Chapter 13: Political Transformations

I found it interesting to read about how in three centuries, from 1450 to 1750, the world and world
relations began to resemble that of the present. It was during this time period that Western Europe
began to establish itself as a powerhouse. Countries like Spain, England, Portugal, and France
sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to build their empires and colonies. These countries settled on
land in North America, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. This European
advantage occurred because the “countries on the Atlantic rim of Europe (Portugal, Spain, Britain,
and France) were simply closer to the Americas than were any potential Asian competitors”
(Strayer, 554). This was accompanied by innovations in mapping, navigation, sailing techniques,
and designs of ships. Differing European countries were also fueled by competing countries.
However, was one the leading causes for Western European countries gaining so much control in
the Americas is the diseases they brought with them, which seriously affected the native peoples
of these regions. This mass dying was called the Great Dying and may have contributed to the
Little Age, which was a period of “unusually cool temperatures that spanned much of the early
modern period” (560), that had global effects. The Columbian Exchange also occurred during
these three centuries and helped establish Western European nations. Since the Great Dying and
the Little Ice Age created a demand for labor, colonizers turned to new immigrants and African
slaves. Slaves were not the only thing traded, the Columbian Exchange created an “enormous
network of communication, migration, trade, disease, and the transfer of plants and animals”
(562). This exchange network changed the world economy, and benefitted the Western Europeans
greatly. In the Aztec and Inca empires the Spanish conquered in the early sixteenth century and
introduced the Spanish to the wealth of commercial agriculture. As the years went on ethnic
mixing occurred, creating various social categories. Countries such as Portugal, Spain, England,
and the Netherlands establish sugar plantations in the Caribbean and Brazil to make their money.
These sugar plantations paved the way for international markets, but were still not wholly
considered modern because of the use of slave labor. In North America, the British were the last
Europeans to settle. These settlers were trying to escape the European society and thus created
colonies vastly different than those south of them. It is here that from 450-1750 doesn't resemble
modern times because North America held little power compared to the wealthy southern
continents.
However, this time period also developed empires and nation that are not associated with the
Western European domination. At this time the globe was developing, which didn’t necessarily
mirror what we see today. This was an important time for establishing the non-western empires
that influenced the future. Russia was building its empire to eventually become the world’s
largest state. The people of Russia’s conquered land were “Russified” (575) and established
the power of agrarian civilization over the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Russian became a mix of
European and Asian as it bordered both powerhouses. In Asia, the Qing dynasty fought to bring
more land under Chinese rule for “security concerns” (578), which helped create the modern day
borders of China. The Mughal Empire was also expanding, bringing its Muslim ideals into Hindu
societies. During the first part of Muslim rule there was a tolerance policy, creating an empire
with blended religions. This policy was soon retracted once a new leadership controlled the
region. Lastly the Ottoman Empire, “swept over much of the Middle East, North Africa, and
southeastern Europe to create the Islamic world’s most significant empire” (582).  Spanning all
these regions created cross-cultural encounters.

Although, the modern era from 1450-1750 did not exactly mirror modern today societies, it is
clear how the present global situation was formed. As new settlements were established by
Western Europeans, their power began to grow, modern day borders were created by expanding
empires in Asia and Russian, and cross-cultural encounters were prevalent.

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