Module 8 - Ch 23

2) What factors contributed to economic globalization in the second half of the twentieth century?

There were a large amount of factors in total that helped contribute the economic globalization of the second half of the twentieth century. First and foremost, the capitalist victors of World War II where completely determined to avoid returning to the conditions that took place during the depression era., Additionally, the implementation of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund help lead the way for globalization in the post war era. The system that these funds developed promoted relatively free trade, stable currency values linked to the US Dollar, and high levels of capital investment which are all major factors that supported globalization. Technology also played a major factor in accelerating economic globalization more than ever before. The internet played a major factor that was needed for communication for global economic interaction. Ultimately, this economic-globalization was made possible by a number of technological advances as well as a fear of repeating mistakes from the past.

8) What distinguished feminism in the industrialized countries from that in the Global South?

The second wave of feminism that arose in these industrialized countries had placed a large emphasis on employment and education. Women began to become aware of their own oppression and began to look down upon the historical patriarchal domination. Additionally, women of the west brought into discussion issues involving sexuality, lesbianism and celibacy, believing that these ideas all deserve the same respect as heterosexual marriage. However women in the Global South faced different experiences than these women in the West, because their oppression was not directly related to their gender. Many of these women did not support the concerns that started European and American feminism. Women's rights movements in the Global South took shape around a wide range of issues, not all of which were only gender based. This was the main difference between the feminism in the industrialized countries and that of the Global South. 

10) From what sources did Islamic renewal movements derive?

The were multiple factors in which Islamic renewal movements were driven by. There was a growing number of Muslims that wanted to renew and create a religious and political order. The main thing that gave these movements strength were the enormous disappointments that had accumulated in the Muslim world by the 1970's. These disappointments came from conquest and colonial rule, awareness of the huge technological gap between Islamic and European civilizations, the disappearance of the Ottoman Empire, and the retreat of Islam for many to the realm of private life. Many leading figured began to insist that the Quran and Sharia law provided a guide for all of life. Additionally, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood advocated that government will act in conformity to the law and Islamic Principles. Ultimately, by the 1970's ideas and organizations that favored Islamization of the private life had widely spread across the Islamic world, expressing itself in many ways.

module 7

Clarissa Ellwein

Prof. Andrews

16 April 2020

here is the google doc link to my essay because the blog is formatting it oddly.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DP8ce85QwmV_bro6E0QpIL-OvPA8AVguYCvVLatTf4I/edit?usp=sharing

Module 7- Pandemic Essay

All throughout the history of the world global pandemics have existed. Wherever there is a large population of humans, the possibility of pandemics arising and spreading drastically amongst a population is always in the picture. Even in the advanced society we live in today, full of technology and medical knowledge, we still are forced to face pandemics. Currently, we are in the midst of a global pandemic, something that I personally thought would never happen in my lifetime. However, we are fully submerged in this pandemic with all the signs pointing that this will be around for a while. The Corona Virus is going to leave a lasting impact on the world as we know it and it will be forever rooted in the history of the world.

In order to write an essay about global pandemics, one must first describe what exactly a pandemic is. The official definition as described by the Center for Disease Control is that: “A pandemic is a global outbreak of disease”, further  the CDC says that pandemics happen when, “a new virus emerges to infect people and can spread between people sustainably” (cdc.gov). A disease does need to effect and spread upon the whole entire globe in order to be considered a pandemic. Going off of the definition of the CDC it specifically says that pandemics are global. When diseases spread across a certain group of people, this is considered an epidemic. The official definition of an epidemic is, “an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in that area” (cdc.gov). Therefore, the example of smallpox spreading across the Native American population after contact with Europeans would be considered an epidemic.As one can clearly see the Corona Virus fits the exact definition of a pandemic. It is easily spreadable and has affected all regions of the globe. Although Covid-19 is a novel disease that nobody has ever seen before, there have been multiple pandemics throughout the history of the world that have left drastic impacts on the world. One of the most recent examples of this is  The Spanish Flu. The Spanish Flu began in January of 1918 and lasted all the way until December of 1920, so this lasted almost 3 years. Like most flu viruses, it was expected to only be deadly to the very young and the very old, however this flu virus resulted in a much higher death rate than expected in young adults. It is believed that this disease started among the soldiers during World War 1. It was very easily spread because of the extremely close quarters that the soldiers were living in. Additionally, the malnourishment of the soldiers definitely weakened their immune system, making them more susceptible to the extreme symptoms of this disease. Overall, the Spanish Flu was a very prominent and deadly pandemic. Spanish Flu infected 500 million people globally which was about 25 percent of the world's population at the time. The death toll of the flu is not exact but it is estimated to be between 17 and 50 million people.

