World History Notes - Trading Plays one of the Biggest Feature in Human History

Sharon Lin Pd. 8 Chapter 7 Outline Notes Trading plays one of the biggest feature in human history China -> silk Southeast Asia -> spices Southern Arabia -> incense West Africa -> salt Trade -> social mobility in some civilizations -> Chinese merchants moved to gentry class after being able to purchase landed estates Trade -> provided transformation in political life -> creation of states -> conflict within the government 430 BCE -> trade-borne diseases enter Greece from Egypt 200 BCE-200 CE -> beginning of Silk Road commerce flourishing 1st century BCE -> Buddhism spreads to Central Asian cities and N. China Early century CE -> knowledge of monsoons expanded Indian ocean commerce 300-400 CE -> trans-Saharan trade begins 350 -> all water routes between India & China opened 6th century -> Chinese monopoly on silk production ended 7th century -> Islam rises 670-1025 -> Srivijaya kingdom 800-1300 -> Khmer kingdom of Angkor 1000-1500 -> Swahili civilization along East African coast 13th and 14th centuries -> Mongol Empire revitalized Silk Road commerce 1250-1350 -> Kingdom of Zimbabwe in SE Africa 1275-1292 -> Marco Polo is in China 1346-1350 -> Black Death enters Europe by trade route 1350 -> Ibn Battuta goes to W. Africa 15th century -> Aztec and Inca empire trade in the Americas Silk Road -> unity and coherence to Eurasia Eurasia -> warm, well-watered, good for agriculture Inner Eurasia dry and not good for agriculture -> E. Russia, Central Asia Silk Road trade flourished again in 7th & 8th century CE during Byzantine Empire, Muslim Abassid dynasty, and Tang dynasty 13th/14th century, Mongols almost controlled the entire route Technology advanced throughout many centuries Silk was in hands of men mostly when trading Women played a big role in the process of supplying silk 6th century CE, producing of silk spread and the demand for it decreased Silk helped spread Buddhism & Christianity Buddhism -> spread widely to Central and E. Asia from India -> appealed to merchants -> many people converted to Buddhism The statues of the Buddha was influenced by Greeks Mysterious disease killed 25% of Greece's army due to seaborne trade with Egypt Smallpox killed many people in the Roman Empire and Han Dynasty Bubonic plague affected coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea due to seaborne trade with India Constantinople lost thousands of people per day for 40 days in 534 CE due to disease Bubonic plague later arrived in Europe and 1/2 of population perished China and parts of Islamic world suffered from disease Venice (1100 CE) -> center of commercial network (trade) -> wealth came from expensive/profitable imported goods from Asia Indian Ocean (1500) -> largest sea-based system of communication and trade in the world -> China to E. Africa -> transportation is cheaper Muhammad thought he was Allah's messenger to the Arabs Quran -> scriptures of Islam that demanded social justice Islam was monotheistic Muslim -> "one who submits" Umma -> the community of all believers in the moral society of Islam Five Pillars of Islam -> set of 5 requirements for believers -> Expressed the heart of the Islamic message ("There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God") -> Ritual prayer (pray 5 times a day) -> Alms giving (be generous and supports who are in need) -> One month fast during Ramadan (also known as self-purification) -> Pilgrimage to Mecca (also known as the hajj) -> Struggle (also known as jihad which taught people to not be greedy or selfish) The Transformation of Arabia Muhammad created new societies and declared his independence from Judaism Many people began converting to Islam Muhammad died in 632 and Arabia was under the control of a new Islamic state Muhammad was viewed unlike Jesus or the Buddha. People saw him as a political and military leader that implemented his vision of an ideal Islamic society. Sharia -> a law that regulated every aspect of life. The Making of an Arab Empire Arab state became a huge empire, encompassing all or part of the Egyptian, Roman/Byzantine, Persian, Mesopotamia, and Indian civilizations. War, Conquest, and Tolerance After Muhammad died, Arab armies engaged in the Byzantine and Persian Sassanid empires. This helped give rise to the Arab empire that stretched from Spain to India, penetrating both Europe and China. By 644, the Sassanid Empire was defeated by the Arab forces. Muslim forces went westward across N. Africa, conquering Spain in the early 700s and also attacked S. France. Arab armies conquered some major towns in C. Asia In 751, they defeated the Chinese forces in the Battle of Talas River In 634, a battle between Byzantine and Arab forces in Palestine resulting in the death of about 4,000 villagers Jizya -> a tax for people who wanted to practice their own religion Tax was a substitute for military service Local elites and bureaucratic structures were incorporated into the New Arab Empire By the 8th century, there was a mass conversion of Middle Eastern peoples resulting in the new and seperated religion of Islam Conversion Many people converted more for the sake of convenience Islam was associated with the sponsorship of a powerful state People who converted would be able to avoid the jizya (tax) Those who were Muslim had social mobility Islam was friendly to traders/merchants as it helped build trust 80% of Persia's population converted by 750-900 Persia didn't involve themselves with Arabization when they converted Arabization -> to see yourself as Arabic and speak only Arabic after conversion to Islam Persian culture influenced Islam due to this An Abbasid caliph said that Arabs couldn't be Arabs without the Persians Division and Controversies Central problem after Muhammad died was leadership and authority First caliph -> Abu Bakr Third caliph (Uthman) and fourth caliph (Ali) were assassinated By 656, a civil war broke out between Muslims Sunni Muslims -> those who believed that caliphs were rightful political and military leaders, selected by the Islamic community Shia Muslims -> those who believed that leadership in the Islamic world should derive from the line of Ali and his son Husayn, blood relatives of Muhammad