World Civilizations Since 1500

World Civilizations Since 1500

4. Describe the ancient caste system of India. What were the major castes?  What was the effect of this type of segmentation of society (which has repercussions even today)?

The ancient caste system of India was a system connected to the Hinduism in which people were categorized based on their occupation. Initially, caste was associated with a person’s work, but later it became hereditary. This means that each person was born into an unchangeable social status. The four major castes include Brahmin, which was made up of the priests, Kshatriya, which is composed of the warriors and nobility, Vaisya, comprising of the farmers, traders, and artisans and the Shudra which consists of tenant farmers and servants. Other people were born outside of and below the caste system, and these were given the name untouchables or the Dalits. This type of segmentation of the society had positive effects in the olden days. Some of the positive effects include the promotion of contentment and stability of the Indian society through fixing of occupation. Besides, it helped to preserve the hereditary skills. Again, caste organizations acted as trade guilds which regulated production and prices as well as for settling trade disputes. However, in modern times, the caste system has many negative, which are eminent even today. These include preventing one’s choice of occupation, depending on his/her personal taste and ability. Additionally, it does not allow mobility of labor because the system bars change of occupation. Nevertheless, the caste system hinders the growth of large-scale businesses. The segmentation also creates rigidity situations whereby high classes look down upon certain forms of labor, and this hinders economic progress.

5. How did the Mughal Empire rise in India? Describe a few of its accomplishments.

The Mughal Empire was one of the largest and well-known empires of the sub-continent of South Asia. The rise of the Mughal Empire occurred in C. 1526-1761 and was led by Zahir-ud-Din Muhammad, who was known as Babur. The rise of the empire occurred when Babur utilized technologies such as weapons that overwhelmed the natives of the area. Eventually, Babur procured the land and claimed it as his original homeland. It is said that Babur was a relative of the great Genghis Khan of the Mongol Empire. The popular belief has since proclaimed the Mughal Empire that this was the golden age of South Asia. Accomplishments are of the many and included art innovation, political development, technologies, and riches, to name a few. One impressive feature I enjoyed reading about was how they separated church from state and allowed people of different denominations and religions, participation within high ranking positions of the government. This was indicative of a more modern approach to governing. 

6. What happened during the Mughal-Maratha Wars? Describe the Maratha Empire that emerged in the late 1600s.

The Mughal-Maratha wars occurred C. 1680 – 1707. Another identifying name for the said war was the Maratha War of Independence. This conflict escalated because the Mughal Empire, led by Emperor Aurangzeb, invaded the Maratha enclave in Bilaspur in C. 1680. In the end, after the Mughal emperor passes away, the Maratha circumnavigated the Mughal and managed to find success and defeated the Mughals, which resulted in the procurement of large amounts of new territory. Before the Maratha won this war, they were a Maratha warrior group from the western Deccan Plateau. Only after defeating the Mughal did they reach their power in the late 1600s.

7. How did the religion of Islam spread in Indonesia?

Today Indonesia is one of the countries with the largest Muslim population. This occurred through the spread of Muslim traders. Between the 13^th and 14^th centuries, Kings who controlled trading kingdoms around Malacca Strait discovered that becoming a Muslim helped them to attract traders from the Ottoman Empire and the Malabar Coast kingdoms. Consequently, this led to the Samudera Pasai and the conversion of Malaka to Islam. As Malaka rose and became a more powerful kingdom, it began to influence the surrounding kingdoms to convert to Muslims to help them gain political and economic influence. As a result, most royalties from the Sumatran kingdoms converted to Islam. This pattern continued even in other places like Java. Because of the need to secure political and economic territory, there were mass conversions in Java. The decline of Majapahit and the rise of the Malacca kingdom contributed a lot to the mass conversion in Java.

8. Describe the relationship between the Dutch and the Indonesia Sultanates of Banten and Mataram in the 1600s

Towards the end of the 16^th century, Islam had dominated Java having surpassed Hinduism and Buddhism. This led to the rising of many Islamic kingdoms, including the kingdoms of Denmark, Cirebon, and Banten. Nonetheless, the most powerful kingdom was Mataram. The kingdoms of Surabaya and Cirebon collapsed at the beginning of the 17^th century leaving only Mataram and Banten kingdoms on the island of Java. The beginning of the relationship between Java and colonial powers of Europe began in Malaka in 1522 after the kingdom of Sunda, and the Portuguese signed an agreement. The relationship between Indonesia and Netherlands began in 1596 through an expedition led by Cornelis de Houtman. By the end of the 18^th century, the Dutch had extended their influence in the sultanates in Java Island, and colonization started. The Dutch used both direct and dualistic system to rule Java. There was a Dutch intermediary hierarchy whose work was to mediate between the Japanese peasants and the European civil service. At the top of this hierarchy, there was the Javanese aristocracy, which composed of the officials who previously ran the Mataram administration. However, they were supposed to execute the will of the Dutch center.

9. What was the Dutch East India Company? What impact did it have on European relations with Oceania (Australia and surrounding Pacific Island nations)?

The Dutch East Indian Company was a company that was involved in trade, exploration, and colonization during the 17^th and 18^th centuries. The company, which was also called VOC, was established in 1602 and operated up to 1800. It is considered one of the first and most successful international corporations. VOC was a monopoly company that contributed to the deterioration of European relations with Oceania. During the 17^th century, VOC established a grip in western Sumatra and other surrounding areas to control pepper trade and interfered with the local conflict supporting the rulers who favored it. Working to achieve its commercial monopoly, VOC pressurized the individual rulers in Australia and the pacific island nations to do business only with the company and controlled sources of supply of certain products like cloves. This created more friction between the Europeans and Oceania.

