1450-1750 Ap World History Essay

Technology, Demography, and the Environment 1450-1750 The main trend relating to technology, demography, and the environment from 1450 to 1750 are †¦ Some of the most influential new technologies were guns, improved shipbuilding, and better navigational devices. The invention of guns would forever change the way wars were fought. Instead of swords, bows and arrows, or lances, guns would emerge as the dominant global weapon. They were lighter than cannons and more efficient than bows and arrows. They were also effective as a long or short range weapon. Guns were essential to the expansion of the Islamic empires that raised during this time period, hence the title Gunpowder Empires. Guns were also important in the West African slave trade. Many Africans would trade other Africans to the Europeans in exchange for guns. The minor trends are seen as Shipbuilding technologies also became better during this time. The increased cross-cultural interaction led to a combination of shipbuilding technologies from many countries. There were many advantages to the new styles of ship building, including the fully rigged ship, the more economic and more streamlined â€Å"caravel† ship design, the sternpost rudder, and lateen sails. All of these improvements from the culminated technology of many civilizations made ships sturdier, more maneuverable, faster, and cheaper to build. Navigation also improved in the Early Modern Age. Likewise, another minor trend was maps and charts that became more accurate and navigational instruments became easier to use. The ease of navigation made people more prone to exploring. This contributed to the increased water traffic seen in this time period all around the world. This image represents the main trend of technology, demography, and environment from 1450 to 1750 because shipbuilding was used as an advantage for faster transportation. Key Words: caravel, ships, bow & arrow, guns Culture 1450-1750 The main trends relating to Culture from 1450 to 1750 are for elite culture in China, their main religion was neo-Confucianism because it was considered an intellectual religion which caused a lot of patriarchy. As for the pop culture in china, they had a development of novels and fiction which caused higher literacy rates for the middle class. The upper class looked down on it which caused a division of culture. In China, they isolated themselves from any other culture. They continued to trade, but only set up one port for trade with the Europeans. They traded their own items, but wouldn’t accept anything but silver from Spain, which eventually caused them to go bankrupt The popular culture was interested in floating worlds which are cities of entertainment. These worlds lead to the obsession of new theatres, poetry, and Dutch learning. The elite culture became interested in native learning, Shintoism, and native learning. They also tried to get rid of all outside influences besides Japanese. In Japan, they also isolated themselves from other influences. However, the only country they allowed in Japan was the Dutch, who were allowed in Nagasaki and developed Dutch Learning. They allowed the Dutch in because they wanted to also keep up with European advancements. The minor trends are seen as the elite culture was based off of western European style culture. They cut off all the men’s beards and learned manners due to the visits from Peter the Great. As for the popular culture, they kept old style Russian traditions. This image represents the main trend of Culture from 1450 to 1750 because of Neo Confucianism in China. Key Words: Shintoism, neo-confucianism Politics 1450-1750 The main trends relating to Politics from 1450 to 1750 are Three new empires: the Ottoman, the Safavid, and the Mughal – rose between 1450 and 1750, and collectively they supported a new flowering of Islamic civilization. However, competition between them also led to important political divisions and military clashes. All three originated in the Turkic nomadic cultures of the central Asian steppe, and they all had absolute monarchs who modeled their courts on those of earlier Islamic dynasties. The Ming Emperors continued to rule China until the mid-1600s, but the dynasty was in decline for many years before that. Although its cultural brilliance and economic achievements continued until about 1600, China had some of the same problems that the Muslim empires had: borders difficult to guard, armies expensive to maintain, and transportation and communication issues. The minor trends are seen as The Ottoman Empire was one of three Islamic Gunpowder Empires that arose in Eurasia during the Early Modern period. This empire had very distinct political and social traditions. The Ottoman Empire was a military creation, like most empires. They also conscripted the sons of conquered peoples for use in their army, and these people were called Janissaries. When the Ottomans conquered Egypt, they also gained a powerful navy, making the Ottoman Empire even more of a militaristic power. The political structure of the empire placed the emperor at the top. The emperor owned and distributed all land and had the power to hire and fire officials at will. To try and avoid succession problems, the Ottomans kept their empire tightly centralized and gave emperors power to kill off his brothers. Likewise, another minor trend is Political dynamics: In Japan from the twelfth to the sixteen century a â€Å"shogun† or a military governor: ruled Japan through retainers we received political rights and large estates of land in exchange for their military services. The emperor was merely a figurehead with the shoguns having the real power.