independence in a peaceful transition in 1957, incorporated British Borneo (excluding Brunei) and Singapore in 1963 in new unity, Malaysia; Singapore expelled and became self-governing in 1965

Economics-Modern Time Period Opium was exchanged through Dutch Crow bar crops Free trade imperialism