Another prominent pandemic that has affected the world is the Black Plague. This was a bacterial infection that peaked in Europe from 1347-1351. This pandemic has been known as the most fatal pandemic in all of human history. It is said that this disease most likely originated in Central or East Asia. It was then spread on the Silk Road and then through fleas living on rats it was able to spread all across Europe, Central Asia, and Africa. This was a deadly disease that spread extremely fast through Europe  because of the poor sanitary conditions. It is estimated that the Black Plague could have killed up to 60% of the population in Europe, killing up to 50 million people. This is one of the most commonly known pandemics that people study because it left a lasting impact on the globe.

Ultimately, it can be seen that global pandemics are just a natural part of human history. My experience with the coronavirus pandemic has most likely been better than the experiences of the people who had to face the Spanish Flu and Black Plague. It is indeed a crazy time filled with so many unknowns about what the future holds, but I am lucky enough to be in a safe home with all my family and all the necessities. While people who have lived through pandemics in the past did not have technology to keep them updated with all the latest news as well as multiple platforms to interact with their friends and family, I am lucky enough to have this easily accessible. Ultimately, as we navigate through this difficult time, it is also a chance to take a step back and realize that we are fortunate to have what we do. My 2020 experience with covid-19 has been a roller coaster ride but it has truly taught me alot about life. 

Works Cited 

“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/.

History.com Editors. “Black Death.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 17 Sept. 2010, www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/black-death.

“Principles of Epidemiology.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 May 2012, www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/ss1978/lesson1/section11.html.

The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, virus.stanford.edu/uda/.

Module 6 - Ch 22

Chapter 22 focuses on the decolonization and gaining of independence that colonial empires received in the twentieth century.

3) What international circumstances and social changes contributed to the end of colonial empires?

There were many international circumstances that contributed to the end of the colonial empires. First of all, the world wars very much weekend Europe, this lead to the sense of European moral superiority completely disappear. In the past, they had this moral superiority, but now they had nothing backing that up. Additionally, the United States and the Soviet Union were very much opposed to the colonial empires and since they were very strong this opposition resignated strongly.  The United Nations also adapted an anti colonial platform. One of the strongest factors was the fact that in these colonies western-educated elites has risen up through the colonial world. There was no longer a connection between the European empires being the only way for their progress, and were strongly leaning towards independence.

4) What obstacles confronted the leaders of movements for independence?

The leaders of the movements of for independence faced many obstacles during the fight for independence. These leaders had to organize political parties, plot their strategies, recruit members to assist them, and negotiate with both each other and the colonial power to ensure the transition to independence. Additionally, some regions such as South Africa some leaders also coordinated military operations. Although there was a common goal of independence amongst the anti-colonists, these groups still struggled with one another over questions of leadership, power, strategy ect... The movements for independence did not mean that these anti-colonists worked perfectly with one another. They still faced the same conflicts internally that independent counties do.

15) What obstacles impeded the economic development of third-world countries?

The obstacles that impeded the economic development of third world countries were prominent and left a lasting impact on the futures of these countries. This attempt at economic development that took place in these countries divided classes, religious groups, and ethnic groups, while all in the presence of rapid population growth. The colonial rule that held them back for so long only provided small foundations of modern development to these very newly independent nations, so many of them were not ready for the challenges that come with running a nation. Ultimately these third-world countries had very literal leverage in the midst of the rest of the global nations, so this hindered them significantly. It was very difficult for these leaders of the nations to know what to do and what strategies to pursue.

Module 5 - Global Pandemics

All throughout time, disease has been around. Wherever there are living things, disease is around and this is the inevitable reality of life. The current situation that we are living in is representative of a true pandemic. Although it is the first global pandemic we have experienced in our life time, it is definitely not the first pandemic that existed in the history of the world. The historical pandemic that I found in my research and that I will be talking about today is the Spanish Flu.

The Spanish Flu began in January of 1918 and lasted all the way until December of 1920, so this lasted almost 3 years. Like most flu viruses, it was expected to only be deadly to the very young and the very old, however this flu virus resulted in a much higher death rate than expected in young adults. It is believed that this disease started among the soldiers during World War 1. It was very easily spread because of the extremely close quarters that the soldiers were living in. Additionally, the malnourishment of the soldiers definitely weakened their immune system, making them more susceptible to the extreme symptoms of this disease.

This virus was very rapidly spread throughout the world because of the new presence of rapid transportation throughout the world. Additionally, with the soldiers returning back to their home countries after being all around the world, this rapidly spread the virus to all stretches of the world. It is believed that the Spanish Flu infection 500 million people globally which was about 25 percent of the worlds population at the time. The death toll of the flu is not exact but it is estimated to be between 17 and 50 million people. Some of the events that occurred during this pandemic are essentially similar to the events we are witnessing today during the Corona Virus pandemic. All citizens were ordered to wear masks, businesses were shut down, and make shift morgues were being made due to the mass number of dead bodies.

Overall, the Spanish Flu is known to be the deadliest pandemic in human history. Overtime, history has shown us that pandemics are an inevitable part of humans living in close contact with each other. As the Corona Virus continues to spread it has been made very clear that history does in fact repeat itself.

