European Commerce with Asia ppt 1

European and Asian Commerce

• European empires in Asia grew from deliberate efforts to explore sea routes to the East.
• They encountered a rich network of commerce stretching from East Africa to China.

Causation: Why Did Europeans Seek Asian Commerce?

• Motivations for Exploration:
  • Desire for tropical spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, pepper) for food preservation, medicine, and luxury.
  • Demand for Eastern goods (Chinese silk, Indian cottons, precious gems, medicinal rhubarb).
• Religious and Political Goals:
  • Circumventing Muslim monopolies on trade (controlled via Egypt and Venice).
  • Aspiring to ally with mythical Christian monarch Prester John to counter Islamic powers.
• Economic Pressures:
  • Trade Deficit: Europe lacked goods attractive to Asian markets and had to pay in gold and silver.
  • Search for precious metals to fund trade (Portuguese sought African goldfields; Spanish silver mines in Mexico and Bolivia temporarily resolved the deficit).

Contextualization: Why Did Europe Enter Global Trade in the 16th Century?

• Recovery Post-Black Death:
  • Growing population and urban centers in Spain, Portugal, England, and France.
  • Strengthened monarchies with better tax systems and gunpowder-equipped armies.
• Economic Advancements:
  • Cities (England, Netherlands, northern Italy) became hubs of international commerce.
  • Growth of market economies and capital investment.
• Challenges in Existing Trade:
  • Venetian dominance in Eastern trade and dependence on Muslim intermediaries.
  • European frustration with limited access to luxury goods.

Comparison: Why Did Europeans Control Less Territory in the Indian Ocean Than the Americas?

• Focus on Trade:
  • Europeans in the Indian Ocean prioritized commerce over empire-building.
  • Unlike the Americas, Asian states were strong and organized, preventing significant territorial conquest.
• Military Dynamics:
  • Europeans weren't a serious threat militarily to major Asian powers.
  • Asian commerce networks were well-established, limiting European dominance.

What Motivated and Enabled European Involvement in the Indian Ocean Trade?

• Portuguese Empire of Commerce:
  • Vasco da Gama's voyage to India in 1497–1499 marked the beginning of European involvement in Asian trade.
  • Early 16th century, Portuguese established fortified bases in key locations in the Indian Ocean.
  • Portuguese trading post empire declined due to overextension and resistance from Asian states by 1600.

Argument Development: What Was Portugal's Goal?

• Trading Post Empire:
  • Portugal sought to control commerce, not territory or populations, through force.
  • Established fortified bases at key locations (Mombasa, Hormuz, Goa, Malacca, Macao).
  • Aimed to monopolize the spice trade, forcing merchants to pay duties (6–10%).

Causation: Why Did Portugal Use Force?

• Military Advantage:
  • Portuguese ships were heavily armed with cannons, outgunning local naval forces and devastating coastal defenses.
• Lack of Competitiveness:
  • European goods were unattractive in Asian markets.
• Absence of a Dominant Power:
  • With the withdrawal of the Chinese fleet, no major power dominated Indian Ocean trade.

Outcomes: How Successful Were the Portuguese?

• Achievements:
  • Monopolized the sea route around Africa for about a century.
  • Controlled up to half the spice trade to Europe.
• Limitations:
  • Failed to dominate the Indian Ocean as hoped.
  • Older trade routes via the Ottoman Empire revived by the 16th century.
• Adaptation:
  • Became part of the "carrying trade," transporting Asian goods between ports.
  • Many Portuguese assimilated into local cultures, married locals, converted to Islam, and integrated into diverse trade networks.

Decline: Why Did Portugal Lose Power?

• Overextension:
  • Portugal, as a small country, couldn't maintain its vast empire.
• Resistance:
  • Rising Asian powers (Mughal India, Oman) resisted Portuguese control.
• European Rivals:
  • Other European powers (Dutch, British) contested Portugal's monopoly over the spice trade.

