Chapter 16 pp. 461-477

What caught my attention about this chapter was learning about how much of an influence and how widespread Christianity was throughout the 1500's and on. The Protestant Reformation played a huge part
in history and caused serious divisions came about between Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox sects. The Protestant Reformation put forth a new understanding of Christianity and coming to the faith and also questioned the authority of the pope. The Protestant reformation also provoked a Catholic Counter reformation. Ultimately Christianity spread like a wildfire through out the whole world, affecting many many people and converting many also. I find is amazing and ultimately awesome that Christianity is still very widespread throughout our world today and I am proud to call it my religion.

Chapter 15 part 2

I always dislike reading about the Atlantic Slave trade because I am reminded how terribly the slaves were treated. It's crazy to read that around 1.8 million people died during the transatlantic crossing and millions more died in the process too. The slaves that were plantation workers were denied any human rights at all by the European slave traders. Origins of the Atlantic Slave Trade lay in the Mediterranean and with the production of sugar. Sugar was a dangerous and labor some area of work. Africans became the main source of slave labor because they had some immunity to disease, were not Christians, and were readily available. 80 percent of the slaves ended up in Brazil and the Caribbean and about 15% of the slaves died in the middle passage.

Chapter 15 (pp.433-448)

  This chapter was mainly about trading between different countries and people. It talked about the East India Trading Companies. Both the Dutch and India entered in early 17th century. They displaced Portugal and competed with each other. The Dutch settled in Indonesia, the English in India and the French settled also. The Dutch East India Company controlled shipping and production of cloves, cinnamon, and mace. It forced people to only sell to the Dutch, and it destroyed the economy of the Spice Islands. The British East India Company wasn't as sophisticated as the Dutch Company. The British navy gained control of the Persian Gulf and The Arabian Sea and established companies in Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras. In Asian commerce the Europeans were no military threat. In the case of Japan there was expulsion of missionaries, the Japanese were barred from travel abroad, Europeans were banned, except the Dutch, and Japan was closed off from Europe from 1650-1850. The Silver and fur trades were HUGE! Silver was discovered in Bolivia and Japan in mid 16th century. Spanish America produced about 85% of the Worlds silver. There was a growing demand for silver in China and the bulk of silver supple ended up there. Silver enriched the Spanish monarchy but Spain fell and lost dominance when the value of silver fell. The Japanese profited from silver, and the Tokugawa Shoguns used it to defeat rivals. There was intense competition in North America for fur. The Europeans traded with the Indians and the Russians competed with the Siberians.

Chapter 14 pp. 417-430

I find it fascinating how much of an impact that empires ultimately had on the making how our world is today. While the making of the Russian Empire was in progress, Moscow began conquering its neighboring cities and there was pressure to convert to Christianity. The expansion into Siberia was for the opportunity of getting furs. This expansion resulted in epidemics since the Siberian's weren't immune to the diseases that were being brought in. The Russians ultimately outnumbered the natives in the lands they were taking over. Products such as fur, agricultural land, and minerals helped progress Russian empire. Expansion turned Russia into a very militarized state. The Russian empire remained intact till 1991. The Asian empires were  regional, not global and the creation of these Asian empires did not include massive epidemics.There was a 80 year long Chinese conquest from 1680-1760. Russian and Chinese rule turned Central Asia to poverty. India was united by the Mughal empire. 20% of the population was Muslim, where the rest was Hindu. Emperor Akbar brought many Hindus into the military elite, and created a state cult that stressed loyalty to himself. There was destruction of some Hindu temples. The Ottoman empire was the Islamic's world's most important empire. Jewish refugees from Spain had more opportunities in the Ottoman empire.

Chapter 14 pp. 403-417

1450-1750

Significant empires: European colonies- Spanish, Portuguese, British, French, & Dutch.

Russians constructed what was the world's largest territorial empire making Russia an Asian & European power

Qing dynasty: people who practiced Islam, Buddhism and animistic religions.

Modern era was an age of empire. 

European Empires in the Americas.
European Advantage.
-Simply closer to the Americas than any possible Asian competitor.
After 1200: Europeans were increasingly aware of their marginal position int he world of Eurasian commerce and were determined to gain access to that world.

Drove the relentlessly expanding imperial frontier in the Americas.
  -Poor nobles found opportunity to gain wealth and status in the colonies
  - Missionaries were inspired by crusading zeal to enlarge Christendom
  - persecuted minorities in search for new life.

The Great Dying:
 greatest concentrations were the people who lived in MesoAmerican and Andean zones, which were dominated by the Aztec and Inca.
-Because of the lack on content that the Native American people had to the people of Africa and European's, when they came into contact with them, they didn't have any immunity to their diseases.

The Colombian Exchange: 
The Great Dying created an acute labor shortage and certainly did make room for immigrant newcomers. BOTH European and African.
  BOTH brought: Wheat, sugar, grapes, and many veges and fruits. Horses, pigs, cattle, goats, sheep

American food plants represented about 20% of total of China's food production.

Interacting Atlantic world connecting 4 continents.
- Western Europeans were clearly the dominate players in the the Atlantic world, and their societies reaped the greatest rewards.

Comparing Colonial Societies in the Americas: 
  Mercantilism.