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AMSCO 4.8 Continuity and Change from c.1450 to c.1750 Notes
1 min read•june 18, 2024
Topic 4.8 and Review
UNIT 4 — Period 1: 1450-1750
📖 AMSCO p.261 - p.264
Key Timeline
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Practice Essay Questions
Prep for Unit 4 Essay Questions
Historical Developments in the period from c. 1450 to c. 1750
| Development | Explanation |
| Transoceanic Travel and Trade | Brought significant change by integrating the Western Hemisphere into the global trading network, leading to the Columbian Exchange and the Atlantic System. It resulted in the exchange of crops, animals, people, and diseases between hemispheres and had wide-ranging effects. |
| The Atlantic System | The Atlantic System, an outcome of the Columbian Exchange, caused significant change in terms of global trade patterns, unleashing diseases, mass migrations, and new social structures in the Americas, and fostering cultural changes. |
| Economic Changes | European maritime trading empires emerging and dominating global trade transformed the global economy by shifting the balance of power from existing merchant networks to European states, affecting the distribution of wealth and resources. |
| Colonial Development | The establishment of European colonies in the Americas, particularly with the discovery of silver, significantly changed the global economy by creating a regular flow of silver to Asia, further integrating Europe into global trade. |
| Mercantilism and Capitalism | The transition from mercantilism to capitalism marked a significant change as economic policies evolved to facilitate the expansion of trade, leading to the rise of joint-stock companies, which allowed investors to share risks and rewards in global trading. |
| Effects of the New Global Economy | The new global flow of wealth had both positive and negative economic effects, contributing to the expansion of the middle class, the capital for the Industrial Revolution, and the rise of inflation. It also led to increased funding for the arts and the legitimacy of rule through art and architecture. |
| Demand for Labor Intensifies | The Columbian Exchange and the Atlantic System caused a significant demographic shift, especially in Africa, as the Atlantic slave trade intensified, resulting in coerced labor systems and a gender imbalance. New coerced labor systems, such as indentured servitude, encomienda, and hacienda, developed in the Americas. |
| New Social Structures | The coexistence of Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans in the Americas brought about significant changes in social structures, leading to the emergence of hierarchies based on racial or ethnic identity and eventually societal conflicts and revolutions. |
Economic Change in East and/or South Asian States in Response to European Expansion
| Aspect of Economic Change | Impact on East and/or South Asian States |
| Trade and Commerce | European expansion disrupted East and South Asian trade, introducing goods and technology through trading posts, impacting traditional industries in South Asia and transforming Chinese and Southeast Asian trade in East Asia. |
| Economic Policies and Adaptations | In response to European expansion, East and South Asian states adjusted economic policies, creating special zones for European trade, altering taxation, tariffs, and trade regulations. Some also implemented protectionist measures to safeguard industries, reflecting the influence of European expansion on their economies. |
| Impact on Local Industries and Agriculture | European expansion significantly impacted South Asian textile sectors, prompting changes in production techniques, while in East Asia, increased demand for goods like tea and porcelain through European trade shaped production and export patterns. |
| Changes in Wealth Distribution and Taxation | European trade influx and the establishment of European-controlled territories reshaped wealth distribution and taxation in East and South Asian states, concentrating wealth among elites and foreign merchants. Adaptations in taxation systems for revenue from European trade had notable impacts on local economies. |
| Cultural Exchange and Technological Transfer | European expansion led to substantial cultural and technological exchange in East and South Asia, influencing art, science, and technology. This included the exchange of scientific knowledge, contributing to a blend of cultural elements and the adoption of new technologies in the region. |
Continuity and Change in Labor Migration
| Significant Continuity | Significant Change |
| The Continuity of Forced Labor: In Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, systems like serfdom and indentured servitude persisted, reflecting a continued reliance on unfree labor for agricultural and industrial production. | Transformation in the Scale and Nature of Forced Labor: European expansion and colonialism led to mass enslavement of Africans in the transatlantic slave trade. The establishment of plantation economies in the Americas marked a shift to large-scale, transcontinental forced migration and exploitation, involving millions of Africans. |
| Migration Patterns: Continuity in labor migration persisted through internal and regional movements. In East Asia, Chinese laborers migrated for work in Southeast Asia, and in Africa, laborers moved within the continent for economic opportunities or to escape conflict. | Transoceanic Migration: A significant change was the emergence of massive transoceanic labor migration during European expansion and colonization of the Americas. The forced migration of millions of Africans across the Atlantic for plantation and industrial work marked a departure from previous patterns, reshaping global labor mobility and causing a permanent demographic shift in the Americas. |
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