Module 4 - Fascism

Ch 20 Summary

Fascism was rapidly growing as the new political ideology between 1919 and 1945. This political style highly nationalistic and something that truly stood out to me was that this praised violence against the enemy. Additionally, fascists did not support individualism, liberalism, feminism , parliamentary democracy, and communism. Many people during this time period had lost faith in the capacity or liberal democracy and capitalism to protect them, therefore they changed their faith to believing in fascism. Many fascist governments took root in Austria, Hungary, and Romania. The countries were fascism achieved prolonged power were in Italy and and Germany - however this style of leadership would prove to have terrible consequences for Europe and the rest of the world.

Fascist government first took root in the newly formed unified state of Italy. Benito Mussolini was the face of this movement and came to power in 1922. The people of Italy who were fearful of communism backed Mussolini because he promised to finally bring order to the streets. Mussolini's regime disbanded independent labor unions and all opposing political parties. He strived to reach the give Italian society a new global mission.

Another fascist power that rose during this time period was the Nazi Party of Germany led by Adolf Hitler. With a struggling economy during the time after the first world war, many people turned to ideas of fascism because the country needed leadership during this time. Just like in Italy, Hitler quickly rose to power, outlawing all other political parties. Upon coming to power ruler implemented ideas of anti-semitism. Overtime, Hitler increasingly gained more and more power and the destructive Nazi Germany rose to full force.

Lastly, Japanese Authoritarianism paralleled that of both Italy and Germany. In the 1930's there was a great growth in nationalist thinking.. This was because Japan was struggling with an economic depression. Just like Italy and Germany, Japan developed a prominent imperial agenda which eventually collided with countries such as the US and Britain and would eventually lead to the beginning of a second world war.

Self Guided Research 

Overall, what I learned with my self guided research was very similar to the ideas portrayed in Strayers text. One definition if Fascism that truly stood out to me was that it is a form of political practice distinct to the 20th century that arouses popular enthusiasm by sophisticated propaganda techniques for an anti-liberal, anti socialist, violently exclusionary, expansionist nationalist agenda.
Fascism has many core elements such as the primacy of the group and extreme support of the natural leader. These ideas are extremely different from many other forms of government that were around during this time. Ultimately the economic goal of fascism is to achieve national self sufficiency, not relying on other countries.

I personally think that fascism is on the rise in the world today. Many of the actions of our current president Donald Trump, mirror some of the actions of the leaders of these fascist regimes in the 20th century. He does put economic ideals over the issues of race and poverty which I think is similar to some fascist tendencies. Additionally, he does not take accountability for many issues that occur because he is trying to protect his reputation, which is also similar to what the leaders of these 20th century fascist governments have done. Overall, many people can have different views on this topic, but I can see some fascist tendencies on the rise in the world today.

Module 3 - Chapter 19

Strayer's Chapter 19, Empires in Collision, talks about the conflicts between the empires in China, Europe, and the Middle East and the impacts that they had on each other.

2. How did Western pressures stimulate change in China during the 19^thcentury?

Western pressures stimulated China during the 19th century dramatically. China was forced to break away from their historical way of operating. There was quite the dramatic shift in the balance of global power that was clearly evident in China's changing relationship with Europe. China was forced to continue to import opium. Additionally, the pressures from the west forced China to set import tariffs at a very low rate. Hong Kong had to increasingly open more ports to Europeans. Foreigners were allowed to live in China and had the right to buy land. Historically, China was not open to accepting Christianity, however China began to open its doors to missionaries. Chinese businessmen mostly served in foreign firms, instead of developing as an independent capitalist class that was capable of leading China's own Industrial Revolution. China also lost control of Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam. Ultimately the western powers along with Japan and Russia had much larger spheres of influence over China than in its historical past. Western powers had control over their water ways and could set up military bases.

5. What lay behind the decline of the Ottoman Empire in the 19^thcentury?

There were ultimately many factors that led to the decline of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. The empire had a great decrease in size due to the expansion of Europe combined with nationalist movements. Additionally, the Ottoman Empire lost power to local authorities and war lords. Their military was greatly weakened and the once effective Janissaries, were no longer effective. Another factor that weakened the Ottoman Empire was that the west kept evolving technology wise, while on the other hand they were not. This created an increasingly larger technology gap. Ottoman artisans could no longer compete with the cheap European manufacturers. This led to urban riots that were protesting against foreign imports. Ultimately the Ottoman Empire became increasingly dependent on foreign loans which led to foreign control and the occupation of Egypt by the British. The situation in the Ottoman Empire was very much like China in which they had fallen into a position of considerable dependency on Europe. 

