Post-Classical Society (1200 CE - 1450 CE) PDF

Notebook Page 12 Post-Classical Society Period 1: 1200 CE - 1450 CE  New Production and Labor Practices During the Post-Classical Era, several new labor practices emerged alongside common traditional labor practices Among the newer forms of labor organization were European guilds— cartels...

Notebook Page 12 Post-Classical Society Period 1: 1200 CE - 1450 CE  New Production and Labor Practices During the Post-Classical Era, several new labor practices emerged alongside common traditional labor practices Among the newer forms of labor organization were European guilds— cartels that began to form and control all trade and labor by determining local employment, prices, production, and quality These select tradesmen determined prices, labor, and production in towns and areas, as well as were responsible for the first trade union: the Hanseatic League (HANSA) Regarding new forms of state-driven labor, the Inca mit’a system coerced inhabitants (especially non-Inca) into an organized labor force, financing and constructing many large-scale state projects In China, new production methods in iron and steel making led to a dramatic increase in steel production As Afro-Eurasian trade began to reinvigorate and grow, commercial activity and production grew as gross domestic product increased beyond historical highs—particularly in China, India, and pre-Mongol Persia  Traditional Labor Practices Despite the emergence of several new productive and labor practices, most of the Post-Classical world continued traditional methods—the vast majority of which existed in the form of coerced labor Peasant agriculture continued as the dominant agricultural production method during the Middle Ages, with specific rents and protections in Europe and Japan under the feudal manorial system, while patriarchal pastoralism continued in the Eurasian Steppe Although a form of unfree, coerced labor, peasants often worked and stayed in family units, working for sustenance with excess serving as tax or rent payment Slavery and the slave trade continued across the world, and at an accelerated rate between the West African kingdoms, Muslim world, and Vikings Slave labor and obligatory military service were also staples of the Mongol Empire, particularly concerning Chinese, Turkish, and Persian soldiers and skilled craftsman  Developments in Agriculture The Post-Classical Era, as a whole, saw a rise in world population due to new developments in the environment, as well as new agricultural techniques Environmentally, agricultural output was increased due to the onset of a global warming period in the 750-1100s and 1300s; this allowed for longer growth and harvesting seasons, as well as the possibility of agriculture further north A new strain of drought-resistant rice from Vietnam known as Champa rice circulated throughout East, Southeast, and South Asia, greatly enhancing world population Various cultures also began to adopt terracing to transform previously unusable hill and mountainsides into arable land In the Americas, chinampas provided island farms for members of the Aztec confederacy, and the waru waru technique protected Inca crops against extensive Andean region flooding & erosion Lastly, the introduction of the horse collar and camel saddle both helped to improve animal labor for agriculture, as well as the goods and services that could spur economic growth and trade Terraced Hills in Peru  Positive Developments for Women Women experienced a range of developments during the Post-Classical Era, some of which increased female freedom and agency: In the West, Christianity offered alternative opportunities for women to pursue literacy and avoid childrearing as nuns In some Muslim territories, women were extended the legal right of Khula—the ability to initiate a divorce Some pastoral and nomadic cultures condoned female property and inheritance rights, and some even utilized women in battle (e.g., the Mongolian Princess Khutulun) In West Africa, women generally retained their open sexuality despite the introduction of Islam and [soon] Christianity to the region The spread of Buddhism in Asia—particularly in Japan—offered a more egalitarian outlook and marginal legal rights to women In the Americas, an outlook referred to as gender parallelism resulted in women to operate as equals in society with different [limited] roles; for for example, men generally dominated the military and leadership roles in society, but the nurturing role and childrearing of women was seen as of equal and parallel societal importance  Negative Developments for Women Despite these positive developments, most of the Post-Classical world remained rigidly patriarchal, and negative practices or viewpoints either persisted in the world or reinforced the legal and social limitations of women: The spread of Islam and Persian fashion generally came with increased legal, social, and clothing limitations The Christian world had not yet offered prominent leadership roles or rights to women within the Church The emergence of Neo-Confucianism in Tang and Song China reinforced social and cultural limitations on women and subjected many unwilling women to foot-binding The practice of sati—a custom in which a widow sits atop her deceased husband’s funeral pyre—continued in much of the Hindu world of South Asia In most cultures, the biological menstrual cycle was generally disdained Despite the occasional rise of some women to roles of leadership as princesses, queens, empresses, or other positions, women were largely unable to delay or escape childrearing without reliable birth control and/or access to safe, legal abortions (neither of which were available until the mid to late-20th century)