Early Modern Era (1450

1
Early Modern Era (1450 1750)

• Overview

2
Periodization

• Begins with the fall of the Byzantine Empire.
• Rise of the Ottoman Empire.
• Western Expansion - Europe to African coast and
  then to the Americas.
• Increasing independence of Russia.
• Period ends in 1750 - roughly coincides with the
  balance of power shifting to the West beginning
  of the industrial revolution.

3
Continuity

• Spread of world religions continues, Christianity
  has a major surge, but no longer the dominant
  trend as it had been in the post-classical era.
• Christianity an element in European motivation to
  expand, but NOT a primary element.
• Emergence of the world network continues, but is
  transformed by the inclusion of the Americas.

4
Change

• Rise of new Western power, but also the rise of
  Russia
• (by the 18th C. Russian power is important in
  Europe, East Asia and America).
• Colombian Exchange crucial biological exchanges
  with the Americas.
• Diseases (accidental).
• Food exchanges (corn, beans, potato) more to
  Africa and Asia than Europe takes a couple of
  centuries.

5
Change

• Animal exchange (horses).
• People exchange (immigration, but more
  importantly the slave trade). 
• Effects of the Columbian Exchange
• Greater diversity of foods prompted global
  population growth.
• advantage of Europe and Asia.
• Slavery affected birthrate in Africa so
  population stagnated.
• Disease caused population decline in the Americas.

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Change

• 3. Spread of gun powder empires.
• The overseas commercial empires French, Dutch,
  British, Spanish. Outside of the Americas
  Europeans rarely penetrated the land.
• established ports and took over islands
• advantage in technology was naval.
• 4. The land-based empires in Asia
• Ottoman (Egypt, Syria, Anatolia, Iraq, Crimea,
  Hungary), Safavid (Persia), Mughal (Afghanistan,
  Kashmir, Bengal), Russia.

7
Change

• It will be several centuries before these empires
  decline.
• They did not decline all at the same time.
• Mughal Empire in decline in 18th century.
• Ottoman not doing well, but not in decline.
• Russia not in decline at all.

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Change

• 5. No global cultural pattern in Early Modern Era
  Western Europe does not impose its cultural
  influence globally.
• 6. Not a period of global patterns in gender.
• Increase in polygamy in Africa, because of lack
  of men.

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Change

• 7. New World Economy replaces old World Network.
• Global for the first time.
• Amount of goods being traded is expanded and type
  of goods changed.
• Drivers of world economy are European not Asian
  (although Asia is still doing it).
• By the 16th century Europe is operating trade
  routes that dont pass through Europe at all.
• Intensification of patterns of inequality in
  trade that have economic and social implications
  today.

10
World Economic Systems Theory

• Immanuel Wallerstein, The Modern World System
  Capitalist Agriculture and the Origins of the
  European World Economy in the Sixteenth Century
  (New York Academic Press, 1974)

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World Economic Systems Theory

• The modern world system, essentially capitalist
  in nature, followed the crisis of the feudal
  system and understanding this system helps
  explain the rise of Western Europe to world
  supremacy between 1450 and 1670.

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World Economic Systems Theory

• In early modern period 4 relationships developed
• Dominant (core)
• Exploited (periphery) the declining core
  (semi-periphery)
• Non-participant (external)

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World Economic Systems Theory

• Core Export processed goods and import cheap raw
  materials
• run trade in own ships and commercial companies
• draw most profit (they are rich) originally
  Spain and Portugal, but evolves to be France,
  Britain and Holland
• strong states strong military high tax
  revenue
• rely on wage labor (allows for emphasis on
  manufacturing).

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World Economic Systems Theory

• Peripheral (mirror of core) Import expensive
  goods export cheap resources
• built of activity by foreign merchants
• weak states (no taxes) core states keep them
  weak so they can interfere in local politics
• coerced labor loose money (individuals can make
  money though)
• by 18th century includes Latin America,
  Caribbean, Southern colonies of America
  (Virginia) Poland West Africa was a
  peripheral region as it traded slaves (raw
  materials) for manufactured goods Asia by 19th
  century

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World Economic Systems Theory

• External traded, but internal system not shaped
  by external trade
• Russia
• have own goods
• a strong state to prevent interference.
• Early modern era is beginning to generate winners
  and losers. Position in trade affects politics
  and social systems.
•  
• The positions carved out in early modern era
  stick v. difficult to get out of the periphery
  (no capital etc.). It is hard to fall out of the
  core (although Spain and Portugal did!).

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Critique of the Theory

• No social or cultural element to this theory
  purely economic so prone to over generalizations.
• Theory predicts more uniform results than in
  history (does not allow for nuance).
• Britain and France have strong economies, but
  British state is weaker than Frances.

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Critique of the Theory

• Theory does not help explain change.
• Russia is not as uninvolved in world trade in the
  18th century as it was in the 17th century. It
  moves toward the periphery.
• Wallerstein can recognize this but he cant
  explain it.

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Which societies are the real winners in the new
world economy?

• China and India they get the largest amount of
  silver. Europe is only a transmitter.
• Asians can make a profit without being core.
• China and India are very powerful in this period.
  Learn to profit from trade with Europe (key
  aspect of Early Modern Period).
• Russia, as it westernizes, wants to remain
  external. Does not want a large merchant class
  (sees it as a disruption to society) Russia has
  always struggled for a different kind of economy.

19
Questions

• In your own words explain the historical
  reasoning behind the change from the
  Post-Classical era to the Early Modern Era.
• Historians see the early modern era as the
  foundation of economic relations today. How might
  Wallersteins theory help us explain todays
  world?