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GLOBAL HISTORY

WEEK 1

1.1 The Study of History
Why = ?
-circumstances, things happening
-choices made by human beings (how and why they were made_
History could have gone a very different path if people made different choices
Unpacking choices, unpacking stories
Situation -> problem -> solution -> new situation

1.2 The Great Divide
Traditional vs Modern world
Tradition = basic circumstances of life dont change much from one generation to
the next
Modern = where circumstances are changing constantly
The great divide is measured by:
POPULATION (rate of population growth has more than tripled through the
last pat of the 1700s and has not stopped. Thats the great divide)
REAL INCOME (Malthusian trap refers to the following scenario, if the
population is increasing but real income isnt. Theres the same amount of
stuff to go around a larger number of people, everyone has less. Causing
population to decline again, rise, etc, repeatedly. This pattern followed up
until 1800, then income per person shot up due to industrial rev Another
great divide)
THE GLOBAL EUROPE (late 1700s and 1800sSspread of based European
based commerce, ideas, military intrusions to touch every imp inhabited
corner of the world)
THE POLITICAL REVOLUTION (Most of the world was governed by monarchy or
priests and religious figures)
CULTURE (traditional world there seemed to finite limits on everything like
amount of food can be grown, how much you can understand the world
around you. With the breakthroughs in tech and science, the sense of human
mastery over the environments, human ability to create new sources of
energy, caused a major cultural change. Changed limits/possibilities other
humans, identity, status, prosperity, security)

1.3 The Traditional and the Modern

The contrast between the two:
1. Energy (natural energy: animal power, wind, water VS man made energy:
fossil fuels, the atom itself)
2. Agriculture (no more than 10-15% of human pop even lived in towns before
VS larger % of human pop living not just towns, cities. Industrial times)
3. Real income (Static, subsistence VS economic growth possible, surplus
resources)
4. Lives (peoples lives were unstable b/c war, famine, plague but the
communities had a stable rhythm. Lives were similar to that of o VS
madernity longer lives and secure lives but conditions are more unstable.
People making living, people moving more. Paradox)
5. Religious faith (unstable lives, seek explanation from other places VS science,
religious faith continues but challenged by science / Human mastery over
environment VS human mastery)
6. Identity (people born, live, die within 30-50miles radius. Travel not easy,
news not easy to get around. Identity, culture, language were local. VS travel
easier, news easier, people feel like participants in a much larger community.
Mass identity)
7. Government (Large empires but weak. Their ability of giving orders limited
VS governments today)

1.4 The Great Divide: Why?
Was it sudden or slow?
Was it determined or a lucky break? (did basic material conditions cause a
predetermined pathway)
Material or cultural?
Technology..why?
And why England? (why did some places in Europe place such a large role)

Variations and interactions
Before and after

Explaining adaptation:
Identify preexisting conditions (+people solving problems by making choices), you
see change, therefore you have an explanation
Europeans engaged in long oceanic voyages. Their longitude was difficult to
calculate (problem). Came up with the solution such as complex clocks,
chronometer (solution), gave them superior abilities to conduct voyages and
therefore (new situation)
Hindsight blinds cant really see how the world would have been if problems
hadnt been solved a certain way. Dont think about it the way it happened (?)

14.4 The World of 1760
Eurosia had been dominated by warrior horseman, raiding on agricultural
settlements. Changed in 1500-1700s. Settled communities begin to have an
advantage because of gunpowder armies. The empires which could pull together
these gunpowder armies gained advantage over the traditional warrior horsemen.
Result was large empires: Ottoman, Russian safavid, Mughal, manch qing, Spanish,
Austrian habsburg empire
Consolidation of the large land empires in euroasia
Discovery and opening up of the new world (trade openened up to the Americas and
asia)

EAST ASIA
Most powerful region in 1760
Originally, the ming empire built a strong navy which made voyages around the
indian ocean but then they werent interested in expanding chinese trade beyond
south east asia. Main focus was on enemies and opportunities in the eurosian
hinterland.
1600s fell to invasion from the manchoos who formed a new ching dynesty.
Ching dynesty expand their domain in the west.







14.4 THE MUSLIM WORLD
Ruler -> clergy -> others

Sunni: word of quran to anyone who is literate (??)
Shii: have a more structured hierarchy/ clergy. Theyre more guides but can also
play the role of being judges.
Islam is a source of law as well to govern social/commercial interactions. Clergy can
help to interpret Islamic law. Ruler is a relatively narrow importance, functioning in
a deeply traditional society in which identities are religious, ethnolinguistic (arabs,
turks) ,oriented around families/clans.

Islam ideals vs Liberal ideals
Can islam and European ideals be reconciled?
Jamal el deen el afghani, a writer, says Islam is quite open to tolerance, scientific
innovation. Islam and liberalism perfectly compatible. Clash is over imperialism,
foreign intervention.
Other writers say that liberal ideas are too tolerant, too open. Cant perfectly be
compatible and islam needs to defend its culture, shelter its commerce/world of
ideas/social customs. Cant be passive and open completely.
Rule of law: European style liberalism, is the secular law. Outside of religious law
tolerant to all religions. Civil law. In Islamic tradition, rule of law is deeply religious.
Some liberal laws are related around democracy, majority rule. Islamic law isnt
against democracy but what if majority goes against something Islamic?

What is the role of the nation state?
Nation is the definition of the relevant community. But the nation is an
ethnolingustic definition of community? Even a civic definition.

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