Maritime Empires (1450-1750)

Economic Strategies in Maritime Empires

Mercantilism

• Dominant economic system in Europe.
• State-driven, focused on mineral wealth (gold & silver).
• Wealth like a pie; countries competed for the biggest slice.
• Favorable Balance of Trade:
  • More exports than imports to acquire gold & silver.
  • Colonies as closed markets to buy exports.

Joint Stock Companies

• Limited liability businesses, often chartered by the state.
• Funded by groups of investors, not states.
• Allowed state and merchants to mutually expand influence and trade.
• Example: Dutch East India Company
  • Chartered by Dutch state for Indian Ocean trade monopoly.
  • Led to Dutch economic power and influence expansion.

Contrast with Spain and Portugal

• Mainly state-funded trade and imperial ventures.
• Less influence due to lack of joint stock companies.

Changes and Continuities in Networks of Exchange

Changes

• Atlantic System of Trade:

  • Movement of goods, wealth, and laborers between hemispheres.
  • Key commodities: sugar and silver.
  • Sugar led to economic demand and lower prices in Europe.
  • Silver from Americas to Europe, then to Asia, influenced global trade.

• Coerced Labor:

  • Indigenous labor, indentured servants, and enslaved Africans.
  • Supported Atlantic economy growth.

Continuities

• Regional markets in Afro-Eurasia continued to thrive.
• Overland routes like Silk Roads still dominated by Asian powers.
• Peasant and artisan labor intensified:
  • Agricultural production increased for global markets.
  • Artisans increased production for European demand.

Social Effects of Trade

African Slave Trade

• Gender Imbalance:
  • Majority of enslaved laborers were men.
  • Led to polygeny in Africa (men marrying multiple women).
• Cultural Synthesis:
  • Creole languages developed as a mix of African, European, and sometimes indigenous languages.

Influence of Belief Systems

Spanish and Portuguese Christianity

• Aimed to spread Christianity in colonies.
• Catholic missionaries sent to convert indigenous peoples.
• Resulted in cultural blending and imposition of European culture.
• Proponents of Indigenous Rights:
  • Figures like Bartolomé de las Casas advocated for indigenous rights.
  • Led to legislation against indigenous enslavement.

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Review Tips:

• Consider the economic motivations behind Empire expansion.
• Understand the impact of trade systems on global economies.
• Recognize the social and cultural transformations induced by trade and conquest.
• Study the role of belief systems in colonial settings.