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
- Natural (muscle, wind, water) → Manmade energy
- rural, agricultural → urban, industrial
- static wealth, subsistence → growth, surplus
- unstable lives, stable communities → longer, more secure lives, unstable communities
- faith → science
- local identity/culture → mass identity/culture
- 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.