Hist 133 Introductory handout

Introduction to the Class

This course will introduce you to the study of “global history.” This is, of course, a huge topic, but in this quarter we will be talking specifically about certain interactions between the “Western and “non-Western” world from 1750 century to the present.

What do we mean by the “non-Western” world?

• This could mean a variety of things.
• Perhaps 250 years ago the “Western” world would have meant essentially France, England, and Holland and other “Western” parts of Europe, though the definition could have been expanded to include the Iberian Peninsula and parts of Central Europe as well.
• During the Cold War the “Western” world referred to the countries of NATO plus the US, Canada (and some would say even Japan). With the end of the Cold War -- we can now say that most of the formerly communist countries of Eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic for example) are part of the “Western” world .

So where does that leave the so-called Non-Western world?

· Many people would agree that Asia, the Middle East and Africa may be included in the “non-Western” world – but what about Central and South America? Or what about Russia, stretching from Eastern Europe to the Pacific Ocean? Is this a “Western or “non-Western” country?

· Obviously the terms “Western” and “non-Western” can be confusing and misleading but since we’re going to be using these terms a lot this quarter, we should give them a definition or at least identify their characteristics.

· So, what are the characteristics of the “Western” world?

o The main thing is a shared sense of culture – one that is mostly derived from a shared “Judeo-Christian culture.” In other words, almost all the countries that we would call the “Western” share Christianity as their predominant religion. Which would mean that the New World (the Americas) would have been “non-Western” before their [forced] conversion to Christianity in the 16^th century.

· At the same time however, you might still get some arguments about whether Latin America today is truly Western or not.

· And then again there is that Russia question. Russia is certainly a Christian country but its historical and cultural development was very different from that of France, England or Germany.

· Russia owes little historical or cultural debt to the ancient Romans and it took its Christianity not from Rome but from the Byzantine Empire. Therefore it never experienced the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation and the religious wars of the 17^th century that helped to give impetus to the spirit of religious and political compromise that has shaped the development of the so-called “Western” world.

· Yet many people would consider Russia to be “Western” since the tsars and the Russian aristocracy felt themselves to be European, and certainly Russia took part in the wave of European expansion and colonization that we’ll be talking about a lot in the next few weeks.

· OK, enough definitions. What’s this course all about?

o It is basically an introduction to the interactions of the “Western” and “non-Western” world from the 1750 to the present.

o That’s quite a lot for 10 weeks, so we have to sort of pick our spots.

· That is, what you’ll get out of this course (I hope) is not a detailed knowledge of world events of the last 250 years but rather a feel for some of the cultures that were encountered by the Western powers as the nations of Europe began to explore and eventually carve up the world. I hope you’ll also begin to see some patterns that developed in these relationships between the Western countries and distant parts of the world.

· Rather than trying to cover every major event in world history since Columbus arrived in America we’ll be exploring certain themes and issues.

· One of the things I also hope to do is to put Europe’s history in perspective.

· When I was in high school we learned a lot about American history, and beyond that it was all pretty much about Europe and the Mediterranean world: Greece, Rome, the European Middle Ages, the Crusades, the French Revolution, World Wars, and so on. The school curricula has changed somewhat the last few years, but still the place of Europe in the world does need to be put in perspective.

· For example, it is sometimes assumed that in 1750 Europe was the most advanced of the world’s civilizations and that the creation of global empires by the British, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, and French was a matter of course.

· It sometimes seem as if there is nothing surprising about this.

o What I hope to accomplish over the next ten weeks is to put this assumption to the test. For example, was European civilization really so much more advanced than that of the Chinese or the Persians or for that matter, the Aztecs or the Indians? If not, then what were the conditions that allowed this tiny European corner of the world to rise to power?

· The other thing I hope to do is to answer – every day of possible – the “so what” question. That is, I hope that the lectures and reading will help us to understand why all this matters today. The best way to understand current events is to look at the past:

o Why is the Middle East such a mess?

o Why did NATO just fight a war in the Balkans?

o Why is there a nuclear arms race taking place between India and Pakistan today?

o Why are the leaders in China so resistant to Western notions of “human rights”?

o Why are tribal wars raging across large parts of Africa as we speak?

o How was Europe able to overcome its internal differences to unite in what is now called a European Union?

§ Obviously we won’t answer all these questions during this course, but the point is that today’s world has been shaped by the past, and if we want to understand what’s going on in the world today, we need some background information. I hope that for many of you this course will provide some of that background, and perhaps even lead you to explore other related interests..

· This course is organized thematically, rather than on the basis of a strict chronology.

· We’ll be looking at several case studies which will help to illustrate certain themes that are, in fact, global in nature.

· There will be a tendency to skip around in time from lecture to lecture although in general we will be proceeding from 1750 to the 20^th centuries by adhering to a basic chronology.

1. Initial encounters between the Western and non-Western world:

· Were these first encounters between the Spanish and the Aztecs a match of equals or was there a hierarchy of civilizations in the 15^th and 16^th centuries?

