HI 233 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Triangular Trade, European Balance Of Power, Columbian Exchange
The World Before the Industrial Revolution
Empires
● Were the political organization of the Asian world
● Covered Russia, China, India, Persia, and Turkey
Trade routes
● The world was connected through early trade routes
● Islamic religion spread through these routes
●Asia was the economic center → capital was moving mainly towards Asia
● Western Europe was isolated and small, so they needed the goods empires Asia provided
○ Europe did not have much to offer countries like China and India and had to find
a way to trade
○ This leads to the “discovery” of America
●Key idea: From the 1500’s and on, it was the first time the world was integrated and
connected (with the exception of areas like Australia)
European “Voyages of Discovery”
● Columbus thought he could find new trading routes by traveling west, but there was a
land mass
● Found the Inca and Aztec empires living there
● The New World became part of the economy in result of this discovery
Columbian Exchange
● Became what Europe had to offer Asia
● People travelled, goods travelled, and germs travelled
● Cost of human lives was devastating in the New World
New World Silver
● Chinese demanded silver and they nearly drained Japan from silver
● Crucial that the New World offered silver to the Chinese
● By the middle of the 17th century, the silver mines at Potosi, Bolivia had attracted a
population of 120,000
The Atlantic Economy
● Sugar plantations off the coast of Africa were developed, and that continued in the New
World
○ Fed the Old World
● Slaves produced sugar (and then spread to cotton)
● The Triangular Trade involved the trade of slaves and goods like molasses
○ All these worked to benefit the European economy
The European State System c. 1714
● In 1500, there were 500 different states and kingdoms in Europe
● By 1800, there were only 30 of them
○ Due to constant warfare and competition for power
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Document Summary
Were the political organization of the asian world. Covered russia, china, india, persia, and turkey. The world was connected through early trade routes. Asia was the economic center capital was moving mainly towards asia. Western europe was isolated and small, so they needed the goods empires asia provided. Europe did not have much to offer countries like china and india and had to find a way to trade. This leads to the discovery of america. Key idea: from the 1500"s and on, it was the first time the world was integrated and connected (with the exception of areas like australia) Columbus thought he could find new trading routes by traveling west, but there was a land mass. Found the inca and aztec empires living there. The new world became part of the economy in result of this discovery. Became what europe had to offer asia. People travelled, goods travelled, and germs travelled.
