Early Modern Overview

This time period is when Europeans start going out and exploring new areas. China could have conquered the world, but they decided that China didn't need the world and isolated themselves from the rising West. Zheng He built some big boats, and the emperor had them burned.

Europeans take over new colonies and spread their diseases. This was a not so nice exchange called the Columbian Exchange. (No, it doesn't have anything to do with drugs.) The Europeans only get good things - like new foods that boosts their populations. Native Americans only get bad - diseases, death and domination. Native Americans die from various European illnesses... Hmmm...we need labor to build empire, because we don't want to work ourselves.... where do we get labor from?? Indentured servants? No, they get free and want equality and stuff. How about we kidnap people for labor? This leads to African slave trade, probably one of the darkest points in American history and probably one of the most defining institutions.

This period determines many of the world's future power players. Africa getting its best, young, strong, healthy men sold into slavery has disastrous effects on the continent. Tribal warfare gets more intense and much more lethal, because what do Europeans trade for slaves? Rum and guns. Both guaranteed to destroy.

Asia does a lot of insular infrastructure building. Japan and Korea rise to be decently strong countries. There are plenty of "gunpowder" empires: Tokugawa Japan, Mughal India, etc.

Middle East has a new powerhouse - the Ottomans!

Europe gets a huge boost from the Renaissance. Hey, people are individuals and can think for themselves! And here's a cool way to write about what we're thinking - a printing press! What happens next? Let's split up Christianity AND let's kill each other over it. Otherwise know as the Reformations - the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation. There is also a Scientific Revolution and an Enlightenment which are not to be confused with the Renaissance. (Although they pretty much are a continuation of Renaissance ingenuity and search for meaning.)

European kingdoms establish their absolute power. Kings get bigger castles and palaces and bigger hair (see all the French Louis', esp. Louis XIV). Spain is on top of the world for a while when it's getting all that gold and silver from the New World.

England takes a divergent path and has a civil war and a revolution that was, um, glorious. And there was this dude, Oliver Cromwell that did some crazy stuff.

Despite England's upheaval during this time, they are set up to be a powerhouse in Europe and the world. They have their revolution the earliest. In the next time period, everyone is going to be having revolutions, and England is just sitting pretty, starting the Industrial Revolution. Guess who's going to be a strong imperial power? But that's Unit IV.