Asian Transitions in an Age of Global Change

1. Asian Transitions in an Age of Global Change

2. 1500s • Europeans arrive in East & Southeast Asia • Asia not much affected at first • China & Japan strong enough to resist http://home.planet.nl/~eljee/J.htm

3. Vasco da Gama • 1498 voyage to India • Opened the way east for Europeans • Europe had little to trade • Asians not interested in Christianity http://college.hmco.com/history/west/mosaic/chapter9/images/vasco_da_gama.jpg

4. Limits to European success • Sea power allowed: • Control of spice exports • Regulation of some areas in Asian trade network • Europe participation, not control • Tribute regimes http://www.thegutsygourmet.net/post-spice.jpg

5. Europeans and Asian Commerce Goal of Europeans in Asia = trade, not empire-building

6. Portuguese empire http://geography.ucdavis.edu/njrallan/class/geo10/slides/images/Geo10-124_jpg.jpg

7. A Portuguese Empire of Commerce • Portugal created a “trading post empire” within the Indian Ocean • Goal = control co • mmerce, not large territories or populations • Goal = control trading posts by force of arms, not by economic competition • Major thing Portugal controlled = the spice trade

8. Portuguese Policies in the Indian Ocean • Required all merchant vessels to purchase a cartaz (pass) to sail throughout the region • Charged merchant vessels taxes of 6-10% of their cargoes • Blocked the Red Sea route to the Mediterranean Sea • Monopolized the trade route around Africa to Europe

9. Portuguese Control in the Long-Run • Portugal never succeeded in controlling more than half of the spice trade to Europe • By 1600 = the Portuguese trading post empire was in steep decline • Competition from other European powers • Competition from rising Asian states like Japan and Mughal India

10. Spain and the Philippines • Spain was the first to follow in Portugal’s footsteps • Established itself on the Philippine islands • Named after King Philip II of Spain • Spain set up outright colonial rule  because: • Close to China and the spice islands • Small and militarily weak societies on the Philippines • No competing claims for the islands

11. What effect do you believe the Spanish will have on the Philipines?

12. Spain and the Philippines • With Spanish rule came: • Mass conversion to Christianity • Relocation from scattered settlements to permanent, concentrated Christian communities • Taxes, tribute, and unpaid labor • Large estates owned by Spanish settlers or prominent Filipinos • Responses to colonial oppression = short-lived revolts; flight to the interior mountains or bustling capital of Manila

13. Dutch trading empire, 1650 http://occawlonline.pearsoned.com/bookbind/pubbooks/brummett_awl/chapter20/medialib/thumbs/ch20_378.html

14. The East India Companies • British and Dutch East India Companies • Both militarily and economically stronger than Portugal  quickly overtook Portugal within the Indian Ocean network in the early 1600s • Established their own parallel and competing trading post empires • Dutch = focused on Indonesia • British = focused on India

15. The East India Companies • East India Companies = private trading companies that use merchant investors to raise money and share risks • These companies were granted charters by their governments that allowed them to: • Make war • Govern conquered peoples • Hold trading monopolies

16. Dutch East India Company Trading posts = in Indonesia Controlled production and shipping of: cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace (all spices) Seized control of spice-producing islands with force and bloodshed

17. British East India Company • Trading posts = in India • Did not practice “trade by warfare” like the Dutch  were no match for the Mughal Empire in India • Secured their trading bases on the coast with the permission of Mughal authorities • Usually took substantial payments and bribes • Focus = Indian cotton textiles

18. Asian Commerce Impact of European involvement in Asian commerce = not very big on the major powers of South and East Asia (Mughal India, China, and Japan) Europe posed no real military or economic threat to them Were able to get rid of European intruders if need be

19. Overall, • South & Southeast Asia • Europeans stronger, • But most Asians kept control • East Asia • Ming China & Tokugawa Japan dominant

20. Japan and the Europeans • When European merchants first arrived in Japan (1500s)  Japan = civil war between daimyos (feudal lords), each with his own band of samurai • Result = it was easy for the Europeans to stay there • European ideas taken by the Japanese = shipbuilding skills, military technology, geographic knowledge, commercial opportunities, and religious ideas

21. Feudalism in Japan vs. Europe

22. Japan and the Europeans • Early 1600s = Japan unified politically by Tokugawa Shogunate • Brought all daimyos under his authority • Civil wars ended • Shoguns began to see Europeans as a threat to Japan’s new unity Tokugawa Ieyasu

