WHAP Chapter 13 Textbook Notes

Ways of the World Chapter 13: Political Transformations
European Empires in the Americas
 European Advantage
o Location
 Closer to Americas than Asians
 Fixed winds for Europe to push ships towards Americas
o Motivation
 Didn’t have domestic trade, wanted more trade
 Natural resources in the New World
 Didn’t want to rely on Muslims merchants who found wealth by being
middlemen
 “We came here to serve God and the King, and also to get rich.”
o Technology
 Ships influenced by the Chinese and Muslims
 Ironwork and gunpowder weapons and horses well above technology of
Americans
o Advantages of the New World
 Divided local societies created advantages for Europeans
 Ex: Subject societies of Aztecs helped Cortes take down the Aztecs
o Germs completely exotic to the New World was the greatest weapon
 The Great Dying and the Little Ice Age
o European Germs
 Native American contact with European germs brought pandemic
 10-20 million people declined to about 1 million in 1650
o The Little Ice Age
 Period of unusually cool temperatures in Early Modern Period of history
was most prominent in North America
 Many theories for this cause, including low sunspot activity, volcanic
activity
 New science says it was because of Native American deaths, allowing
plant growth and intake of CO2
o Effects of the Little Ice Age in Eurasia
 China, Europe, North America experienced extra-cold winters
 Regions near the equator got extreme conditions and irregular rainfall
 Difficult weather brought stress in society; Ex – collapse of Ming Dynasty,
constant warfare in Europe, civil war in Mughal India
o Effects of Little Ice Age in New World
 Severe drought in centre of Aztec empire, centre of Spanish rule
 El Niño frequencies increased and bred mosquitoes, perfect for spreading
yellow fever and malaria
o Period of trouble called the “General Crisis”
 Columbian Exchange
o Effects of the Great Dying
 Labour shortage for European newcomers