HIST 2112 Lecture 2: Lecture 2
Document Summary
In 1450, china was the most powerful country in the world. The most powerful country bordering the mediterranean sea was the ottoman. The fastest growing city in the world was mexico city (capital of the aztecs) 4 factors that led to european expansion: religion. All western europe was christian (speci cally catholic) Christians care about what their neighbors believe. 15th century: gunpowder and cannons improve; small arms are developed. The 15th century was the beginning of an arms race. Better arms > better defense > better arms. The arms race leads to an improvement/advancement in technology. The arms race made warms more expensive. In order to raise money for a war, you had to get money from your country"s peasants, which requires a centralized, e ective government. Nation-states a large amount of territory controlled by a central government. Europe had many nation-states, which lead to a constant need to innovate.
