The Early Modern Period is perhaps best characterized by expansion. The expansion of states (and eventually "nation-states"). The expansion of trade and communication networks. The expansion of economies, populations, interactions and conflicts. This is the start of a truly global era. Often, the focus falls on Europe, mainly because of its overseas exploration and expansion and its internal political developments. And the fact that Europe is starting to leave behind its backwater status. It is not until after 1500 that parts of Europe begin to match China (economically). But Europe was not the only region experiencing growth. China, too, became more dynamic, and this period witnessed two of its most powerful dynasties: the Ming and Qing. India continued to be a center of Indian Ocean trade and a major producer of textiles, producing about 25% of world industrial output by 1700 (and surpassing China). After the "discovery" of the Americas, the world economy would become truly global, linking the Americas and Afro-Eurasia in intricate webs of exchanges (forced and voluntary) of goods, ideas, microbes, and people. 

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the ability of rulers to use their power changed dramatically. Improved weaponry changed war both on land and at sea. New features of warfare held the promise that those who mastered their techniques could conquer more territory. Perhaps no technological innovation transformed warfare more than gunpowder, which changed the scale of weaponry in the 16th and 17th centuries. The new global economy helped major powers like the Safavids, Mughals, Ottomans, Spanish, French, English, Japanese, Qing and Asante turn their revenues into ammunition and soldiers. Global commerce and new financial systems thus helped states wage large wars. Rulers seeking to construct and consolidate empires frequently found themselves in conflict in this period, and religion played as critical a role in state building during this period. Five major empires expanded dramatically in Eurasia after 1500: China, Russia, the Mughal (India), the Safavid (Iran) and the Ottoman. By 1775, almost all of Eurasia (except Western Europe) was under control of one of these empires. In the west, European states consolidated power (and fought numerous wars against one another) and extended their reach across the Atlantic to form maritime empires. 

Content Summaries