Chapter 22 Asian Transitions in an Age of Global Change
Asian Trading World & Europeans Portuguese – India Locals did not want to trade w/ them Portuguese had to use silver to buy goods Realized Muslims were there earlier which meant resistance to trade, empire building, and Christianity
Trading zones Arabs (West)-Islamic Heartlands Glass, carpets, tapestries India (central) Cotton textiles China (East) Paper, porcelain, silk textiles In between/fringes Raw materials, foods, metals, forest products, and SPICES!!! Mostly coastal routes When Portuguese arrive: No central control Military force usually absent
Portuguese response Realized they could use force (didn’t want to spend all their bullion) Used element of surprise Took advantage of regional conflicts Captured towns, built fortresses “choke points” Wanted a monopoly on key products (esp. spices) Also wanted licensing system
Portuguese vulnerability and Rise of Dutch and English Portugal not big/strong enough to sustain world empire Dutch-control certain spices, not all English end up “stuck” with India Dutch use force/terror but eventually become part of system “if you can’t beat them, join them” D/E charge fees for transporting goods
European tribute systems As Europeans move further inland, they meet more resistance Dutch-Java Spanish-Philippines (exc. Mindanao**) Natives pay tribute, Europeans pay ceremonial tribute
Missionaries Islam and Hinduism were there first Spread of Roman Catholicism (S/P) DeNobili tries “top-down” method Conversion of general population-only in isolated areas Most successful-Philippines Produced unique version
Early impact of Europeans Adds new routes to Asian trade network Growth of new trading centers/decline of old ones Low level of major exchanges (compare to Columbian Exchange) WHY??
Ming China Zhu Yuanzhang (Hongwu emperor) Gets rid of everything Mongol Suspicious of scholar-gentry but realized he needed them Exam system reinstated Made more complex and competitive Limits on their influence Attempts to reform government, power plays, corruption, etc.
Social Tried to improve common people Public works projects, etc. Scholar-gentry/rural landlords take more power Women and youth subordinate Neo-Confucian ideas continue Few options for women (courtesans)
Age of growth Economic growth, commercialism Population increase (300 mill. by 1800) Europeans at Macao and Canton Arts: Portraits, landscapes, pottery (vases) Literature (novels)] Expansion (Zhenghe) Expeditions stopped in 1430s
Chinese retreat & Europeans China isolates itself Europeans try to come in Jesuits try to convert (using science) Decline of Ming: Leaders worsen Internal problems!!!! Peasant rebellions Eventually Jurchens/Manchus take over- beginning of Qing dynasty (last one)
Japan’s reunification Nobunaga starts to unify Toyotomi Hideyoshi continues, dies Tokugawa Ieyasu reorganizes, ends civil wars, achieves unity Europeans are constant threat Traders and missionaries Eventually persecute Christians Confine traders to island in Nagasaki Bay Western books banned School of National Learning Isolated but still kept track of outside world