Chapter 14 Notes

Chapter 14 Notes

Europeans and Asian Commerce

• Europeans wanted commercial connection with Asia
• Columbus and Vasco De Gama both seek route to Asia

Portuguese Empire of Commerce

• Indian Ocean commerce highly rich and diverse
• Portuguese did not have goods for effective competition as result Portuguese began piracy
• Portuguese created "trading post-empire"
• wanted to control commerce not territories
• operated by force of arms
• many settled in Asian or African ports

Spain and the Philipines

• Spain first to challenge Portugal's control of Asian trade
• Establishment of Spanish base in Philipines
• Spain introduced forced relocation, tribute, taxes, unpaid labor

East India Companies

• dutch and English entered Indian ocean commerce
• they displaced the Portuguese and competed with each other
• both dutch and English organize private trading companies  to handle Indian ocean trade
• chartered by their government
• had power to start war and govern conquered people
• Dutch focused on Indonesia
• English focused on India

Dutch East India Company

• controlled shipping and production of: cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace
• seized small spice producing islands and forced to sell only to dutch
• Dutch killed / enslaved almost entire population and replaced with Dutch planters and slaves

British East India Company

• not well financed, not as good as Duch E.I. company
• couldn’t get into spice islands
• major trade settlements in India

Silver and Global Commerce

• china had growing demand for silver
• value of silver skyrocketed more need for it
• silver central to world trade
• bulk of world’s silver supply ended in China
• Spanish silver brought to Europe used to buy asian good
• silver bought African slaves and spices
• silver enriched Spanish monarchy
• caused inflation in Spain

North American Fur Trade

• Europeans traded with indians for furs or skins
• Animals others driven to near extinction
• trade profitable for indians in exchange received goods of real value
• fur trade created higher levels of inter-Indian warfare

The Atlantic Slave Trade

• 11 million African people sent to Americas
• millions die in process
• led to mixed societies
• metaphor for social oppression
• slave status inherited
• driven by European demand
• Europeans traded with African merchants