Chapter 13 - Big Picture Question

Chapter 13

What are the similarities and differences among the empires of the early modern era, what categories of comparison might be most useful to consider?

 

There are more differences than similarities between the European Empires in the Americas in comparison with the Russian empire over northern Asia, as well as Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, Belorussians and Baltic peoples. The conquered territory of the Americas was away from the imperial heartland, whereas, Russian expansion was to obtain a  massive collection of territories by annexing to its neighbors.

The European settlers believed to have encountered “an old world”, and they were determined to create a “new world” in the Americas (p. 563). The Spanish, Portuguese, British and French   colonial empires just did not conquer and govern new societies, they generated new societies by slaughtering Native American populations, and bringing people from Europe and Africa along with cultures, plants and animals. They first focused their expansion in the Caribbean, then into the mainland of the Aztecs and the Incas in the 16th century. While this was happening, Portugal gained control of the cost land of Brazil. Later on, in the 17th century, the British, French and Dutch established their colonial settlements along the eastern coast of North America (p.554). The expansion of the Americas was based on economic policies: mercantilism - monarchies main objective was to convert all wealth in gold and silver and bring to Europe valuable exports to homeland along with close markets for imports from homeland. Yet this put women in precarious position; for European women, they were expected to be bearer of civilization in the new world; native american and African women situation was more challenging: rape and sexual abuse was very prominent. Furthermore, in the land of the Aztecs and Incas - Spanish developed different societies with economic systems based on the territory. Their economies were based on two main industries: agriculture and mining, as well as control of land. Spaniards established exploitative regimen to control land ownership based on Encomienda, Repartimiento and Hacienda: not too far from slavery. The Spanish Crown granted to particular Spanish settlers a number of local native people from whom they could require labor, gold or agriculture produce and to whom they owed “protection” and instruction into the Christian faith which was based on forced labor. Replaced by Repartimiento, was a similar regimen, but with a little bit more control from the crown and Spanish officials. The Hacienda was based on the concept in which the owners of large estates directly employed native workers. They paid them very low wages, high taxes and large debt to the landowners, yet the peons, workers enjoyed little control over their lives or their livelihood. They also create social hierarchies: “purity of blood” -people born in the colonies were considered inferior to those of Iberian peninsula descent. Spanish guarded their women to protect their blood purity. Overall, the main motivation of the expansion of the American it is summarized in one Spanish conquistador “We came here to serve God, and the King, and also to get rich.” (p.557)

The motives for Russian Expansion between 1500 - 1800 - were completely different than the conquest of the Americas from European countries. There were two main factors that caused the Russian expansion: security and control in the south in the steppes and prosperity. The recent disappearance of the Mongols was of big concern. That area was inhabited by various nomadic pastoral peoples and frequently would raid their neighbors and sold many slavery like the Mongols. In addition, in the east, prosperity in Siberian was their main motive. Peoples in this area were scattered in endless forests and tundra, and were not of any threat to their security, but they had the opportunity to obtain soft gold -furs,  which were in great demand on the world market. In addition, expansion offered merchants, hunters, peasants, churchmen, exiles, criminals and adventures great “economic and social improvement” over what they had known at home” (p. 573) -more land and less restrictions. Yet they justified this expansion by “defending Russian frontiers; enhancing the power of the Russian estate; bringing Christianity, civilization, and enlightenment to savages'' - of course this had a different significance to those on its receiving end (p.573).