East Asia Political Systems and Cultural Patterns

 China
 Influenced areas around it such as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam
 Sui dynasty built canal linking northern & southern China
 Tang dynasty distributed land to peasants
 Invented printing (woodblock printing)
 Confucianism
 Was the basis of the state government
 Now called Neo-Confucianism (response to Buddhism and Daoism)
 World is real not an illusion, you must participate in order to enjoy the
world
Song China
• Finances
-expansion of the empire meant that expenses went up.
-The government then started to raise taxes making the people of the empire
angry.
• Military:
-China had many invasions, so they depended on a strong military.
• Song China cont.
-The military was eventually overthrown and Song China was under Mongolian
control.
• Trade routes along the roads of china made for economic growth.
• Japanese vs. European Feudalism
• Similarities
– Mutual ties and obligations
– Valued courage, loyalty, contempt for non-warriors
– The Golden Age
• The Tang built road systems, post stations, and sent messengers to
communicate with the rest of the dynasty. The Grand Canal made it possible for
China to increase trade and communication.
• Bureaucratic systems were based on merit not on money or class.
• Increased agriculture production, population, urbanization, technological
innovations, and financial inventions all were factors of the flourishing economy
during the Golden Age.
• Religious Conflicts
• During the Tang and Song Dynasties, Buddhist and Confucius ideals created
much conflict in government and society.
• The emergence of Neo-Confucianism merged the two religious ideals together
to make a more successful society and political structure.
• The dominance of males increased with the increase of productivity. Women
began to bind their feet to let others know they were wealthy and did not need
to work for their husbands could work.
• Males continued to dominate most aspects of society while the women returned
to traditional housework.
• relations with the Mongols (Yuan), making the Ming “independent from the
world.”
• Americas
• Maya
– City-states
– Agriculture basis for life
– United by loyalty to king
– Complex calendars, math, astronomy
• Decline
 – Conflict between states, disrupted trade, over-farming
• Aztec
– United by loyalty to king
– Military conquest
– Human sacrifice
• Inca
– United by loyalty to king
– Major roads connected empire
– Welfare state cared for everyone
– Decentralization of Europe
• Fall of Rome = political void
• Unsafe to travel
– Decrease in trade and exports
• Division of Christianity
• Shift of power from Rome to Byzantium
– Lack of contact, beliefs differed
• Differences were irreconcilable—1054 schism
• Eastern Orthodox Church
• Roman Catholic Church (west)
• Papacy
– Leader of Catholic Church
– Medieval Society
• Feudalism—Political
– Lords/vassals, loyalty for land, system of gov’t and landholding
• Manors—Economic
– Lord’s estate, self-sufficient, obligations between serfs and lords
• The Church—Belief System
– Unifying force, power over everyday lives
• Chivalry—Code of Behavior
– Courage, devotion to feudal and heavenly lord, respect for women
• Arts, Sciences, Technology
• Agricultural techniques
– More food
– Increased population
• Improvements in technology led to later Age of Exploration
• Castles, siege towers
• Revival of Cities
• Increased trade, population, crop production
• Villages became towns
• Expansion of markets
• The church forbade loans, people went to Jewish moneylenders
• Crusades-Late 11th-13th Centuries
• Byzantine emperor calls Pope for help from Muslim invasions
• European knights to help
• No permanent gains for Christians
• Muslims get Constantinople (Istanbul)
• Trade with Middle East = new wealth
– European demand for foreign products
– Cultural change!
• Swahili Coast Trades
• Cattle herding, farming and gold trade were a major part of the coast.
• Empire of Ghana
• In the 8th century, the Soninke, a farming people, formed the empire of Ghana.
• The empire was gaining wealth through taxing traders who went through
Ghana.
• Their most important asset was gold from the Niger River. They traded it for salt
from the Sahara.