· Another way of putting it would be to ask: were the countries of Europe relatively more advanced than those of the non-Western world in 1750?

o Or in 1850?

o How about in the year 2000?

2. The Atlantic Slave Trade

· What were the origins of the slave trade? What were the conditions like for the slaves who made the journey from Africa to the New World? When did the slave trade end – and why?

3. Imperialism

· For this segment of the course we’ll look at a case study: the British colonization of India. How did the British justify or rationalize their actions?

· What were the differences between early “colonialism” and the later “imperialism” of the 19^th and 20^th centuries?

· And finally, why did “decolonization” get underway after World War II, and what were the results of this process?

4. Nationalism

· How is nationalism manifested in various countries?

· Is this a unifying or divisive phenomenon?

· Are its effects, on balance, positive or negative?

· In trying to understand nationalism, we’ll be using 20^th century IRAN as a case study.

· The recent history of Iran will also be useful in understanding the decline and resurgence of Islam in the 20^th century.

5. Modernization and Westernization

· Is modernization and Westernization the same thing or can a country modernize without becoming Westernized?

· To explore these questions we’ll be looking at the history of Japan over the last 150 years.

The World in 1750

• Why use 1750 as a starting point? Many historians argue that 1750 was the beginning of modernity. During this period empires rose and collapsed, science and technology brought forth many innovations and discoveries. In addition religion underwent a great transformation.
• Maybe we should begin by defining modernity. Many people assume that modern societies are somehow superior to pre-modern ones, a judgment we will try to avoid. Instead, I would like to discuss modernity in terms of its characteristics.
• In your opinion, what are some of the characteristics of modernity?

--A cultural outlook that focuses on progress

--A perspective that views science and technology as a force to improve economic production

--A view that shifts from a predominantly religious to a predominantly secular understanding of the world

--A shift in social status from being determined by birth to being based on merit

--The integration of regional economies into a global network

Two important elements in the conception of what it means to be modern are:

· Progressivism- The idea that things are getting better and will continue to get better. This outlook became increasingly popular in the 18^th C, fueled by both the scientific revolution and the enlightenment.

· Secularism – Is the practice of applying non-religious ideas to the service of humanity. For centuries, people understood the universe through the framework of religion. The world was the way it was because it was God’s, Buddha’s, or Muhammad’s plan. During the eighteenth century, European thinkers, especially in France, challenged this way of thinking. Instead of putting their faith in God, the enlightened thinkers were drawn to science to explain the origins of the earth and human beings. Science, they felt, had replaced religion in the modern era.

• Both progressivism and secularism helped spawn the political and industrial revolutions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Rejecting the long held idea of the Divine Right of Kings, enlightened thinkers proposed that a strong nation-state could best be achieved through broader participation of its citizens. Revolutions in both France and America epitomized the ideas of the enlightenment. A transformation in government also occurred as those in politics and government service came to their posts through talent and merit, rather than by birthright. In addition to making government more responsive and more efficient, the new nation states became economic powerhouses, spurring exploration, trade, and the industrial revolution.

· The First Phase of Modernity: 1500-1750

• Increased trade and exploration were key factors in the first phase of modernity. While prior to 1500 many countries engaged in long-distance trade, Europeans came to dominate oceanic trade by the sixteenth century. Trade and the systematic exploitation of peoples and resources, especially in the Americas and Africa, yielded vast riches. Moreover, the exchange of products also brought an exchange of ideas. Literacy rates increased throughout the period. There advances in astronomy, medicine, and mathematics. As growing trade networks expanded, regional economies were transformed into a modern global economic network.

· The Second Phase of Modernity: 1750-1905

· Beginning in the later half of the eighteenth century, an industrial revolution centered in England and the Netherlands spread over much of the rest of west and central Europe by the mid-nineteenth century. Over the next several decades, the effects of this transformation swept across the globe, creating among many countries the need to Westernize. Population growth increased markedly from 1750 to 1905. Though plagued by pollution and overcrowding, people increasingly moved to more urban areas in hopes of increasing their opportunities.

· As the industrial revolution spread, both the middle class and the industrial workforce increased their numbers. These two new economic classes were often hostile to each other. As the middle class became more powerful, workers organized unions and demanded better working conditions and pay. The Industrial Revolution’s need for resources was behind the growing power of many European countries, the Untied States and Japan. In this new equation a country was either the exploiter or the exploited. Colonialism gave way to imperialism, as so-called mother countries became less interested in controlling their possessions politics and more interested in gaining its resources.

• A great deal changed in the world after 1750. Many of these changes were positive; increased literacy, labor saving inventions, and for many countries, economic prosperity. However much of the change was negative. Countries that did not industrialize quickly enough were often exploited by those that had. Political systems rose and fell at the whims of other countries. Pollution and environmental catastrophes became commonplace worldwide. Still, the global economy of today was created by the forces unleashed after 1750.