10. In what respects was Japan’s 19^thcentury transformation revolutionary?

Japan's 19th century transformation was revolutionary in many different ways. Japan's transformation dismantled the old Confusion based order by taking away class restrictions on occupation, residence, marriage, and clothing, while also dismantling limitations on travel and trade. Japan had a government that was now committed to a decisive break with the past. They were ready for great revolutionary change. There were many technological advances which allowed Japan to progress into becoming the world's most urbanized country. This ranges from agricultural advances to advances in technology such as electricity. This transformation was revolutionary for Japan because all of this was accomplished through the use of their own resources instead of through aquiring a massive foreign debt. The is what truly helped them get ahead of other and launch their own Industrial Revolution. Ultimately, Japan was able to grow out of their outdated and traditional ways and truly become acknowledged as one of the Great Powers of the world. 

Ch 18 - Module 2

* Chapter 18 focusses on the second wave of colonialism. This focuses on the colonial encounters in Asia, Africa, and Oceana. 


3. What contributed to changing European views of Asians and Africans in the 19^thcentury?

As the 19th century progressed, European views of Asians and Africans developed to an attitude of superiority over these other races. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Europe played a large role in Europe's 19th century expansion. The new wealth that Europe had come upon led to extreme arrogance of the Europeans that was also combined with the long standing belief that Europeans has religious superiority over Asians and Africans. Additionally, new modern science inflicted racism upon that effected the way Asians and Africans were viewed. This lens of racism was expressed in terms of science, so the belief was widespread. This European belief that they were superior and everybody else was inferior led to ideas that it was the Europeans duty to civilize these other inferior nations. Essentially, with the creation of the industrial age, Europeans became arrogant and looked down on every other culture that was different from them.

11. How did cash crop agriculture transform the lives of colonized peoples?

Cash crop agriculture transformed the lives of colonized people, because the flow of money had never been this prominent before. In some regions like the Burma and Gold Coast, colonial promotion of cash crops for trade benefited the farmers who participated in this crop for trade system. However, in other regions such as the Netherlands East Indies, the process of cash crop agriculture was forced upon the local population by the colonial powerhouses. This was a great burden upon the people and played a part in contributing to a wave of famines. Additionally, cash crop farming in the French-ruled Vietnam had important environmental consequences. It destroyed forests and swamp lands. This took away the fish that supplemented the local diets of people. Ultimately, cash crop agriculture had some benefits for local farmers in certain regions, but in other regions this cash crop agriculture was detrimental to the environment and local populations. 

13. How were the lives of African women in particular altered by colonial economies?

Prior to colonization, African women were responsible for planting, weeding, and harvesting along with food preparation and child care. The were active farmers, also having the responsibility to feed their own families. These women were also sometimes involved in local trading. Women, will still subordinate to men, clearly has some economic responsibility. However, following colonization, the lived of these African women started to become much different than their male counterparts. The men were more focused on cash crop producing while the females took over the role of managing the domestic economy and producing food for subsistence. This is because the role of cash crops forced the men to migrate to the cities, leaving these women to take on tasks that were historically male dominated. African men and African women lived in completely different worlds, with one focused on the cities and working wages, while the other was focused on village life and subsistence agriculture. Women would seek closer relationships with their families of birth instead of with their absent husbands. Overall, the colonial economies greatly changed the women's role in society and increased their role in production for their villages. 

Ch 17 - Module 1

* I already did a blog post on chapter 17, so I will only answer two of the big picture questions

1)  In what ways did the Industrial Revolution mark a sharp break with the past? In what ways did it continue earlier patterns?

The Industrial Revolution marked many new changes for the world as it was known before the early 19th century. A lot of this was directly because of the exponential increase in human population from 375 million people in the 14th century to about 1 billion in the 1800's. The Industrial Revolution marked a sharp break with the past by creating much more jobs, new ideas of socialism that have never been used before, and enormously increased output of goods, and a great increase in technology. All of this was new and completely different from the past. However even though this revolutionary time marked extreme change for the world, many of the patterns that were deeply rooted in society remained the same. It continued earlier patterns by continuing the patriarchy of men as well as keeping Europe at the center of the networks exchange. it also continued the renovation and progress that began during the scientific revolution. 

2) In what respects did the roots of the Industrial Revolution lie within Europe? In what ways did that transformation have global roots?

The roots of the industrial revolution lied within Europe because the political system of Europe definitely favored innovation much more than those roots of other parts of the world. The conquests of the Americas also was beneficial to Europe because it allowed for the Europeans to take advantage of the lack of resources that they had on their home continent. With these new found resources they were able to produce and distribute machine-produced goods. This transformation of Europe had its global roots because ever since the 1500's, Europe was the hub of exchange within the world. This global hub is what allowed for the effects of the industrial revolution to spread globally.

Ch 17 Revolutions of Industrialization

The Industrial Revolution left the greatest significance on Europe in the century and a half between 1750 and 1900. It drew on the Industrial Revolution and was accompanied by the French Revolution. The Industrial Revolution came due to a substantial increase in human population to about 1 million in the early 19th century. The demands for energy were increasingly higher and they were pushing the limits. The nonrenewable fossil fuels such as coal oil and natural gas were replacing renewable energy sources. This left a large impact on the environment.

