6/25/12

Sheila Romero

World History test 3

6/25/12

1)   Mongols were nomads that made their living from agriculture and husbandry. On that same ideology they generated an impressive economic civilization with a substantial population. They were a significant civilization, they conquest 3 major civilization; China, Persia and Russia. Mongols assimilated to all of those existing civilization, had a very strong army and were very well organized. As they moved to another empire they would leave their trademarks, such as their courier system, court settings, laws and military foundation.

2)   Islam evolved from one single individual named Muhammad Abdulla. He was against political injustice, and religious corruption of Mecca. Muhammad considered himself the messenger of Allah. Their sacred scriptures Quaran, was to be read in Arabic to receive the Holy message of God. Mecca was the main location for trade. It was located between two rival empires, Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Empire. All types of people gather at Mecca for trade one main advantage to being Muslim was to avoid the payment of Jizya or taxes. Taxes were enforced to non-Muslim. Another advantage to being Muslim was to receive protection and possibly have a social position.

3)   Silk Road; created an extensive and sustained of exchange among diverse cultures. It connected Eurasia by land. Through these roads it connected pastoral, agricultural people and major civilization. Silk roads was named after it’s main product silk. Silk was used as currency and was a sign of high status.

Sea Road; Sea based commerce along the Indian Ocean basin. I connected China and the East of Africa. It brought people from all across the Easter Hemisphere together. It was significant because it brought supplies from other civilization that was not accessible in their own land. These ships carried larger items and high quantities. Sea trade was possible due to the Monsoons’ alternating winds that blow eastern in the summer times.

Sand Road; It was long distance commerce from the vast reaches of the Sahara connecting North Africa and the Mediterranean world.

5)

500 BC--------------------------------------------------1453 A
                       Persia                                      Byzantium

                                 Rome

                                              
                                        Greek

                                                  Mayan

                                                           Teotihuacan

                                                                              China

                                                                                  Islam        

                                                                                            Modern World

6)  China re-built its empire after the Mongols were defeated. Rebuilt their forest, cultivation, irrigation system, Maritimes was superb, and trade was strong in the South China Sea and Asian ports.

Blog-6 Chapters 14-16

Blog 6 Chapters 14-16

These three chapters were very interesting to read. It has more recent events that are still connected and continues up into the 21^st century. During the 1450-1750 major changes evolved from the European Empires across to the new land, the Western Hemisphere. According to Strayer, “European colonies from Spain, Portuguese, French and Dutch and British were developed in the new land across the Atlantic Ocean.”(p.403). It was a major transformation of new societies. It became a mixing-pot of diverse peoples and cultures all mixed together. It was globalization process that created the Americas. Europe’s American empires mentioned above were different that other types of conquest in the past. The idea normally was to attempt to overpower the empire next to their borders. The European Empires in the Americas was different. They set out for maritime expeditions across the Atlantic Ocean and settled in the eastern coast of North America, Brazil, they conquest the Aztecs and the Inca Empires as well. These European people wanted to extend their access to better commerce and decided to expand. The commoners, missionaries, and persecuted minorities where in search of freedom and a new opportunity in life. Over time these European took over the lands, developed new societies and advance in the agriculture of food crops such as potatoes, cassava and corn and which became a very strong source of commerce.

During the 1450-1750 commerce became a key element to globalization. Global commerce came as the result international trading of supply in demand. This commerce gave rise to human slave trade, spice trade, silver, and furs in which forever changed the life of humans and the natural environment. Through all of these changes came the sense of major inequalities, unfairness, and abuse in the life of slaves as well the indigenous people and American Indian tribes. On the other hand, it benefited the slave-owners with cheap or free labor. During the fifteen century due to the population growth, Spain, Portugal, England, and France they decided to tax their people, began a strong military force that were well equipped. As the population was growing, their cities were developing as well.

“England, Netherlands and northern Italy became centers of international commerce and the capitalist economy expanded given rise to private business, and investment.” (p. 434) Global circulation of trade goods evolved and by the nineteenth century all the empires had ceased and by the twentieth century slavery had been legally terminated and the global commerce still continued strong.

Globalization of Christianity was mainly the result of the European traditions that were brought to America and became a strong influence in the new society. This religion of Middle Eastern origin became a very influential religion. At the same time a new group of European thinkers were generating a new philosophy about religion. This was known as the “Scientific Revolution, a different approach to the explanation to the world.” (p. 461) The expansion of multiple religions around the world over centuries have shaped and influenced different societies up to the twentieth century. From Christianity with a Middle Eastern origin, expanded throughout Europe to America to the Philippines and Siberia. Multiple Asia and African populations took on and practice the Islamic religion, which originated from the Arabs. Buddhism originated from India and continues to be practice in Asian countries.

Blog 5 Research Questions

Interview for Research paper

1)   What do I want to know about the history of this political event?

I would like to find out how people were directly affected after the 1979 Civil War in Nicaragua.

2)   What can I find out before the interview?

I can read up and familiarize my self with what went on in Nicaragua during the Civil War in 1979. Learn about who was the president and who was attempting to over throw him from power and why.

3)   What can I find out only by experiencing the person’s face-to-face presence?

During the interview I’m going to pay attention to body language and facial expressions, because those are the hidden “true” emotion of an event. It can tell me how painful and sad an event was to them.

4)   Where, when and with whom will you interview be concluded?