10. Who was Abel Tasman? What role did he play in enlightening Europe about the existence of Oceania?

Abel Tasman is a European who is famously known to be the first one to reach name Anthoonij van Diemenslandt,’ which is today known as Tasmania. He is also believed to be the first person to reach New Zealand and the first one to see the islands of Fiji. Besides, he helped to map large regions of the pacific island, New Zealand, and Australia. He contributed to the enlightenment of Europeans about the existence of Oceania through his expeditions and explorations to the southern continent, which was believed to be mysterious. He had been given instructions to capture all the continents and islands discovered during his voyage. During his exploration journey, Tasman discovered many mountains, islands, and regions which he all named and took possession of them.

11. Why the area in which Japan is located is called the Ring of Fire?  Explain the geography of Japan that results from its existence in this zone.

Geographically, Japan is located in an area that experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions enclosing the basin of the Pacific Ocean. For this reason, this zone is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. The area is famous for its constant seismic activity and the number of active volcanoes that are present there.  Japan’s location is on the stretch of the Ring Fire, where there is a convergence of North American, Pacific, Eurasian, and the Philippine plates. A significant part of northern japan sits entirely on top of the western tip of the North American plate. On the other hand, Southern Japan is mainly located above the Eurasian plate. This geographical location of japan makes it very prone to the effects of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

13. Which river served as the original cradle of East Asian civilization? What were the three earliest dynasties in Chinese history called? Describe one of them.

East Asian civilization is believed to have its original cradle at the yellow river. The river, which is found in China, is said to be one of the oldest in the world and stands for the origin of culture and civilization. The river played an essential role in the early development of Chinese civilization. The three earliest dynasties in Chinese history are the Xia Dynasty, the Shang dynasty, and the Zhou Dynasty. The Xia dynasty is the first one, and it is believed to have lasted from about 2070 to 1600 BCE. This was the Bronze Age, and no written records can be traced from this period. Much of what is known from this time comes from ancient writings like the Bamboo Annals. The Shang dynasty is believed to have lasted from 1600 to 1100 BCE. It was founded by Tang the Great, and its final ruler was King Zhou. This dynasty is said to have been ruled by 31 kings and included seven capital cities. Records written during this dynasty include the Oracle bones. In the third dynasty, the Zhou dynasty lasted between 1027 to about 221 BCE. This is said to be the longest dynasty in the history of china and is subdivided into four periods.

17. What were some of the major accomplishments of the Ming dynasty in China (1368 to 1644)?

One of the major achievements during this dynasty was the opening of opportunities for economic development, particularly in the southern regions of China. There was increased crop yield because maize and sweet potatoes, which had been recently introduced in china were grown widely on local farms. Another achievement was the completion of the Great Wall. Although the earlier dynasties had started the construction, the Ming dynasty put extensions, repair, and built many more watchtowers along the Great Wall.  Besides, there was an increased influence of the Ming dynasty abroad due to the facilitation of numerous lengthily voyages to Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, and the east coast of Africa. Again, the Ming dynasty achieved a lot in science and medicine and published studies that contributed to the development of farming techniques in ancient china and the medical field.

Part II

2. Describe the state of relations between the Mughal Empire and Persia during the 1500s and 1600s.

After the invasion of the Indian sub-continent, the Persian people were among the major ethnic groups accompanying the elite rulers of the Mughal Empire. During the Mughal Empire, many Persians of different occupations and social classes migrated and settled in various regions in the Indian sub-continent. The Turco-Mongol ethnic group mainly ruled the Mughal Empire. Ancient Mughals spoke the Chagatai language and followed the practices of Turco-Mongol people. However, they later became assimilated into the Persian culture and moved with it to South Asia, where they formed the foundation for the Indo-Persian culture and led to the spread of Islamic religion in the various parts of South Asia. In 1540, the emperor of Mughal was defeated by Shah Suri and ran to Iran to take refuge under the mighty Safavid Empire. Together with his wife and forty other men, the emperor was welcomed and treated as a royal visitor. The Persians had captivating artworks, architecture, and a strong military, which amazed the Mughal Emperor. Attracted by the work of Persian miniaturists, the Mughal emperor asked them if they could work for him if he regained the independence of Hindustan, and they accepted his request. Shah also gave the empire financial support and huge numbers of Calvary to help him regain his empire. Nobles and soldiers from the Persian ethnic group united with the Mughal emperor in the reconquest of South Asia. The Persian officers who helped the emperor to regain his empire were given important central positions in the offices.

4. 4. What was the relationship historically between Japan and Korea until the early 1700s?

Over the centuries, the relations between Japan and Korea alternated between friendly trade partnerships and outright hostilities. Piracy was one of the major problems for this relation with large Japanese fleets transporting invaders who trespassed the Korean territories and looted their property. In 1419 CE, King Taejong attacked a Japanese pirate base in Tsushima Island following constant attacks by the Japanese pirates. Although this attack did not eradicate the pirates totally, it led to a trade deal between the two countries, which was signed in 1443 CE. During the late 16^th century, the Korean peninsula was invaded by the Japanese, whereby many Korean potters and artists were forcefully taken to japan. This led to a conflict that is sometimes known as the Pottery Wars. The Korean artists were needed because of their fine skills in producing great quantities of quality white porcelain. The artists had a significant influence on the Japanese Satsuma ware. Korea was devastated by the constant Japanese attacks, and many of its cultural sites and artworks were either destroyed or taken possession by the Japanese. In about 1600s, the Japanese got as far as the Yalu River in their invasions of Korea but were ultimately beaten back by the chines hordes. In the late 16^th century, japan attempted to invade Korea and had a bit of success initially, but the battle ended with japan getting a very costly failure.