The Industrial Revolution occurred in Europe because its internal development favored innovation. Additionally, the new European states were in need of some sort of revenue and greatly supported private commerce. Overall, the new phenomenon of highly commercialized and competitive European societies with free markets explain why Europe's Industrial Revolution first began. The Industrial Revolution first started in Britain because it was the most highly commercialized of the larger countries in Europe. Britain was focused on observation, experiments, precise measurements and mechanical devices. This is what played a role in the first major development of the Industrial Revolution, the steam engine.

The laboring class made up 70 percent of Britains population in the nineteenth century. It was this class the suffered the most and benefited the least from the Industrial Revolution. London was extremely over crowded and smokey with their population containing 6 million people. The urban workers worked in terrible conditions and lived in terrible conditions as well.  The young girls and women of the Industrial Revolution were treated the worst of the labor class. They received lower wages than men as well as were kept from joining unions.

The Industrial Revolution was not only confined to Britain. It spread to Western Europe, United States, Russia, and Japan. The different cultures and societies ensured that the revolution unfolded differently in the countries that it spread too. In the United States, this revolution helped turn it into a global powerhouse and in Russia it helped it to be the country with the first global outpost of communism.

The struggle for independence in Latin America lasted so long that it diminished their populations, damaged their natural resources. In these new independent countries, life was extremely unstable.
However, in the later half of the nineteenth century, Latin America was becoming more closely integrates into the world economy due the the products of the Industrial Revolution. The elites in Latin America sought to make their countries more resemblant of Europe or the US. Latin America had economic growth that depended on capital abroad. Ultimately, each region of the world faced its own changes because of the Industrial Revolution.

Ch 16 Part 2 + Documents

The echoes of the Atlantic Revolutions could be seen in Europe as smaller revolutionary eruptions occurred which included ideas 1of republicanism, greater social equality, and national liberation from social rule. The larger states of Western Europe, the United States, and Argentina generally granted universal male suffrage by 1914. Additionally the three major movements that developed were the abolition of slavery, independence from foreign rule, and feminism.

The abolition of slavery movement first started when enlightenment thinkers became increasingly critical of slavery and how it violated natural rights. Also the new thinking that slavery was not essential for economic progress made the arguments against slavery even more acceptable. Britain abolished slavery throughout its empire in 1833 and The Great Jamaican revolt played a major part in this. Most Latin American countries abolished slavery by the 1850s. Although slavery was abolished in many places these new people did not receive any political equality. Additionally, in West and East African abolition from other countries increased the use within the African societies. In the Islamic world, slavery was not outlawed until the twentieth century.

The Atlantic Revolutions also gave rise to powerful ideas of nationalism throughout the world. This idea inspired the unification of both Germany and Italy. Additionally, the Greeks and Serbs declared their independence from the Ottoman Empire. Many other nations throughout the world were effected by new nationalistic beliefs. Governments claimed to act on behalf of their nations and wanted to instill loyalty in their citizens. Nationalism in politics put all the emphasis on "the people". Japanese and Egyptian nationalism broadly grew in the nineteenth century, however other places in Asia and Africa had to wait until the twentieth century.

The last echo of the Atlantic Revolutions that is discussed in the book is the beginning of the feminist movements. The challenge against patriarchy began in Europe and North America in the nineteenth century and then blew up in the twentieth century. Enlightenment thinkers challenged ancient traditions of women's intrinsic inferiority. Because the middle class was growing women began finding freedom from household restrictions as well as even finding educational opportunities.Women began developing ideas that they were individuals with rights that were equal to men. The growth of feminism was faced with bitter opposition, with professionals claiming that women being outside the home would cause reproductive damage. Feminists were viewed as selfish because they were "not willing to sacrifice for their families". The growth of feminism in the nineteenth century raised issues that would be much more echoed in the twentieth century. t

Part 5 and First 1/2 Ch16

Part 5 of Ways of the World is titled the European Moment in World History. The first two chapters of this section talk about the societies that emerged from the intersection of the Scientific, French, and Industrial Revolutions. The second half of this chapter will talk about the ability of these powers that emerged to use their enormous power and influence on everyone else. Western Europe now held a much more prominent role in society. Europeans assumed that they were the dominant race and deemed themselves superior to everyone else. The long nineteenth century was a time when Europeans were the most powerful, most innovative, and most widely imitated on the planet.

Ch 16

The Atlantic Revolutions of North America, France, Haiti, and Latin America were very costly wars that strained European imperial states. The taxes that the conflicts in North America, the Caribbean, West Africa, and South Asia caused contributed to the launching of the North American and French Revolutions. The ideas that the Atlantic revolutions derived from the Enlightenment were shared between the French and American Revolutionaries. The new ideas of liberty, equality, free trade, religious tolerance, republicanism, and human rationality were widely popular. The Atlantic Revolutionaries had a global impact that definitely expanded much further than just their own world.