It was concluded yesterday at her home in Stockton. Her name is Indiana Castillo.

5)   In what form was it recorded?

I used a recorded and took notes as she was telling her story.

6)   What special challenges did you foresee?

Translating the meaning and the emotions of her story from Spanish to English, and staying on topic.

BLOG 4

Blog 4

June 11, 2012

Chapters 11-13

The spread of Islam has been significant in the history of major religions and continues in the modern era.  The expansion of Islam is worldwide. 22 percent of the worlds populations, identified as Muslim. This new religion became known in the seventh century CE.  Islam was introduced by Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (570-632 C.E), and believed that he was Allah’s messenger. Based on the Muslim believes that Allah is a good God, merciful, powerful and just. All the revelations are recorded in the Quran, which are consider sacred scriptures of the word of God. Muslim believers are expected to live and follow the scriptures. “Muhammad was a highly reflective man and was disappointed by the religious corruption and inequalities of Mecca” (303). He wanted to incorporate social justice, equality, fairness, and religious dedication from his followers. He believed very strongly that religion and social justice had to go together.

The continuous expansion the Muslim religion through out decades has cover major empires and countries, including the United States. “The birth of major religious or cultural traditions of the classical era had emerged from the core of established civilizations,” (302).

A Muslim believer most follow the Quran’s five requirements know as the Pillars of Islam.

1)    Absolute monotheism and final revelation

2)    Prayer 5 times a day

3)    Give your wealth generously to help the needy

4)    Month of fasting-no food, no sex, from the light of dawn to sundown during Ramadan.

5)    Pilgrimage to Mecca

The last one (6^th pillar) “greater jihad,” the personal effort of each Muslim against greed and selfishness. Living a God conscious life.

The death of Muhammad caused a division between his followers and the Shias and Sunnis were created. The dispute was due to the disagreement on who was to lead after Muhammad’s death.

The Mongol in Eurasia in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries were pastoral nomads and circled their lives around the herds of animals. They were not known for being innovative or creative by any means. They never built cities or empires, but there is enough history to show that they made a great contribution in farming and agriculture.

Pastoral nomads who lived in good farming environments took advantage of the land with agriculture. Some of the farming lands were not so productive, they innovated a different type of economy by using the milk, wool, hides, and meat for business. They gather large animals for herding as well. Pastoralism emerged in the Afro-Eurasian world. Mongols developed their communities among families and not in villages or town. Pastoral nomads seem to be egalitarian. Women were offered higher status and a role in public life compared to similar agricultural civilizations. Women shared their included in the productive labor, domestic responsibilities, for food and children. Widows were allowed to remarry with no negative actions, and they could initiate divorce as well. Some women even served in the military or as political advisers. Their live style really depended on the environment. The pastoral nomads were constantly moving, always trying to follow the seasonal changes, water supply, and grass for their herds. It was very interesting to learn about the pastoral nomads, in this chapter they are depicted as hard working people that worked around agriculture and herding.

BLOG 36/4/12

BLOG 3

6/4/12

CHAPT 8-10

After reading these chapters I was very impressed on how important was trade and commerce during the Common Era between the 500 and 1500. Commerce was the key element to dictate which society was more productive and successful. In order to maintain order and safety to the merchants and the luxury goods that were being moved, security was provided on the roads. Eurasia was thriving in trade good between other city-states and silk was the most valued goods. The roads that were used to transfer these goods were called Silk Road. It was the most frequented road for this purpose.  It became the new way of life moving not just silk, but supplies that were not available in certain areas. It was food, clothing, tools, agriculture and livestock. There was a negative side to the trade business as well. Since the Silk Road was known to be the road that merchants frequented tor the transportation of these good, crimes began to erupt. People were being robbed of their merchandise, diseases were being transmitted and spread all across the city-states, in which many perished as the result. Some of the illnesses were the smallpox, the measles and the bubonic Plague. Some of the illnesses spread from the animals that were infected. At the end it caused the end of the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire.  Many lives were lost as the result of these illnesses in which drastically affected the trade and exchange among city-states.

In Chapter 9, China and Buddhism by far was the most valued gift that China had ever received from India. China adapted to this religion from India just as Europeans adapted to Christianity. Buddhism was the largest cultural assimilation in China in the twentieth century. Buddhism faded away in it’s place of origin and became a solid part of the culture in most of East Asia. China’s reunification under the Sui and Tang dynasty enforced a mayor support for Buddhism. Strayer, ‘With a hundred victories in a hundred battles we promote the practice of the ten Buddhist virtues”.  With the strong support from Sui and Tang and a larger acceptance from the Chinese people monasteries became centers of great wealth and power. They avoided paying taxes, they owned large properties, states, and they were in charge of powerful businesses, water mills, and pawnshops. Collected gems and gold and began to employ slaves. Buddhism became very powerful but never became independent from state authorities like the Catholic Church did.

After so many years of Buddhism being on top, it also became a source for criticism. The dissatisfaction began due to the amount of wealth that the monasteries had. At one point the state treasure was short on funds, and government official became suspicious of the wealthy monasteries that were tax-exempt. For the Confucian followers the fact that the whole establishment of the Buddha religion was foreign religion it violated the Chinese ideal of family-system as the Confucian theory.  Many decades later Buddhism was under attack. Thousand monasteries, temples, shrines where destroyed. They were forbidden to using high-end metals to build their religious images. Considering all the controversy Buddhism still continue to exist.