1: The Economy of the Eastern Hemisphere and China - 1500 - 1600
- Page ID
- 282728
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)- Understand globalization as a process that intensified up to 1650 CE
- Examine diverse world regions of the world up to 1650 CE
- Identify the nature and intensity of cross-cultural interactions within and among world regions up to 1650 CE
- Recognize emerging global trends by 1650 CE
- How did early globalization affect the world by 1650?
- Which elements of the world of 1650 seem most familiar to you? Which seem most different?
By 1500 globalization was intensifying as a result of increased trade, imperial expansion, and regional specialization. The result was a more integrated world in which more and more people became tied together into a global web of interactions. Ethnically-based diasporic communities traded across the Eastern Hemisphere. The Indian Ocean trading system was the most economically vibrant region, and Europe was peripheral to this incredibly prosperous system. East Asia was with wealthiest area in the world followed by South Asia. The injection of silver from Japan generated even more prosperity by 1500.
At the same time, global power was relatively diffuse. The Chinese Ming Empire may have been the single most productive and powerful government in the world but did not have the capacity or will to project its authority beyond its region. The Ming was a land-based empire which focused on agriculture rather than commerce and naval power. By the mid 1400s, the Ming government turned inward. For this reason, the Indian Ocean was a no-man’s land.
- 1.1: Early Modern Globalization
- Early modern globalization was a complex process with a transformative impact on the world. The Eastern Hemisphere had developed a system of regional specialization.
- 1.2: The Indian Ocean World
- This section explores trade and cross-cultural interactions within the Indian Ocean World prior to the arrival of Europeans. No major navies controlled the seas, and commerce was dominated by diasporic communities.
- 1.3: Confucianism in Ming China
- China in 1500 was the most prosperous, stable, and economically developed region of the Eastern Hemisphere. The Ming built its empire on the traditions of China going back centuries.
- 1.4: Prosperity in Ming China
- The voyages of Zheng He had an unintended consequence whose impact would be global. This section emphasizes the role of internal changes in the Ming Empire in helping to create a silver-based global economy. Increased supplies of silver from Japan brought stability and prosperity to China.
- 1.5: Chapter Summary and Key Terms
- By 1500, there were vibrant trade networks in the Eastern Hemisphere based on regional specialization. The center of this network was the Indian Ocean trade and the Chinese Ming Empire.
Thumbnail: "Global Connections," in the Public Domain.