The North American Revolution was launched by the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It was fueled by an unexpected effort by the British to tighten its control over their colonies. The American patriots felt as though that they were creating hope for the human race. This revolution inspired the French and gave them hope for their own revolution.

The French Revolution began in 1789, when thousands of soldiers who were providing assistance to the American colonists returned home. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and citizen was made. This document was going against the ancient regime and declared that "men are born and remain free and equal in rights". This document is what started the French Revolution. The French Revolution was much more violent, far reaching, and radical in character than the American Revolution. The French Revolution resulted in many extreme changes in the new nation of France.

In the next part of this chapter, we will talk about the Haitian Revolution, The Spanish American Revolutions, The Abolition of Slavery, and the beginnings of Feminism. The Atlantic Revolutions definitely changed the world and brought rise to many different movements that progressed the world.

Foundresses Week

This week was Foundresses Week and I learned so much more than I thought I was going to learn. Unfortunately I was not able to participate in any of the activities because they all conflicted with my softball and school schedule, however through this class along with other things around NDNU I was still able to get a good grasp of the history of this institution. I also hope to attend the Sr. Dorothy Stang vigil tomorrow.

This week I learned quite a bit about the two Foundresses of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. I had previously heard about Julie Billiart because one of the dorm halls is names after her, but I never truly understood who she was or what she did. I had never heard of Francoise before this week, but I am glad I did get to learn a little bit about her life and story.

It was quite interesting to look at the backgrounds of these two women and how they were completely different. I find it inspiring that despite their different backgrounds, they still held the utmost respect for one another and were able to help create change together. The mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur is truly amazing and it is great to see that the mission still lives on today. The Hallmarks that they developed are something that can truly change peoples lives when they live by them and think about them each day. I am very proud to have learned these hallmarks as well as the history of the women who helped developed them. Foundresses week was definitelt something that helped open my eyes about the history of this school, and I am glad that the mission still continues on.

SND Handout

Reading about these two Sisters of Notre Dame was extremely interesting and informative to me. I think that reading this handout was especially important because I did not know much about the Foundresses if this school and the history of the people whom developed the hallmarks that I see posted around me everyday. I had previously heart about Julie Billart, but never heard of Francoise Blin de Bourdon.

 Francoise Blin de Bourdon was born into an aristocratic family but did not let the luxuries and essentially easy life style take her focus away from other people of less social status. She observed that it was quite unsettling to see the shocking differences between the way the lower class lived and the aristocrats lived. She did not support this, and truly cared about all people no matter what their social status was. This amazing and revolutionary outlook of life is one of the key principles that the Sisters of Notre Dame teach which is "respect for all individuals regardless of age, gender, disability, or social class". Francoise lived in way that virtually no aristocrats did at the time, and genuinely cared for others. This is extremely inspirational.

Julie Billart had a much different upbringing than Francoise, but still shared very similar ideals and principles with her dear friend. She was not an aristocrat like Francoise, but rather born into the Third Estate. Julie was able to witness the disparities in the community she lived in. She was unsettled with the fact that some people had so much more opportunity to learn and grow than others just because of their social status.

Although both of these women had incredibly different upbringings, they were still able to connect and establish a new order of Nuns called the Sisters of Notre Dame. Over 216 years later, the principles they established are still influencing many people today. For the time they were develpped these principles were extremely advanced and it is amazing to see how they still apply today

Chapter 15 - Cultural Transformations

The introduction of this chapter summarizes the major cultural changes that the early modern era of world history gave birth to. This ranges from the spreading of Christianity to Asians, Muslims, and Native Americans to the emergence of a modern scientific outlook on life. All of these cultural transformations that were taking place during this time were due to the globalization of the world and the world was evolving as a melting pot of different cultures and beliefs.

The Christians of the world were divided by the Roman Catholics of the Western and Central Europe and the Orthodox of Eastern Europe and Russia. The Christians were also facing competition from the expansion of Islam. The Protestant Reformation also split up the Roman Catholic Church because people were offended that it was associated with the rural and feudal world of aristocratic privilege. Despite new changes, Protestant women were still oppressed and considered less than men in the Church. The rivalry between Protestant and Catholic's caused major conflict all throughout Europe, from France, to Germany, and in the Roman Empire. The Protestant Reformation during this time encouraged skepticism towards authority and tradition. Religious individualism was a whole new concept that the Protestants encouraged and revitalized Christianity was established around the world in the centuries following this reformation.

Conversion of Spanish America to Christianity was something that millions accepted and embraced. Europeans were highly aggressive, claiming religious truth and destructing local gods. Church authorities would destroy and disrespect many ritual objects just to undermine native religion. Attacks on Christianity from the Spanish-American people were quickly shot down, so instead many groups tried to blend the two religious traditions together, by assimilating Christianity into patterns of local culture. Overall, Christianity did begin to take root in this environment, however, it was Andean or Mexican Christianity, instead of being an exact copy of the Spanish Christianity.