 Originally named the Mexica
 Settled in an unusual place: an island in the middle of a swampland of
Lake Texococo, later built to become Mexico city
 Established city of Tenochtitlan, and expanded by conquering nearby
people and using them for tribute
 By the middle of the 15th century their territory was almost coast to
coast
 Mongols
 Expanded their territory by conquering other people around them
 Used brute force to defeat their opponents
 Began to move when they needed new pastures for their herds
 Also thought that a drought had started the migration
 Skilled horsemanship lead to successful migration
 Impact of Migrations
 Turks
 Originally Indo-Europeans who migrated into the Middle East
 Seljuk Turks invaded Byzantine Empire, sparking migration from Europe
to middle East
 By end of era Ottoman Turks were on the rise
 Captured Constantinople and they gained control of trade on the
Mediterranean
 Vikings
 Vikings swept from Normandy (Europe), to Mediterranean areas (Russia)
during the 8th and 9th centuries
 looting and destroying communities, churches, and monasteries. Some
settled and intermarried with natives, forming new groups such as the
Normans and the Rus (Russians)
• Impact of Migrations
 Vikings
 Consequence of their invasions was development of feudalism in
Europe.
 The attacks convinced Europeans that protection was vital, and
so they organized into a network of lords and vassals, that
eventually built kingdoms with great armies ready to fight.
 Arabs
 Most significant effect of the Arab movement from the Arabian Peninsula
was the spread of Islam
 Invaded, settled, and eventually ruled, the Middle East, northern Africa,
and southern Europe
 Political structure of the caliphate did not survive, Islam held the areas
together culturally as it mixed with natively customs and religions.
 Despite splits between Sunni and Shi'a, the Islamic World emerged as an
entire cultural area during this era
• Migration of Arabs
• During the 11th century, a large amount of Arabs migrated to Africa. Because of
that, the Islamic religion and Arabic traditions dispersed deeper into Africa.
• Islam also spread towards the Mali, then Songhai empires. Timbuktu became
known for being the center of Islamic scholarships for its university.
• East Asia Political Systems and Cultural Patterns
 Arts
 Landscape painting reached its high point
 People were insignificant, painted as tiny figures in boats or wandering
up a hill, living in, but not dominating nature
 Porcelain became very popular
 A ceramic made of fine clay baked at very high temperatures
 Europe did not find out about this technique until the eighteenth century
 Japan based their government on the chinese
 Limit power of aristocrats and empower the ruler, making him look like a
divine figure
• Decline in population
– Yuan Dynasty, Mongol control, ¼ Europe
• Labor shortages
– Trade standstill, deterioration of towns, social unrest, rebellions
• Growth and Role of Cities
 Africa
 Mali (1200-1500) wealth derives from trade, gold fields of Niger; strong
Muslim political and merchant classes
 Building of Quranic school; Ibn Battuta (1304-1369)
 Swahili Coast; farming, cattle herding, gold trade
 Mosques and churches lead to worship and education
 Islam increases in literacy, first in Arabic;
 Growth of elite classes
 Slave trade across Africa into Middle East, India, China
 Most slaves specialize in service, some slaves become powerful and
wealthy because of their military ability
• Growth and Role of Cities
 The Song Empire
 (Capital) Kaifeng, military has over one million men
 iron and steel production rivals eighteenth century Britain
 experiments with gunpowder; paper money, tax farming, modern private
capitalism
 Movable type leads to spreading of agricultural techniques, educational
resources, public-health materials (combat malaria and plague);
 women did not have property rights or ability to remarry and rarely had
educational opportunities
 Growth and Role of Cities
 The Aztecs (Tenochtitlan)
 Move to islands off the shore of Lake Texcoco; organized by clan;
 Society based on military conquest
 Take fertile agricultural lands and establish monarchy selected by
council of aristocrats from among all the males of ruling family
 Warrior elite was assigned highest social status
 Lake Texcoco separates fresh water from salt water;
 Great social division based on wealth
 Managed long-distance trade
 Polytheistic, Huitzilopochtli (God) needs constant diet of human hearts to
keep sun shining; worship of sun;
 Sacrifice increases under Aztecs; war captives, criminals, slaves, people
given as tribute
 Rebellion, deviancy, opposition will not be tolerated