The
most obvious thing to note on this time period of the year 1450 to 1750 would
be the impressive feats of expansions that occurred for the eastern hemispheric
empires. I say obvious because this chapter discussed solely this, they I still
feel the need to comment on the vast changes that the world witnessed.
Beginning with the conquest of America, the
endeavor to travel to a new land in search of solely expansion is quite brave,
regardless of the negative outcome when switching perspectives. I first would
like to comment on it from the perspective of the Spaniards, the Englishmen,
the French, the Portuguese, and the Dutch. According to my readings, these
people were simply down on their luck, whether it was entire governments and
economies suffering in terms of the global scale, or the individuals striving
to better their lives, the conquest of the Americas was instigated off
traditional American values. Consequently, this could open the discussion on
the actual value of traditional American value, whether they are truly moral or
admirable, but this would stray too far from my topic. The Europeans saw an
advantage and grasped at their opportunity. Asia was content with the well
developed and easily accessible Indian Ocean trade system, and therefore removed
itself from the potential prosperity. The Europeans needed to expand wealth,
resources, and culture; they strode to establish themselves as a substantial
world power at the consequence of many lives, which I have concluded to have
been an unexpected advantage. The death of the indigenous Americans resulted
mostly from the widespread introduction of a new disease: an epidemic spread
across the land. Unfortunately for the Native Americans, humanity had
segregated itself into islands without any form of connection which of course
resulted in undeveloped immunities. While tragic this may be, it ultimately is
not the fault of those coming into the land. However, I will agree that the
further treatment of the natives became quite savage and inhumane. With the introduction
of the trifecta trade route entitled the Columbian exchange, the practices of
the Europeans grew colder and more animalistic in nature. Humans were born a
separate species from animals and intrinsically have the right to be treated
better than such. I find the lifespan of the sugar farmers to be the most
deplorable act of this conquest. The racial hierarchy that developed mainly in
the Spanish region of the Incas and Aztecs did not seem too consequential in my
opinion. Racism seems to be a natural trend of societies seeing as people are
obsessed with comparison to deem superiority; though I do not condone the act
in any way, I find it to be the least of the land’s worries nor do I think it
remarkable.
The
incidents of Asia and Russia interest me most, and I do now wish I had spent
less time discussing South America. Russia’s expansion seemed natural and at
the same time cruel. It is difficult for a person of my era to understand the
limitations placed on common, regular folk for virtually no reason, at least no
substantial one. Asia acted with the
most dignity and respect of the common man. I especially appreciate the actions
of Akbar in the Mughal Empire. When faced with a tradition of exploitation and
discrimination, his reformations, while although still not quite acceptable in
today’s standards, rejected, not wholly, the practices and laws of leaders
before him. His renovations to the Mughal Empire, though not everlasting, were
impressive in stature and equality.