In China, there was no mass conversion to Christianity like there was in Spanish America, however there was a modest spread of these ideas among some Chinese people. The aspect of Christianity just did not fit with the long rooted culture of the Chinese people and it did not offer anything that the Chinese genuinely wanted. There was ultimately many aspects that played into the general failure of trying to create a presence of Christianity in China.

In China during the Ming and Qing dynasties, they operated under Confusion framework which was supplemented with ideas from Buddhism and Daoism. This created a system called Neo-Confucianism. In China there was also a movement called koazheng, which meant "research based on evidence" and emphasized the importance of verification and precision. In China among the less educated, culture was growing and the arts, and novels were becoming increasingly popular.

Moving away from religion, during the early modern period there was also the Scientific Revolution. The first major break through in the Scientific Revolution was the argument that the sun was the center, and the Earth and other planets revolved around it. Sir Isaac Newton formulated the modern laws of motion and mechanics  This fueled a completely new scientific few of the universe by Europeans. In the eighteenth century growing numbers of people started believing that the outcome of the scientific revolution would be the "enlightenment". This was the belief that humans would discover the way that mankind can govern itself more effectively. The idea of progress is what the central belief of enlightenment was.

The Scientific Revolution and its ideas ultimately began spread globally, more than the ideas of religion and the arts. European science did impact Asian scholars and they selectively assimilated some of these ideas on their own terms. Theoretical science was facing a challenge while the ideas of Western Science were on the rise.

Chapter 14 Part 2 - Economic Transformations

Part 2 of chapter 14 mainly focuses on the Atlantic Slave Trade. The Atlantic Slaved Trade took place between the years of 1500 and 1866. About 12.5 million people were taken from Africa and were transported on ships to the Americas or other parts of the world. This aspect of globalization surely had the most profound consequences on human life.

Within Africa, the slave trade caused many changes as well. Some societies were completely disrupted and corrupted, while on the other hand some African societies were strengthened. Since so many of these African slaves were transported to the Americas there were elements of African culture that was mixes into the making of American culture. Issues of race caused by this forced slavery are still present in the 21st century due to the absolute oppression of these people.

During the Atlantic Slave Trade the type of slavery that emerged was quite different from the other forms of slavery that were present prior to this. The slaves were absolutely essential to the economy of colonial America. The slaves were treated as dehumanized property who did not have any rights in the society of their owners. The identity of Africa with "blackness" arose at this time, which was unfortunately passed down from generation to generation.

Something that is interesting is that the Europeans did not attempt military conquest when they obtained slaves from Africa. The African merchants and political elites actually sold the slaves and were dealt with like equals to the Europeans. The African slave sellers would buy textiles, cowrie shells, metal goods, fire arms, tobacco, alcohol, ect... In the seventeenth century the slave trade was generally low in numbers, however between 1700 and 1850 the slave trade hit its high point. Millions of slaves were imported from Africa during these years.

The slave trade produced economic stagnation and social disruption. In Africa, there was little positive change since those who were benefiting from the trade did not invest in their societies. Because substantially more men than women were shipped to the Americas, the women who remained in Africa faced increased labor demands. In the Kongo, elites of would obtain their own . female slaves for labor. Different societies through Africa faced different impacts from the slave trade, with some being positive and many being negative.

Ultimately globalization took root in the three centuries of the early modern era. Unfortunately this era was tied to empire building and slavery which was fortunately discredited by the twentieth century. Nonetheless, the early modern era globalization transformed the economy as people knew it and truly turned it into a global economy.

Chapter 14 Part 1 - Economic Transformations

The introduction for this chapter begins with a quick summary of the transformations that were made globally during the early modern era. Europeans found their way into the slave trade, the spice trade, East Asian commerce, and the fur trade. Although Europeans did in fact play a large role in these actions of modern commerce, there were many other groups all around the world that played a role in developing this global network. These groups include Southeast Asians, Chinese, Indians, Armenians, Arabs, Africans, and Native Americans.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to discover the sea route to the East. When they arrived in Asia, they discovered a rich network of commerce stretching from East Africa to China. Europeans began to grow more and more interest in Asia and part of this had to do with them finally recovering from the Black Death. Populations were growing and some cities were turning into centers for international commerce. European products were much less attractive than those products coming from Eastern markets. This is what made them have to pay in gold or silver, which attracted the explorers to seek out gold and silver deposits in other areas of the world.

The Portuguese saw an opening in the Indian Ocean due to the lack of powerhouses controlling it. They were quick to establish bases and multiple places within the Indian Ocean. This was called the "trading post empire", and they were seeking to control commerce with arms and force. They successfully monopolized a highly profitable route around Africa to Europe and partially blocked a Red Sea route to the Mediterranean. This trading post empire was short lived as the Portuguese were simply overextended and becoming outnumbered by rising Asian states.

The Spanish realized that they were behind Portugal and were the first to challenge their position. They established themselves on the Philippine Islands and created outright colonial rule on the islands. They also turned the Philippines into the only major Christianity outpost in Asia.

