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Economic and Social Developments from c. 1450 to c. 1750 - Coggle Diagram
Economic and Social Developments from c. 1450 to c. 1750
Asia
Ming Dynasty China
Set up ports around the South China Sea
Emperor Yongle's fleet: led by Zheng He
Explored for the purposes of gaining more territories under the tribute system
Little cultural impact, as territories were not conquered
Less incentive to expand borders
Needed to sustain an already large agriculturally-based civilizations
Most economic opportunities were already found locally through close proximity to trade routes (Silk road, Indian Ocean, etc.)
Technologies such as lateen sail
Marked gradual decline of land routes
Began to favor sea routes due to greater consistency and speed
Americas
Mercantilism
Spanish conquest of Incas/Aztecs
Established cities and a new social order
Spaniards at the top, followed by mestizos, and natives/slaves at the bottom
Colonies exploited to fuel motherlands with raw resources
Portuguese colonies in the Caribbean/Brazil
Widespread popularization of cash crop mass production
Most notably sugar
Brutal labor
Founded on the use of slaves
Later contested by other European nations such as the British
North American colonies settled by the British
Incentivized by hopes for religious freedom and economic opportunity
Europe
Circulation of new maritime technologies:
Map making
Stern Rudder
Compass
Use of gunpowder weapons to dominate inhabitants
Colombian Exchange (Spain)
Spread of both the tangible and intangible
Goods: Brought from the Americas and widely circulated throughout Europe
Corn
Potato
Cassava
Slave trade
Paired with Encomienda System for cheap labor
Great Dying:
Entire populations of Native Americans killed
No resistance to European and African diseases brought by explorers
Gave the European world a great advantage
Access to colonies, food staples, etc.
Western Hemisphere crippled
Motivated to explore new lands in order to gain resources
Differed from Asian nations, which were already near rich trade areas
Greater understanding of Atlantic wind patterns
The ability to traverse the seas more consistently through maritime tech., understanding of wind patterns, and the desire for economic opportunities such as resources (iron, gold, etc.) set up the conditions that led Europeans to eventually discover the Americas