Ch. 22 Discussion Questions AP World History

Questions Compare the European intrusion into the African commercial system with their entry into the Asian trade network. Evaluate the effect of Europeans on Asian civilization during the period of early modern Western Expansion. Describe the nature of the Asian sea-trading network. Trace how the Dutch displaced the Portuguese and compare their participation in the Asian trading network with that of the Portuguese.

Questions Trace the success of the European Christian missionary efforts in Asia. Trace the Ming restoration of traditional Chinese forms of government. Describe the steps which led to the restoration of the Japanese shogunate. Why did the Japanese resort to isolation as a response to European expansion?

1. Compare the European intrusion into the African commercial system with their entry into the Asian trade network. Among the similarities were limited colonization, use of coastal and island trading forts to enter trade systems, inability to affect political development by conquest, and introduction of firearms that influenced political development (Africa and Japan). The Portuguese initiated the contact in Africa and Asia, and in both, attempted missionary work with limited success. Among differences was the role of slavery; it was a major feature of the African trade; Asian regions produced raw materials, spices, and manufactured goods. Asian civilizations opted for isolation, while many African states concluded commercial alliances with the West

2. Evaluate the effect of Europeans on Asian civilization during the period of early modern Western Expansion. The greatest effect was on the periphery of Asian civilizations, especially in islands (Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Philippines) where European tribute systems were established. Another significant influence was the introduction of firearms to Japan during its period of political centralization. Otherwise, the effect was minimal. Europeans lacked goods desired in the Asian trade network; they basically acted as shipping agents for Asian products. Christianity had minimal success against Hinduism, Islam, or Buddhism. The only exception was the northern Philippines. Some initial influence was felt in Japan, but later rulers suppressed Christianity. China and Japan opted for isolation from the Europeans, and their fundamental structures remained unchanged. China allowed visitors out of intellectual curiousity.

3. Describe the nature of the Asian sea-trading network. When the first Europeans arrived in Asia they discovered that their products were too primitive for profitable exchange for Asian goods. Muslim traders dominated Indian Ocean and southeast Asian commerce, and Islam blocked the spread of Catholic Christianity. The trading network stretched from the Middle East and Africa to east Asia, and was divided into three main zones: an Arab division in the west, India in the center, and China in the east.

3. Describe the nature of the Asian sea-trading network. (cont.) Also, there were peripheral regions in Japan, southeast Asia and east Africa. Most of the trade passed along safer coastal routes, converging in vital intersections at the openings of the Read Sea and Persian Gulf, and the strait of Malacca. The system had two critical characteristics: central control and military force were absent.

4. Trace how the Dutch displaced the Portuguese and compare their participation in the Asian trading network with that of the Portuguese. The Portuguese lacked the manpower and ships necessary for enforcement. Many Portuguese ignored their government and traded independently, while rampant corruption among officials and losses of ships further hampered policies. The Dutch challenged the weakened Portuguese in the seventeenth century. The Dutch captured Malacca and built a fort at Batavia in Java in 1620. They decided to concentrate on the monopoly control of some spices.

4. Trace how the Dutch displaced the Portuguese and compare their participation in the Asian trading network with that of the Portuguese. (cont.) The Dutch trading empire resembled the Portuguese, but they had ships that were better armed and they controlled their monopoly with ruthless efficiency. The Dutch discovered that large profits came from peacefully exploiting the established system. For example, when the spice trade declined, they relied on fees charged for transporting products from one Asian place to another.

5. Trace the success of the European Christian missionary efforts in Asia. The Protestant Dutch and English were not much interested in winning converts. Catholic Portugal and Spain were, but success in Asia was minimal. The world religions of Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism made it difficult to find converts. Conversion occurred only in isolated regions like the northern Philippines.

6. Trace the Ming restoration of traditional Chinese forms of government. Zhu Yuanzhang, a military commander of peasant origins, became the first Ming emperor, with the name of Hongwu. He was suspicious of the scholar-gentry; however, he realized that an alliance between himself and the scholar-gentry class was a necessity. Hongwu reinstated and greatly expanded the civil service examination system. By reinstating this exam system and Confucian ideas, Ming rulers were embracing the Han Dynasty.

7. Describe the steps which led to the restoration of the Japanese shogunate. Tokugawa Ieyasu rose to power from a minor daimyo house in Japan. Instead of seeking overseas expansion, Tokugawa concentrated on consolidating power in Japan. He was granted the title of Shogun, which formalized rule by the Tokugawa shogunate. This action led to the consolidation of power being granted from the daimyos. The Tokugawa shogunate brought an end to a century of civil war and led to political unity in Japan.

8. Why did the Japanese resort to isolation as a response to European expansion? Fear of subversion of the existing order by European missionaries was the main reason for the self imposed isolation.