Europeans in the World
As Europeans explored and colonized Africa and Asia, they set up trading post cities to establish a base. These cities became centers of imperial administrations later on. In West Africa, european merchants and missionaries reached inland to Kongo and Benin. The Asante Empire and Kingdom of the Kongo participated in slave trade, which increased their wealth and baron. Japan initially welcomed portuguese and dutch traders and missionaries, then pulled back by banning Christianity and contact with the external. They remained isolated for most of the 17th and 18th centuries in an attempt to protect traditional culture. China was besides set on isolating itself from extraneous affairs. After Zheng He ’ randomness explorations, the Ming dynasty retreated into isolationist policies. Europeans would have to wait a few centuries for access to China.
The Mughals in India were open to trade with Europeans and the British East India Company ( EIC ) was established. The EIC took advantage of tensions between Muslims and Hindus in rate to expand influence. The british moved inland and by the nineteenth hundred, had direct colonial control over all of India .
The Americas
The spanish and Portuguese divided up the lands of the Americas before they evening explored or conquered any of it. In 1494, they signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, which gave Brazil to the Portuguese and everywhere else to the spanish. Languages are still divided on these lines. The spanish conquistadors brought down the boom Aztec and Inca empires within a few decades. The Aztecs fell first gear when Hernan Cortes and his troops brought disease to the region. Cortes besides combined the forces of aztec rivals to topple them faster. He then established the spanish das kapital of Mexico City. The Incas fell quickly because of disease and treachery. Francisco Pizarro and his troops captured the Inca leader Atahualpa and convinced the Inca to trade gold for his return. They complied, but Pizarro however had Atahualpa killed, efficaciously toppling the conglomerate. The Spanish besides established a garrison at St. Augustine in contemporary Florida. In North America, the spanish had control of the southwest regions, central America, and Florida. north of the spanish territory, the french and british were fueling their competition as they competed for kingdom and control of resources. The french aligned with the Iroquois for security and trade rights. The competition finally popped off as the Seven Years’ War exploded tensions around the world. The british drove the french out of Canada and India after that .
Changes in Labor Systems
economic systems were disrupted as trade intensified. The Portuguese controlled some areas on the indian Ocean network as they were potent armed locals, but merchants continued to trade and migrate.
In the Americas, the spanish established the encomienda system to force Natives to harvest cash crops in central for food and shelter, similar to the feudal system. In this labor system, the Natives were tied to the state and were not rid to leave. This same organization was used on smaller farms, which was called the hacienda system. interim, the silver trade wind was insanely profitable for the spanish and the mines at Potosi and Zacatecas needed a a lot labor as possible. autochthonal peoples were forced to work in the harsh mines using a modified Mit’a system to closely enslave the Natives .🎥Watch: WHAP – Labor Systems in the Early Modern World
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Comparing Labor Systems
| Type | Place | Work | Characteristics |
| Slave | Americas & Africa | Harvested cash crops, worked plantations, maintained homes | Treated as property, Little to no rights |
| Serfs | Europe & Asia | Worked the farms of Lords | Tied to land, No legal protections |
| Indentured Servants | Global | Field work, maintained homes | Transport paid in exchange for 7 years of unpaid labor |
| Free | Europe & Asia | Blacksmith, Weaving | Worked own land |
| Peasant | Asia | Farming | Paid taxes to Lord, Paid tithes to Church |
| Nomad | Europe, Asia, & Africa | Herding, pastoralism, breeding | Moved often, Used land temporarily |
| Guild Member | Europe | Skilled crafts | Apprentice, Eventually independent |
Atlantic Slave Trade
The solve of harvesting cash crops and mining ash grey was labor movement intensifier. These new markets were profitable, but could alone be sustained with a lot of cheap or free undertaking. Africa was targeted for labor in the Americas because Indigenous populations were decimated by disease and were able to escape with cognition of the farming and the ability to blend in with early Natives. Indentured servants provided cheap tug for a while, but plantation owners couldn ’ t scale their businesses when laborers would leave after seven years. As the slave barter expanded, some african Kings participated and shared profits. Slaves were captured, transported to holding pens ( “ Points of No Return ” ), and then crammed on ships for the Middle Passage journey across the Atlantic.
Read more: Promoting and Developing Seafarers’ Welfare under the Maritime Labour Convention: A Research Agenda
Map of the Middle Passage. Image Courtesy of crispusattucksmuseum.org The demographic effects of the slave trade in Africa were unprecedented. Although the population of Africa ultimately increased because of increased food resources, in some regions the population declined as slaves were kidnapped. Families were separated and there was a gender asymmetry because more men were taken than women .