Compare Empires: How Did Portuguese Interaction in the Indian Ocean Differ from Their Actions in the Americas?

• Colonial Rule: -Spain established outright colonial rule in the Philippines, unlike Portugal's trading post empire.
• Missionary Efforts: -Spanish rule brought major missionary efforts, turning the Philippines into Asia's only major Christian outpost.
• Cultural Diversity: -Manila became a culturally diverse city with Spanish, Filipino, Japanese, and Chinese inhabitants.

Causation: Why Did Spain Colonize the Philippines?

• Favorable Conditions:
  • Proximity to China and the Spice Islands.
  • Weak, divided chiefdoms with no centralized authority.
  • Lack of competing claims from China, Japan, or other powers.
• Methods of Conquest:
  • Small-scale military operations, alliances, gifts to chiefs, and Catholic rituals.
  • Colonization largely led by Spanish Mexico, resulting in a relatively bloodless takeover starting in 1565.

Impact of Spanish Rule

• Christianization:
  • Missionary efforts turned the Philippines into a Christian stronghold.
  • Resistance from Muslim Mindanao created 300 years of conflict.
• Colonial Practices:
  • Relocation: Settlements consolidated into Christian communities.
  • Tribute, taxes, unpaid labor became routine.
  • Emergence of large estates owned by Spanish settlers, Catholic orders, and prominent Filipinos.
  • Displacement of women: Spanish priests replaced women who held ritual leader, healer, and midwife roles.
• Manila as a Hub:
  • Manila became a thriving city (over 40,000 people) with Spanish settlers, Filipino migrants, and a large Chinese population.
  • Chinese played a key role in trade, but faced discrimination, revolts, and massacres (e.g., 1603 massacre of 20,000 Chinese).

Comparison: How Did Spanish Goals Differ from Other European Powers?

• Unlike the Portuguese, Spain sought territorial control rather than commerce-only trade posts.
• Similar to Spanish practices in the Americas: Forced labor and tribute systems, centralized Christian communities, and suppression of indigenous rituals.

The East India Companies

• British East India Company: Focused on India, establishing trading settlements in Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.
• Dutch East India Company: Concentrated on Indonesia, controlling spice production and trade.
• French East India Company: Established presence in the Indian Ocean basin from 1664.

Causation: Why Were the Dutch and British Successful?

• Innovative Organization:
  • Joint-stock companies raised large sums of money and shared risks among investors.
  • Granted trading monopolies and political/military authority by their governments.
• Dutch Dominance:
  • Focused on the Spice Islands (Indonesia), controlling production and trade of cloves, nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon.
  • Used violence to seize islands, devastate populations, establish plantations with enslaved labor.
  • Profits soared, but local economies collapsed, and populations were impoverished.
• British Approach:
  • Excluded from the Spice Islands by the Dutch, the British focused on India.
  • Relied on negotiation, bribes, and payments to Mughal authorities for access to Indian markets.
  • Shifted from spices to cotton textiles, fueling a booming trade with England and its colonies.

Continuity and Change: Impact on Asian Societies

• Dutch in Indonesia:
  • Monopolized the spice trade, devastating local economies.
  • Transformed small islands into plantation economies reliant on enslaved labor.
• British in India:
  • Focused on trade partnerships rather than conquest, initially avoiding large-scale warfare.
  • Integrated Indian villages into global trade as producers of textiles for British markets.
• Evolving Role:
  • Both companies initially dominated through trade but gradually transitioned into colonial powers (British came to rule India; Dutch controlled Indonesia).

Comparison: Dutch vs. British East India Companies

• Focus: Dutch–Spice Islands (Indonesia); British–India.
• Methods: Dutch–violent conquest, plantations; British–negotiation, bribes, trade alliances.
• Primary Goods: Dutch–spices (nutmeg, cloves, mace); British–cotton textiles, bulk goods.
• Impact: Dutch–economic devastation in Indonesia; British–integrated Indian producers into trade.