The East India Companies were trading companies chartered by the Dutch and British governments that had the power to make war and govern the conquered people that they encountered on their Indian Ocean ventures. The Dutch seized control of a number of spice producing islands as well as briefly establishing themselves on Taiwan. The British East India Company established three major trading posts in India. They were focused on obtaining cotton textiles from India.

The silver trade was even more prevalent than the spice trade in creating the global network of exchange. There was a large supply in silver due to the discovery of rich silver deposits in Japan and Bolivia. Silver was beginning to be used as a form of currency as the Chinese required its population to pay in silver. It was also being used to trade for Asian goods and African Slaves. In essence, the silver commerce was transforming the global economy of the early modern era.

The production of furs, silver, textiles, and spices had a major impact on the environment and on the societies that used produced and consumed them. The demand for fur had greatly increased due to the Little Ice Age which created strong incentives for European traders to obtain fur from the large fur-bearing animals in North America. The French were prevalent in the St. Laurence Valley, the British pushed into the Hudson Bay Region, and the Dutch were along the Hudson River. These three empires were big rivals for the North American furs. There was a great environmental impact of this sudden increase of killing fur bearing animals and many fur bearing species were depleted.

This is the end of the first half of Chapter 14. The next half talks about the Atlantic slave trade and its consequences.

Chapter 13 - Political Transformations

Chapter 13 mainly outlines the European colonization of all different regions of the world. Those empires of Western Europe were able to conquer territories that lay much further away from them which was something that was very new during this time period. The Europeans were much more motivated to colonize than the Chinese, Indian, and Muslim empires because these empires already had rich markets. On the other hand European's were becoming aware that their region was marginal compared to the others. This factor combined with other factors such as the desire to avoid reliance on Muslim intermediaries between Asian wealth made the idea of colonization very desirable for Europeans.

There were many consequences that came with European conquest. The most significant one was the complete collapse of Native American societies. These Native peoples were not used to the European and African diseases that they came across and this nearly took out all of their population. The amount of death that came across these areas was in the tens of millions. This phenomenon is known as the Great Dying. Many immigrant newcomers came to the America's because of rapid population loss of the Natives. This included both the African slaves and the colonizing Europeans. This brought rapid change to the America's because they brought their foreign plants and domesticated animals which were not originally in America.

The main colonial areas in the Americas were the Aztec and Inca lands of Mexico/Peru, the settler colonies in the New England area,  and the sugar colonies in South America. Each of these colonial societies had their respective European colonizers and they each had their own distinctions.

Although a large part of Chapter 13 talks about the Europeans and their colonization in the America's, there is also quite a bit of information at the end of this chapter regarding the different empires that were emerging throughout the world. First comes the Russian Empire, which was beginning to take shape and expand eastward and westward . They took over Siberia and the Steppes and completely Russified the people of these areas. Next, the textbook talks about the building of the Chinese empire. Chinese expanded into Central Asia, inhabiting Mongolia, Xinjang, and Tibet into their empire. The rest of the chapter summarizes the Muslims and Hindis in the Mughal Empire as well as the Muslims and Christians in the Ottoman Empire.

Ultimately, there was an enormous amount of political transformations occurring all over the world. This time period from 1450-1750 gave way to a complete world transformation and new patterns of development followed all of these empire forming projects.

Intro to Part 4: The Modern Era

Hello readers of my World History Blog!

In Strayer's introduction to Part 4, reader's are introduced to the Early Modern Era, which is a span of three centuries ranging from about 1450 to 1750. In this era, we are able to discover that some of the early signs of the modern world began to arise.

One of the main phenomenon that began to occur in the Modern Era was globalization. This occurred in many parts of the world, from the journeys of European explorers to America as well as the slave trade which connected Africa to the Western Hemisphere. Europeans were also able to use precious metals to start moving into ancient Asian trade routes.

Population growth also began in China, Japan, India, and Europe because these areas were finally recovering from the Black Death as well as the Mongol Wars. Population growth also occurred because the America's were producing foods that were capable of feeding larger numbers of people. Unfortunately, population growth was limited in Africa due to the slave trade.

This Early Modern Era was not all positive... larger empires began to form across Asia and the Middle East, and in the Americas, which did indeed lead to the intensifying of human pressures on land. Forest's felled, marshes drained, and the list goes on.

Because it is called the Early Modern Era, the name would suggest that the world was more similar to what we now it as today. However this is far from correct. European domination, as well as fully modern societies did not completely exist. It was very unclear whether or not European societies would completely dominate the planet. Many of the aspects modern industrial society did not exist either. There was still no extremely efficient modes of transportation, steam powered factories were not on the rise, and the lower class was still comprised of rural peasants.

Although people were still living in their long established, traditional ways, the Early Modern Era was definitely changing the world. Chapters 13, 14, and 15 will explain the new empires that formed, the emergence of long distance trade, and the new cultural trends.

All done setting up my new blog!