The Western Tradition Europe s Economic Dilemma Europe s place in the world Why does it become so important later on 1 Dependent on Islamic Middlemen 2 Lack of resources through 3 Balance of payment issue All these lead to the age of exploration Vasco de Gama s voyage 1498 Columbus is looking for India a Example Chinese silk is very expensive in Europe due to all the hands it had to go Portuguese farthest from China but they have better access to the Atlantic 1498 Gama goes around the Cape of Good Hope the bottom of Africa to Mombasa East Africa There he finds or kidnaps an Arab navigator and convinces the navigator to take him to India Here he finds that everything is cheaper but he does not have sufficient trade items like if someone tried to trade your new Mac for an older computer model He used gold to buy pepper and spices Remember the balance of payment issue They have to find something to trade in order to keep their treasury from running out 1502 Gama s second voyage Makes the people of India an offer they cannot refuse will be discussed later Why don t the Spanish use Portuguese trade route Trade routes are state secrets If the Spanish were seen using this trade route it would mean war between the two nations What explains the Rise of Europe 1 Domestic Developments a Constant Warfare build strong states Like the process of evolution This allows them to better defend themselves and collect revenue b Growing interest in technology i Europe is a bunch of warring states If Spain and Portugal are always at war then they ll want to keep pace in technology with their neighbor Example Gunpowder China invented it but the Europeans found more ways to use it in order to beat other nations ii Contrast China No warring states They re not as interested in innovation because there is no competition 2 Foreign Developments a Decline of Regional Competitors the Byzantine and Arab world decline b New connections with China The Mongols are a great help with this History is all about timing Lecture Outline Trade and Contacts 1 The emergence of world travelers a This helps move from Tribalism to Globalism 2 The emergence of new major routes 3 Consequences of these new contacts most important Ibn Battuta Most accomplished traveler Why did he leave his home when most people did not travel far from where they were born From Morocco Qadis Islamic Scholar The Hajj he realizes the world is bigger than he imagined Travels to Delhi in India becomes a servant to Sultan due to the fact that as a Qadis he has a lot to offer Then he travels to China Traveled mostly by water Later in his life he publishes a book on his travels What do his writings tell us about World History 1 Cultural Lenses a We evaluate things through what we see as normal Example In the Islamic world religion is front and center Americans tend to see religion as secular and may feel oppressed by this 2 Culture Shock a When language food mannerisms are so different that you find it hard to do even simple things because of anxiety Example Food you may find it difficult to eat if you are not used to the smells taste Example Language Marco Polo 13 th century AD Similar to Battuta Traveled from Venice to China traveled mostly by land Eventually he returns to Europe and publishes a book on his travels but nobody believes what he writes about Comparisons Battuta and Polo 1 People are curious about the World a How do we know Because their books sold worldwide 2 By the 14th century travel is easier a Accounts are also more accurate b Why is it safer i Silk Road is protected by Mongols ii Technology better and faster ships navigation is more advanced 3 Polo is more receptive to foreign cultures a Battuta in the Maldives This place recently converted from Buddhism to Islam Needed scholars to teach Islam to the people Battuta is horrified by what he sees Women own businesses shops and are topless People were practicing Maldives Islam and he wants them their practice to be more traditional Because of his strict style he was not popular and eventually was thrown out b Polo is more receptive to different cultures There are many cultures that speak different languages and have different customs in Europe Example of why Battuta was so unreceptive America is a superpower just like the Arab world was When one s culture is seen as more advanced the people of that culture believe that other cultures need to become more like the superpower Polo understood that Europe had a lot to learn from other cultures Trade Routes India and China are central Islamic Middlemen Europe on the periphery Growing importance of Merchants Jacques Coeur Very famous French merchant Merchants not only did business they had a diplomatic role Often sent offerings of friendship in the form of trade goods to other societies What are the results of World Trade Increased Production make goods for far away places too 1 2 Consumer dependence increases a People cannot go back to self sufficiency Self Sufficiency Commercial another variation of Globalism Tribalism Example The Crusades people previously used honey to sweeten things but once they used cane sugar they could not go back to using honey 3 Cultural Contacts a Nestorian Christians originated from Syria Now there s not just one type of Christian There are also Christians in China 4 Technological Diffusion a Spread of change allows this b Also provides motivation for innovation and change Example Dhow Arab boat that uses sails More efficient than the Roman version of using slaves to row a ship Example Junks Chinese version of a Dhow The faster you do things the more money you can make What are the results of World Trade Moving from regional economies towards a global economy End of Lecture