23. Edo castle http://dougukan.jp/B24.html

24. Tokugawa years • Great Peace through dictatorship • Monopoly on gunpowder technology • Rigid class system http://www.hogaku.it/storia/azuchi_momoyama/map2.gif

25. Attempted to attack Korea • 1592, 1597 • Defeated • “Turtle Boats” • First ironclad warships http://www.pennfamily.org/KSS-USA/690428-621.htm

26. Restricted Europeans’ access to Japan • 1500s: Portuguese, Spanish Dutch arrived • Traders & missionaries • Francis Xavier • By 1614, up to 300,000 converts • 10% of population • http://www.frontpagemag.com/articles/Printable.asp?ID=3993 “Portuguese arrive in Japan” Thomas Kostecki http://www.kostecki.de/en/chegada.htm

27. Japan and the Europeans • Result = Japan did the following: • Expelled Christian missionaries (banned in 1614) • Violently suppressed the practice of Christianity • Included: Torture and execution of missionaries and converts • Forbade Japanese people from travelling abroad • Banned European traders from entering Japan • Result = Japan became isolated from the world of European commerce for 2 centuries (1650-1850) • Maintained trading ties with only China and Korea Monument to Nagasaki martyrs

28. Shogunate’s accomplishments • Peace restored • Population grew • Roads, canals, internal economy grew • Tokugawas dynamic through mid-1700s • Inflexibility • Tokugawa rule ended 1868 when USA forces them to trade

29. Ming Dynasty • 1368-1644 • Ruled world’s most populous state • Restored ethnic Chinese rule after 400 years’ foreign domination http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/

30. Founder • Zhu Yuanzhang • Peasant origins • Buddhist monk • Military commander in revolt against Mongols • Became emperor • Laws favorable to peasants http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Dynasty/history-Ming-emperors.html

31. Hall of Harmony – Forbidden City http://www.historywiz.com/forbiddencity.htm

32. Dragon throne http://www.historywiz.com/qing.htm

33. Peak of cultural grandeur & elegance Zhuxi (Neoconfucian) • Confucianism revived • Civil service exams reinstated, expanded • Return to scholar-gentry dominance Kaifeng

34. Foreign relations: Most dynamic dynasty • 1300s-1400s: active in conquering neighbors • Population growth based on new American crops • Corn • Potato • Sweet potato • (Cotton) Ming peasant with wheelbarrow

35. Great Wall • Final & lasting reconstruction • Built last 1000 kilometers http://www.free-beauty-tips.com/bw3.html

36. Culture • Principal strength in 1500s-1600s • Art & literature • Novels • Silk • Porcelain http://www.jozan.net/Artikelbilleder/MTA2003/Textile17ct-Ming-noah1_gr.jpg

37. Ming porcelain • Emperors were biggest customers • Prized by wealthy across Eurasia • Rougher, more durable pieces sold to foreigners • For silver • American silver gave Europeans much greater access to Chinese markets

38. Europeans began arriving • Portuguese, then Spanish • China was too big to conquer • Established trading houses Chinese image of 18th-century European sailor

39. Matteo Ricci • Jesuit priest & scholar • Respected by Chinese • Traveled in China • 1583-1610 • Adopted Chinese dress • Learned language • Appointed court mathematician & astronomer • Little success in spreading Christianity

40. Voyages of discovery • Zheng He • Mongol, eunuch • 7 naval voyages, 1405-1433

41. 7 Voyages of Zheng He http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~tliu/chinese/zhenghe.html

42. Zheng He’s fleet • 1st expedition: • 62 large ships • 200 smaller ships • 28000 men

43. Compared to Europeans • Zheng He’s ships 400 feet long • Santa Maria 85 feet

44. Why did they stop? • Interesting but not practical • Giraffes, zebras • Glamorous but expensive • Analogy: US cut back space program

45. Chinese/European point of view • Chinese: • Emperor: curious, ambitious • Merchants opposed—China is rich already • Scholar gentry opposed • waste of money • threat to their power • Confucian bias against merchants & trade • Europeans: wide support • Increase national & personal wealth, power • Spread Christianity

46. Fall of Ming • Poor leadership • Internal corruption • Peasant revolts • Manchu (Northern nomads) invaded • Founded Qing dynasty http://www.regenttour.com/china/history/qing.htm