Compare the Dutch and British Approaches: Which Was More Effective? Which Caused More Harm?

• Limited European Control: European political control was limited to the Philippines, parts of Java, and some Spice Islands.
• Asian Powers: To Mughal India, China, and Japan, Europeans posed no real military threat.
• Continued Asian Trade: Asian merchants continued to dominate trade within Asia and with Europe.

Japan's Isolation Policy

• Mid-16th Century: European traders and missionaries arrive in Japan.
• 1650–1850: Japan largely closes off from European commerce, maintaining ties with Asian neighbors.
• Early 17th Century: Tokugawa shogunate unifies Japan and views Europeans as a threat.

Causation: Why Was European Control Limited?

• Strong Asian States:
  • Limited European political control to the Philippines, parts of Java, and select Spice Islands.
  • Major Asian states (Japan, Siam) resisted European expansion.
• Asian Adaptation:
  • Asian merchants (Arab, Chinese, Indian) remained dominant in overland trade and even thrived in the face of increased seaborne commerce.

Case Study: Japan

• Initial Welcome (16th Century): European traders and missionaries were valued for their military technology, shipbuilding skills, and religious ideas.
• Isolation Under the Tokugawa Shogunate (17th Century):
  • Unified Japan; expelled missionaries, suppressed Christianity due to concerns over European influence; restricted European trade to Dutch merchants at the port of Dejima.
  • Maintained limited cultural exchange through "Dutch learning" (Rangaku).
  • Japan remained closed to European commerce but retained robust trade with China, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

Continuity and Change: Asian Commerce Thrives

• Asian Merchant Networks: Chinese and Indian merchants expanded into Southeast Asia, dominating spice trade routes and providing crucial loans to European traders.
• Women's Role in Trade: Southeast Asian women actively participated in commerce.

Comparison: Asian vs. European Trade

• Control of Trade: Dominated by Asian merchants (Chinese, Indian, Armenian) in Asia; Europeans militarized seaborne commerce.
• Approach to Commerce: Localized networks (overland and maritime trade in Asia); aggressive monopolies and forced trade in Europe.
• Government Support: Limited for Asian merchants; European states directly supported merchants.

Silver and Global Commerce

• Silver Production: Mid-16th century discovery of rich silver deposits in Bolivia and Japan.
• Global Trade: Silver became a key commodity in global trade, linking the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
• Chinese Demand: China's economy drives global silver demand, fueling commerce; China required taxes to be paid in silver.

Causation: Why Was Silver So Significant?

• Major Sources: Rich silver mines (Bolivia, Potosí, and Japan).
• Chinese Demand: Silver in the 1570s; fuels trade for Chinese goods (silk, porcelain).
• Global Exchange: Silver flowed from Americas to Manila to China; paid for African slaves, Asian spices, and luxury goods in Europe.

Impact on Key Regions:

• China: Silver deepened economic commercialization, resulting in farmer specialization and deforestation.
• Spain: Vast silver wealth, military ambitions, led to inflation and economic decline.
• Japan: Strengthened the economy, unified the country, and established sustainable policies (Tokugawa Shogunate).
• Potosí (Bolivia): Became a large city with brutal conditions for native laborers and opportunities for women in small businesses.

Continuity and Change: The Role of Silver in Global Trade

• Global Currency: The Spanish piece of eight became the first widely used global currency. Used in trade across Europe, Americas, Asia, and Africa.
• Europe's Role: Europeans acted as middlemen, funneling silver from the Americas to Asia. Chinese goods outsold European products globally.

Was Silver a Force for Global Economic Integration or Regional Exploitation?

• Detailed discussion of whether silver facilitated global economic integration or fostered regional exploitation is beyond the scope of this brief summary.

Explore the significant factors that influenced European commerce with Asia during the Age of Exploration. This quiz covers direct trade routes, the impact of the printing press, and challenges faced by traders. Test your knowledge on how these elements shaped European perspectives on Asia.