The Modern World: Global History since 1760

Video Lectures

Week 1: 1760-1800

The Study of History

Just figuring out what actually happened can be very difficult, even for very recent events.

The Great Divide

The traditional world, not much changes from generation to generation. But in the modern world, there is much change.

Malthusian Trap: more population with the same amount of stuff means less stuff to go around.

The Traditional and the Modern

1. Natural (muscle, wind, water) → Manmade energy
2. rural, agricultural → urban, industrial
3. static wealth, subsistence → growth, surplus
4. unstable lives, stable communities → longer, more secure lives, unstable communities
5. faith → science
6. local identity/culture → mass identity/culture
7. weak kingdoms → strong states

The Great Divide-Why?

Prior to 1700, the most powerful empires were concentrated around Eurasia. The Holy Roman empire is weak by comparison.

Example: around 1700, Europeans were the greatest clock-makers in the world. This translated into an advantage in ocean navigation.

The World of 1760

Lots of slavery. Gunpowder, New World.

The Commercial Revolution

The rise and fall of kingdoms and empires actually has very little effect on the lives of most people is unaffected. The commercial revolution actually changed peoples lives. From tools to jobs and even the food eaten.

Things in the New World

• Sugar
• Coffee
• Tobacco
• Silver & Gold
• Land
• Prestige
• New Markets (the other colonists)

In North America there are primary settler colonies (as opposed to plantation colonies).

For this to work, you need:

• Ships → shipyards
• Science → Royal Academies
• Finance → Companies and banks
• Labor → colonists and slaves
• Protection → armies and navies

Collectively, this became the Mercantile Fiscal-Military State. The king grants trade monopolies to companies. The companies go to banks for finance. The bank earns interest, the company earns profits and the king get taxes and can request loans. This reduces the kings reliance on nobles and landowners for income and gives him more wealth to build stronger armies and navies.

The Military Revolution

In the 1400-1500's the gun came into existence.

In the military revolution we saw the introduction of artillery. And military engineering. The rise of drilled armies - drilled to use the guns effectively. The Prussian army was epitomized this. This also brought about staff-work and logistics. These were people who planned supplies for campaigns.

Europe is so fragmented, and under such constant war that they are constantly developing better war technology and practicing by fighting amongst themselves. And these techniques are distributed by printing press.

Introverts and Extroverts

China and Japan kept Western traders limited to outposts to prevent them from contaminating their respective cultures. The Eastern empires are the more conservative because they are the richest and have the most to lose.

Both the East and West are going through "industrious revolutions" and both have strong central moncarchs. But the the East is more conservative, China has much higher cultural integration and subordination. Europe is doing more science (which they see as discovering "God's laws").

The Fates of India and North America

By the 1760s the British control a few areas in India. The British are powerful allies and advisers. Britain becomes a power and assigns a Governor-General. At the same time, the French and British are fighting for control for North America. The British limited where colonists could settle to avoid getting into wars with native Americans or other European powers.

Week 2: Democratic Revolutions of the Atlantic World

The Diffusion of Authority

Where does authority come from

• Knowledge
• Force
• Money

For instance, in the 1700, the first attempt at an Encyclopedia was made. An attempt to document all human knowledge.

Everything was becoming democratized. Religious knowledge was no longer restricted to the priests, it was disseminated by printing press. The deciding figures in war were no longer nobles Knights, but common artillery men. Even sea captains were not (necessarily) of noble birth. And wealth was increasingly being held by bankers and merchants.

Rousseau: Authority comes from you, the individual.

Democratic Revolutions

It was common for countries or communities to have a "constitution" but not necessarily a written document. They meant that every one had a place and that entitled them to certain privileges. The scheme of custom and tradition.

Then there was "despotism" or "tyranny". This referred to rulers who granted no protection to their subjects. Most people believed they had protection via intermediaries like counsels and parliaments.

It was not entirely uncommon for the King to act on behalf of the countries welfare and the Parliament to act on behalf of the nobles.

In the 1700's very few people are citizens and entitle to the rights that comes with.